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Salmon haunt the beaches
  |  First Published: May 2005



The beaches around the Merimbula area have been fishing extremely well with some thumping big salmon heading the list.

Most fish are falling to pillies rigged on ganged 4/0 hooks on an Ezy Rig combination. All beaches are holding fish but the two hot spots have been the main beach at Tura and North Bournda, just south of Wallagoot Lake.

Look for the deeper gutters, which are plentiful, fish the incoming tide and you should soon be in business.

Tailor are also around but the run of fish has been quite small. Over the next few months bigger tailor will be around in numbers.

I have heard some good reports of nice bream and some quite large flatties coming from Haycock Beach, just south of the Pambula River entrance. Live beach worms have been the pick of the baits with larger soft plastics accounting for some of the flatties.

The rockhoppers have been doing well with quality blackfish and drummer. The drummer are up to 2kg, solid fish that at this size certainly know how to pull.

Cunjevoi, red crabs and cabbage weed are the best baits and a little berley in the washes will also increase your chances. There are still a few salmon around the headlands but the beaches are holding more fish at present.

May is a good time for the spin diehards to throw metal around from the rocks. Mack tuna, bonito and the odd kingie can be expected, with Tura Head the pick of the platforms to fish.

Inside Merimbula Bay is also worth a look around the rocks north of the wharf. I like using quite large lures at this time of the year with 50g to 60g Raiders a favourite.

Have a selection of lures on hand; what works one day doesn’t always work the next.

Offshore, the yellowfin tuna should be around as the water temperature drops. This is a great month to chase them, especially the big fish.

The seas are usually quite calm in autumn so let’s hope the boaties can encounter a tuna or two. Albacore can also be expected in the coolish waters, along with the odd mako shark.

Snapper will still be available on the inshore reefs and while the flatties have gone a little quiet, the fish that are being caught are of size. The grounds off Pambula have been the best for a feed of sandies.

Merimbula and Pambula lakes continue to produce the goods, with bream, flathead, blackfish and still the occasional school jew being caught. Bait and lures have both been working well but fresh bait has certainly out fished the lures of late.

Pambula Lake is holding good numbers of trevally, a lot of which are 1kg-plus – great fun on the light gear and not a bad feed if prepared the right way.

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