Sapphire Coast

16 FISHING - SAPPHIRE COAST - SUMMER 2024 The Sapphire Coast is a fishing paradise The Sapphire Coast is known as a fantastic place for all kinds of fishing, from dangling a baited hook from a pier, or casting a long rod out beyond the breakers, to deep-sea trolling for massive marlin or tuna on the edge of the continental shelf. In this part of the world, famous for its variety of fresh and saltwater fishing opportunities, you’ll also find patient fly-fishers wading in clear streams chasing timid trout (during the season), and enthusiastic boaties plying the lakes and rivers in search of ‘a feed’. Most of the beaches along the coast are popular for fishing, whether it’s from the sand or rocks, while Eden and Merimbula provide some of the nation’s best bay and lake fishing. Following is a quick fishing snapshot of the main locations. It’s always best to check with the locals (especially the friendly and knowledgeable staff at the local fishing shops, or local fishing-charter operators, like Sapphire Coastal Adventures – see page 5 of this issue) for the current top spots, methods and baits. Oh, and if you’re heading out on a boat, or planning a spot of rock fishing, remember to check the weather and swell conditions first, let someone know before you go – and stay safe. Bermagui Whether you’re looking for game fishing, deep-sea reef fishing, rock, beach or estuary fishing, Bermagui offers lots of variety and plenty of exotic fish. Being just 11 nautical miles (about 20 kilometres) from the continental shelf, Bermagui provides easy access for game fishermen chasing tuna, sharks and marlin. Yellowfin, bluefin and albacore tend to appear over the shelf around mid November each year, closely followed by marlin. Other exotic fish on the game-fishing wish list include broadbill, wahoo, cobia, dolphinfish, short billed swordfish and sailfish. Deepsea fishing off Bermagui is a favourite for those chasing flathead, which can be found at any depth from 10 to 120 metres, and can usually be caught by drifting over the sandy bottom using a line with two or three baits attached – a technique that can also yield gummy shark, gurnard, mackerel and barracouta. Bermagui’s many offshore reefs are known for holding snapper, rubber-lipped morwong, jackass morwong, leatherjackets, various rock cod, wrasse and kingfish. If you’re sticking closer to town, places to try include Bermagui Harbour and Bermagui Point, where common catches include tailor, mullet and luderick, while further up the Bermagui River anglers tend to target bream, whiting and catfish. Beares Beach is perfect for surf fishing when the tailor and salmon are running, and the mouth of the Cuttagee River is a good spot to try on the incoming tide for bream, whiting and Australian salmon. The saltwater Wallaga Lake – just seven kilometres north of Bermagui – is home to dusky flathead, bream, trevally, tailor, salmon and garfish. Eden A popular boating hotspot, with a long fishing heritage, Eden is a well-known fishing port, with direct ocean access and shelter from prevailing winds – making it ideal for all kinds of fishing. Thanks to a very large boat ramp, floating jetty and breakwall at Quarantine Bay, you can be out to sea and fishing on the reefs in very little time at all. Eden also has many lakes and river systems that are renowned as prolific fishing locations, including Wonboyn, Curalo, Broadwater and Yowaka. Beach and/ or rock fishing in Twofold Bay (or to its north or south) can quickly put you among the tailor and Australian salmon, and the the water off the rocks here is often deep enough to hook some large, hard-fighting pelagic species. Tathra Tathra offers a wide variety of saltwater fishing environments – including estuary, surf, rock and bluewater – as well as the opportunity to hook freshwater species in local streams and rivers. The large and historic Tathra Wharf is known as one of Australia’s best fishing wharves, giving land-based anglers the opportunity to catch species ranging from flathead, snapper and leatherjacket, to Australian salmon and red rock cod. Kianinny Bay is another popular location, and has a concrete boat ramp (for boats up to seven metres in length), a fish-cleaning station and barbecue facilities. Mogareeka Inlet – at the north end of Tathra Beach – provides access to the calm waters and tidal sand spits of the Bega River Mouth, beach and rock fishing, as well as having a single-lane ramp for launching and retrieving your boat. Merimbula Merimbula offers lots of variety for fisher-people too. Merimbula Lake is well known for its flathead, whiting and trevally. If you don’t have a boat, there are plenty of shorebased locations to try your luck, and you can also hire a tinny and rods – and buy bait – right on the lake. If you’re after some ocean fishing, an artificial offshore reef, located 2.5 kilometres southeast of the Merimbula estuary entrance, in approximately 32 metres of water, is popular with local fishing clubs and well worth a try for a wide range of typical reef species. If you’re up for some beach fishing, it’s well worth trying Middle Beach for mainly salmon and bream, while heading across to Short Point will give you the opportunity to hook some nice flathead. Pambula Beach and the river mouth are also popular spots for hooking hard-fighting Australian salmon. Inland The Bega River holds bream, flathead, luderick, whiting and estuary perch. For freshwater anglers, Brogo Dam (near Bega) is stocked with Australian bass, while the Bemboka River (near Brown Mountain) and Tantawangalo Creek (near Candelo) are popular with anglers chasing the quintessential brown trout. Booking a fishing trip with one of the many experienced Sapphire Coast operators (who usually supply equipment, bait and expert local knowledge) is a fantastic way to get in on the action. Photo: Destination NSW Beach fishing is a popular pastime right along the Sapphire Coast. Photo: Destination NSW The large and historic Tathra Wharf gives fisherpeople access to relatively deep water, and is known for offering some of the best pier fishing in Australia. Photo: Destination NSW Wherever you are, you can always find us at bairnsdaleadvertiser.com.au then find our publications ALWAYS ONLINE WIN A HOLIDAY PACKAGE See back page BOOK YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY NOW SAPPHIRE EVENTS & ACTIVITIES LOCATION MAPS Coast Sapphire EN24593

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