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Memorable sessions likely
  |  First Published: March 2008



You can expect some memorable angling throughout March.

Despite the flogging that Merimbula and Pambula lakes copped over the holidays, lit amazes me how both these systems still produce outstanding captures.

Flathead are still abundant with some big girls up to 95cm being caught on soft plastics up to 100mm and live poddy mullet. Fishing the shallower margins early in the morning has been a key ingredient to success, with lighter leaders a must for consistent results.

It’s not unusual to get bag limits inside a session but thankfully these days more anglers are keeping only what they can eat immediately and releasing the rest.

Bream and whiting have been abundant with the channels fishing well on a rising tide. Live nippers and squirt worms have been dynamite but you need to persist with these softer baits to get through the pickers.

If re-baiting all the time isn’t your go, use fresh striped tuna cubes and berley at the same time. Bream find it pretty hard to resist fresh stripy, particularly in low-light periods.

Up in the Top Lake at Merimbula, tailor numbers have been increasing with a few mulloway hovering around. A couple of fish to 10kg have been taken on live bait.

There have been a few bruiser bream around the racks but they have been a little gun-shy with all the boat traffic. That should improve as we head further into March. Use smaller hardbodies and poppers on a rising tide.

MULLOWAY, GUMMIES

The beaches will continue to produce over coming weeks. Bream, whiting, tailor, salmon, mullet and the odd jewfish will all hit baits and lures.

The jewies will be a lot harder to target than the other beach species but time and patience are the key. I like fresh squid, tailor fillets and big bunches of live beach worms. You’ll also have a chance of a decent gummy shark, especially after dark. The best I have heard of was 11kg.

The beaches I would be trying are North Tura, and Tura Main. Take the time to read the beaches at low tide before you go. This enables you to know roughly how deep a gutter you will be fishing and how far off the beach it is.

Offshore, things are really hotting up on the game scene. When the weather has allowed, smaller trailer boats have ventured to the 70-fathom line and have had a ball.

Marlin, smaller yellowfin tuna and a host of shark species have chewed at times and, going by the water temperature charts, this dynamite action will be with us for a while yet.

Trolling skirted lures and live-baiting slimy mackerel have been successful, as has switch-baiting with livies after teasing up fish with hookless skirts.

Inshore anglers after a feed have been doing OK with sand and tiger flathead plentiful. All the usual haunts are producing with The Sticks near Pambula a good starting point.

Snapper numbers are good and although most are small the numbers are there. Long Point has been fishing well with fresh tuna, squid and pilchards.

The rocks will continue to fish well for all the usuals. Sport fishers who like throwing lures face small kingfish, tailor, salmon and the outside chance of a longtail tuna.

Striped tuna and frigate mackerel are also possible; remember to use smaller slugs if fishing for these speedsters.

Tura Head is the deepest and most productive platform around here. You get onto Headland Drive at Tura Head and follow the track down to the platform. It’s a bit of a walk but certainly worth the effort.

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