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It’s a Wagonga smorgasbord
  |  First Published: December 2005



Wagonga Inlet is fishing well at present with a smorgasbord of species available. The main basin, channels, sand flats and oyster racks are all holding fish.

I’ve been having great success fishing the faster water in the channels lately with bream, trevally, flathead, whiting and blackfish all succumbing to slowly-twitched soft plastics. Catches of 20 or more fish are the norm – great sport in the fast water and stacks of fun.

The sand flats are full of whiting with squirt worms and nippers the best baits. Get the bait at low tide from the flats near the Fisheries office and go back there on the flood tide. Fish lightly weighted baits on the sand/weed edge and you’re almost guaranteed a feed of quality whiting. You’ll get a few smaller fish but persistence will see you get some better-class fish too.

Bream have been prolific up the back of the system, especially around the oyster racks. Nearly every set of racks is holding fish. It’s just a matter of finding the bream that want to feed. Fish the last two hours of the flood tide for best results. Surface soft plastics are working well. The Squidgy Bug in jelly prawn colour, rigged on a worm hook, is catching a lot of fish. Slowly twitched resin heads with Berkley minnows are also producing.

Dusky flathead are in full swing now with some crocodiles getting around. The best we’ve caught lately went 93cm and just over 7kg. There are plenty of duskies between 40cm and 55cm with smaller softies working well for the smaller fish. If you’re after a trophy fish, fish large lures and fish them slowly. Persist and you’ll get one.

OFFSHORE ACTION

Offshore should be firing by now. Yellowfin tuna and albacore will be available on the continental shelf and beyond with trolled lures getting the majority of fish.

With the water around 21°, striped marlin are a real possibility with lures and trolled slimy mackerel the best ways to tempt one. Switch-baiting is another top method for the beakies with a lot of fish last season succumbing to this method. A billfish is raised on a hookless lure or teaser and gradually brought within casting distance of a live bait.

The kingfish at Montague have been a little slow but this month should see these fighting machines turn up. Live bait is the go for the kingies; bait can be caught out the front of the Golf Course Rocks or a little further south in front of the main surf beach. Don’t forget the jig rod, too – kingfish are top sport on hardware and they certainly know how to pull.

The bottom-bouncing brigade is happy with a lot of big morwong around. A few snapper have been mixed up with the mowies with Potato Point, Fullers Reef and the southern end of Montague the pick of the places.

Sand and tiger flathead are prolific on the inshore grounds in water 30 to 35m deep. Try straight off Dalmeny Headland. I know some locals who’ve been having a ball on the flatties and have also got the odd gummy shark.

The Golf Course Rocks have been fishing producing all of the usual rock-dwellers. Blackfish and drummer are in the washes to the north of the main platform with salmon and tailor off the front ledge. Kingfish and bonito are also on the cards so drifting out a live bait under a bobby cork is also worth a go.

The beaches have slowed up somewhat but expect that to change this month. Bream, whiting and mullet should all be on offer with live beach worms, pipis and striped tuna cubes getting results. Tailor numbers will increase this month so expect the odd mulloway around the suds. The beaches north of Narooma, around Tuross, are the places to fish for a jewie. Fresh tailor or squid are the preferred baits.

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