The entrance remains closed with the water level rising steadily. The main boat ramp and car park are now under water and anglers are advised to use the concrete ramp around the corner from the hotel.

The last month has provided plenty of action. For those keen on fishing the surf there has been salmon and trevally caught at most of the beaches. Pilchards, bluebait, pippi and surf poppers have all been popular. I don’t think I can remember so many trevally being caught here. Yellowfin bream up to 1kg have also been caught on the beach using prawn and pippi. The hour before and after high tide seems to be the best time.

Soft plastics are becoming very popular and have been used to great effect here at the Bemm. Flathead up to 10lb have been caught on the drop offs and sand banks down the channel. Flicking unweighted plastics around the snags up the river has also produced some top quality bream and estuary perch.

The lake itself has generally fished well although some days the bream and luderick can be hard to find and catch. With the water so high, the fish are no longer restricted to the open waters of the lake and there are plenty that have found their way up into the scrub. Here they will find plenty of food and great cover. Fishing around the edges and even into the tussocks has produced top results. Local bait gatherers are not pumping sandworm due to water level, however this will change as soon as the entrance opens. Local frozen prawns have been good bait with most anglers peeling the tail for better results. A few small prawns are still being caught down the channel, however, with the water getting colder and fresher, they will gradually peter out.

If the coming autumn and winter months are anything like last year we should be in for some top action. We look forward to the coming months with the prospect of the entrance opening and the lake returning to its normal level. All eyes will be on the construction of our new jetty, which hopefully will be finished before the end of June. It then comes down to plenty of lobbying in the right places to obtain funding for an all year round boat ramp and car park.