Scoring cool catches on our chilly local beaches

MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin

Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

This autumn, visitors to our area have been enjoying some great weather, and those who came for the fishing were not let down. The local beaches have been fishing well for a variety of species, with bream, whiting, salmon and tailor all being caught, along with a few gummy sharks. Tip Beach down to Betka has been a good area to go fishing, with fish also being caught at Bastion Point around the lake entrance area. Fresh bait is the key to catching a variety of species, with beachworms and fresh prawn working well.

We’ve had plenty of swell over the past month, and this has really stirred things up, creating good gutters for fishing. A rising tide is the best time to chase a feed, especially when the tides line up with sunrise or sunset.

If you’re chasing salmon and tailor, it’s lot quicker to find the fish by using metal lures walking along the beach, fishing the different gutters until fish are found. With winter on the way, the colder water will see more salmon along the beaches, along with some bigger tailor. The boat ramp at Bastion Point has been relatively sand-free, making for safer launching and retrieval.

With plenty of flathead on the chew, keeping a few of the smaller models for a feed is no problem.

Boats heading offshore have been rewarded some good catches of flathead, both sandies and tigers, along with gummy shark. The fishing will start to slow down as the cold winter water makes its way up the coast.

The fishing in the lake has been good, with plenty of flathead being caught. Good catches have come from the Bottom Lake right through to above Gypsy Point. A variety of lures have worked well, with soft plastic lures and the ever-reliable blades catching plenty of fish. Yellowfin bream and sand whiting have also been caught, with the Bottom Lake around the entrance area, and out around Goodwin Sands, a great place to chase a feed.

The good flow at the entrance has been great for the lake, allowing fish to move freely, and giving the lake a good clean up. This, in turn, helps to establish good weed beds.

With good numbers of jewfish in the lake, the winter months should see more fish caught. You can expect the best action from the Top Lake up to and above Cape Horn.