Moruya River
I can’t believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year! Where has it gone? Who knows but it can stay in the annuals of history. As we start to move into the next phase of the fishing year, we move into that in between phase, where you just don’t know what your going to get. The waters are still warm, the air is starting to cool, the days get shorter, nights longer and the fish aren’t really sure where they are supposed to be. We start to see the appearance of the cooler season species and a decrease in the abundance of the warmer water species.
For the river this means that things start to slow up. The bream will start to hold deeper, flathead will start to move off the shallows, and the whiting will do the same. The estuary perch will start to take up residence around the bigger snags and bridge pylons. Heavier lure presentations become the norm, blade style lures fished deep, grub style plastics on heavier heads become the norm, everything is fished slower and kept in the zone for longer. The estuary perch are already starting to make an appearance around the bridge after dark, if you want to take a feed home you will have to do so before May 1st. This is when the EP and Bass Zero take season starts. This allows the fish to aggregate and spawn, protecting the stocks for next season. The lower half of the river is still providing the best fishing again this week, where the water is clean and clear. The airport flats and around Preddy’s wharf continue to hold bream, flathead and whiting, with luderick starting to take hold as the waters cool. Luderick can be targeted on green weed suspended under floats or they can also be tempted with live nippers.
Tuross River
The lower sections of Tuross continue to offer the best opportunities this week, as the tannin stained fresh waters are still doggedly holding onto the upper reaches. Suspended ash is still an ongoing problem upstream and will be for a while. Flathead and bream down the front of the system are still a viable option, with lures and baits still working well. As the water cools, start prospecting the deeper channels to find the fish.
Rock and beach
Again, as has been the case for the last month, the beaches are providing the best return for efforts. Salmon, bream, whiting and flathead are all being caught in the gutters of the local beaches. With the mullet run starting, bronze whaler sharks are becoming a real option for those that wish to spend the time with big baits. With the mullet run, jewfish or mulloway become another option off the beach. Live baits of mullet or beach worms as well as fresh slabs of salmon or good quality squid baits can tempt these slabs of chrome into biting. Big soft plastics and diving lures can also tempt those willing to cast for hours on end. This does require a special kind of crazy to dedicate the time required to spin up a silver ghost off the beach. Off the rocks the drummer are starting to build up in numbers, as are the squid. Just be sure to check what the swell is doing before committing to a session off the rocks. I know I have driven and walked good distances to fish a favourite ledge, only to find that the swell has not been playing ball and have had to abandon a ledge session in favour of not drowning. There are always other spots to fish, so if one place is washed out, look for another.
Offshore
Good reports of flathead are still coming in waters from 20-40m of depth. As the waters start to cool, the snapper will start to move into relatively shallow waters as they start to follow the cuttlefish spawn that happens every winter. The inshore reefs in waters around the 30m mark will start to hold good numbers of snapper as the winter season progresses along.
This month we have a Daiwa prize pack to the value of $449. The pack includes a TD Hyper rod, an Exceler 2500 reel and a hardtop tackle bag. For every $50 spent in store, you will receive a ticket in the draw. As a bonus, for every Daiwa product purchased, regardless of dollar total, you will also receive a ticket. The competition runs until the end of April when we will draw the winner.
Please stay safe everyone! We are still OPEN 7 days a week and can meet you in the carpark, on the verandah or home deliver! Give us a call on 44744381!!
Tight lines my friends and remember “every day’s a good day for fishing … “
Team Tackle World Moruya
