Bemm River will be the place to be in January if December’s fishing is anything to go by.

With the entrance closed still in mid-December and the lake not really rising due to the lack of rain, the fish have had time to settle and locate themselves in some consistent areas. The channel near the entrance has been a great place to find some big fish with anglers trolling diving minnows for tailor reaping the rewards with some exceptional fish to 2kg. They are not thick, but they are well worth the effort. Another great capture from the channel was a 7kg flathead that was released. Live baits and soft plastics have been the best when fishing for the channel flathead and as we move into January I’d expect the flathead fishing to get better and better.

In the lake bream, luderick and trevally have all been about with kilo-plus specimens of each being taken by anglers fishing fresh baits like shrimp, yabbies and worms. If we get a bit of rain in early January, I’d expect to add some quality prawns to the list of lake species too!

Up in the river itself the bream are still hitting plastic and hard bodied minnows, but not with the consistency most anglers would like. It’s really a time for working a few snags or a bank thoroughly and being rewarded with some good fish, not just chucking and catching as can sometimes happen up the river. All the favourite soft plastics like Gulp Sandworms, Squidgies and Powerbaits are working and the Ecogear SX series of lures is hard to beat.

While fishing for bream, some anglers are coming across the occasional school of estuary perch. The perch have ranged in size from little tackers right up to 1.5kg brutes that really stretch out 4lb tackle. Don’t be surprised if you are casting lures to the snags if you catch a perch and remember that there will usually be more perch in the same snag or very close by so make the most of your luck.

Fishing in the surf has been quiet lately with the expected gummy shark bight on the last moon not really happening due to strong winds blowing the beach out. On the January moon, get the surf gear out and grab some squid or eel for bait and give the gummies a crack. They fight hard and taste fantastic and spending a few hours on a warm January evening fishing for gummies is a great way to pass the time.

For all the latest info on how the fishing is going in the Bemm River region, give me a bell on (03) 5158 4254 or drop in at Bemm River Bait and Tackle to check out what’s hot.