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Trumpeter and calamari compliment the big gars
  |  First Published: June 2013



Georges Bay has a long-standing reputation of producing large garfish and this season is no exception.

These are now being caught in good numbers and can be found mostly around the sea grass beds down along the red channel markers. A small float with a small #10-12 hook and a tiny piece of white squid bait is the perfect rig for the garfish. Whenever fishing for garfish, berley is as important as the bait. Crumbly berley mixed with a small amount of fish oil and sent in a trail down current will attract a school of gars very quickly.

Southern calamari have continued to be active both inside and outside the Georges Bay with some quite large specimens being landed. The boat ramp at St Helens point is a very popular area to cast a few squid jigs as well as the boat ramp at Binalong Bay. Plenty of squid ink stains on the cement is all the indication an angler needs to start casting. Inside Georges Bay itself most of the jetty’s around the bay have produced some fine squid action with some anglers easily catching a bag limit of tasty calamari

Offshore anglers are starting to have good results bottom fishing for striped trumpeter and blue eye trevalla on areas such as the Binalong Patch and the 14 Mile Patch East of Eddystone Point. A simple twin or three hook paternoster style rigs will do the job with a 16-24oz snapper style sinker dropped down on to some suitable reef.

Flathead anglers along the coast are catching good numbers of large flathead, and most fish seem to be in the shallower water not far outside the breaking waves along the beaches. Areas along the coast between St Helens and Scamander have been producing good bags particularly around Paddies Island and Ring Rock. The best lure for flathead at the moment seems to be the Neptune Arrow Jig rigs in both the pink and pink/white however the Lumo colour has proven to be absolutely deadly

It has been almost a daily occurrence of schools of small to medium Australian salmon busting up the surface in Georges Bay feeding hard on schools of small baitfish. Anglers in boats have had good success casting small silver lures and soft plastics at these fish with most fish being around the 1-2kg size. Lures such as 10-15g Halco and Raider and soft plastics such as Yep Tassie Tackle 3” Minnow. Mixed in with the schools of salmon have been good sized tailor and mackerel offering a bit of a lucky dip when casting at the feeding schools.

Also being caught in good numbers are large silver trevally. These fish are excellent sport on light gear and can be found in areas such as the main channel in the faster current, in Moulting Bay and deep underneath the schools of salmon and tailor feeding on baitfish.

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