There is still good fishing to be had around Tathra

TATHRA Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

With the cooler weather now upon us you would expect the fishing to start to taper off, however, the water temps are still up so the fish are constantly on the chew.

If you want to fish the estuaries this month, which ones should you target and how should you go about it?

With the landmass and rivers cooling, bringing cold water down into the estuaries, it’s a good idea to fish the shallows over the flats on the rising tide. A lot can be learnt from walking around sand or the muddy flats at low tide. Hear you can observe what is happening, and who has been visiting here at high tide. The obvious signs are of course the depressions left by flathead or stingrays, while the not-so-obvious are likely to be small crater-like dimples, crushed oysters or shellfish, and legs left behind by unlucky crabs that have had a run-in with a scaly predator.

Once you find these areas, simply go back on the rising tide to hunt for the fish species that left the signs. Places like the Bega River, Nelsons Lagoon and Wapengo Lake north of Tathra are prime areas to begin your assault.

Now let’s look at what species you’re likely to catch, and how to catch them.

Bream, whiting, flathead, flounder, luderick, trevally are just some of the frequent visitors to the flats at high tide, searching for food. You can encounter these species on a regular basis by using light gear and randomly making long casts, placing baits like nippers, worms or small crabs over the flats. With the use of polarized sunglasses, you can sight these fish before fishing the area, thus improving your chances.

If you like using lures, I recommend odd jewie have been providing some variety. Fishing the estuaries at this time of year may be tough, but there are fish to be found if you are willing to put in the effort and change tactics. We all like to catch fish on lures, however I find at this time of year it is tough going. Bait fishing now becomes a good option, and if it is bream you like to catch, start focusing on the shallow flats as these fish will fossick over them in search of worms, pipis, small crabs, shrimp or nippers. Whiting, luderick, mullet, flathead or flounder may also be cruising these flats in search of prey, and the clear, late autumn waters can provide some exciting visual angling. Randomly scattering nippers over the flats is often all that’s required to catch fish, with the better areas around Bermagui being the river itself just upstream from the bridge, and out at Wallaga Lake either side of the bridge.