Bermagui

BERMAGUI Darren Redman

djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Whether you live in Bermagui or are just visiting, the best part is the ‘close to home’ options you have for a variety of fish and fishing methods.

Within a mile of the entrance to the harbour you can access some of the best flathead grounds to be found, or you can go a little further south where there are plenty of reef options. Out wider within 10 miles of shore you have the Twelve Mile Reef, hosting some of the best marlin grounds available, and then there is Montague Island to the north, spectacular beaches and rock platforms gracing our coastline. There are numerous estuary systems too, along with the freshwater of Brogo Dam, all within an hour’s travel of Bermagui.

The start of autumn usually sees good numbers of larger snapper frequenting the coastline. The reefs south of Bermagui such as The Brothers, Lobster Patch and Goalen Head area are attracting good numbers of these fish. Most anglers prefer to drift with conventional paternoster rigs using squid and cut fish bait, however more anglers are anchoring and berleying using large drift baits such as whole and half slimy mackerel, which have been producing fish in the 7-8kg bracket.

Other reef fish are also very plentiful, with morwong (both blue and jackass), tiger flathead, ocean perch, pigfish, leatherjacket plus many more species also featuring in regular bags.

Fishing the deep water off the Twelve Mile Reef will produce most reef fish in good numbers. Those

The Bermagui River hosts some very large duskies right on the doorstep.

TATHRA

Darren

Redman

djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

It has been one of the wettest seasons on record for the catchments feeding into the rivers and streams in the Tathra region. Metres of rain has fallen during the spring and summer months, often resulting in exciting although tough angling. So much fresh pushed down these systems that it was possible to drink the water where the rivers meet the ocean, thus concentrating fishing activities close to the entrance.

Now, although still receiving rain falls, most of the rivers or lakes have settled down, and some fantastic angling has followed the fresh flows. There is so much food around since the rains it’s hard to remember seeing the waters so alive with new life, and because most of the lakes or rivers are still open to the sea, fresh fish stocks are able to enter these systems, resulting in some spectacular angling.

Anglers in the Bega River using soft plastic prawn imitations have had lots of This 40cm whiting came from the flats of Wallaga Lake, minutes from Bermagui.

anglers who feed a live bait out under a balloon may be pleasantly surprised with a hook-up to a billfish. Marlin are in their best numbers in March, concentrating on the Twelve Mile Reef area. All species can be encountered at this time of the year, feeding on the vast baitfish schools that congregate over the reefs.

Also feeding on the baitfish are short-billed spearfish, mako and other sharks, dolphinfish (mahimahi) and usually plenty of schools of small to mid-range yellowfin tuna. The preferred methods at this time of year are to troll live slimy mackerel or (my preferred bait) a live or skipped frigate mackerel. Frigates can often be acquired by trolling a small fly a long way out the back whilst you troll live mackerel for the predators. Another preferred method is switch baiting with lures and teasers without hooks, attracting the marlin to the boat where the lure is replaced with a live bait. This is a very spectacular way in which to catch marlin.

Kingfish around Montague Island are in good numbers at present, averaging around 6-7kg with some fish up to 15kg being encountered. Most fish have been taken with the traditional methods of using jigs, squid and live bait, however don’t be frightened to troll bibbed and bibless lures over the western reefs as this will also produce fish. Large schools of southern yellowfin bream are frequenting most estuaries surrounding Bermagui at present. Fish up to 46cm are not uncommon, with most fish averaging around the 40cm mark. Berleying with striped tuna on the start of an incoming tide will account for a lot of these beautiful chrome-plated fish.

Flathead are just one species that has prospered as a result of the wet.

success on large flathead and the occasional jewfish. Other lures, both hard and soft, are also working well in the lower part of the river, especially early in the morning. If you’re really keen, get up before daylight and catch some fresh prawns to use live as bait. This form of fishing can have spectacular results when used over weed beds, along the drop-offs and rock bars. Further up the system, bream and estuary perch are a regular catch on lures, with the best areas being around Thompsons Wall and the entrance to Black Fellas Lake. Wapengo, north of Tathra, is producing very mixed bags when bait fishing. Drifting the lake with live mullet is a good way to drum up a few flathead, and the use of fresh nippers and worms over the flats at high tide will produce a variety of different species.

Although not noted for its game fishing, Tathra is capable of producing some very nice fish from its waters in March. Small black marlin often frequent the coastline and are in range of the smaller boats. They will often be shadowing the mackerel schools and are therefore easy to target with live bait. Further out you can find all species of billfish that visit our area, and the best way to encounter them is with a spread of lures. Not only does this allow you a chance of a marlin, there are also plenty of tuna on offer as well.

Large hammerhead sharks are visitors in these waters, and the best way to target them is by trolling live striped tuna. Rig these baits on heavy mono or wire and simply work the areas where the stripies are, as the predators shouldn’t be too far away – and don’t be surprised if you find a marlin doing this.

Close to shore around the rocky headlands, light tackle anglers are enjoying some good sportfishing in the form