It’s on, it’s here.
The annual Eden Amateur Fishing Competition starts this weekend and with over $30,000 in prizes up for grabs everyone will be looking for the best spots to catch a winner over the week of the competition.
Look no further.We’ve got all the insider tips on what to catch where in this week’s Magnet.
Three striped marlin up to 90kg were tagged last weekend just outside Eden and big yellowfin tuna up to 18kg were also caught out wide.
This is great news in the lead up to the $30,000 fishing competition that starts on Saturday, but even more encouraging is the abundance of other species for the 24 categories that make the competition the complete family experience.
Eden Amateur Fishing Club president Bob Wilcox got in touch with local fishing experts to bring you this form guide for what’s running hot to give you a head start in the competition.
The word from some good local anglers is that there are plenty of bonito and salmon about in closer with schools of striped tuna to around three and a half kilo spotted in Twofold Bay.
The kingfish are a bit hot and cold but bag limits to better than 10kg are being taken from Green Cape and Mowarry Point on the good days. There are also reports of much bigger fish up around Haycock Point.
On the bottom bouncing scene, snapper are a bit scarce at the moment but morwong are present in big numbers - a soft bait and smaller hook is the tip for catching these dogged fighters.
There are good flathead to be found north between Haycock and Lennards Island and around Twofold Bay, as close in as just off the main breakwater wharf. Flathead grounds to the south are all producing fish, some well over the kilo mark from the Disaster Bay area.
With favourable moon phase and tides, estuary fishing should be excellent for the first half of the week. The Bega River and the Wonboyn system have produced some big whiting and dusky flathead in recent weeks, some really big taylor also reported from Wonboyn.
All river systems should be fishing well at this time of the year, try the sand flats for bream and whiting on the rising tide or the channels and drop offs on the run out for flathead.
The edge of the weed beds that are spreading through our rivers and lakes are also worth a try for luderick with lightly weighted nipper or squirt worm for bait.
The shore-based angler need look no further than the main wharf where there are some very nice salmon and taylor being caught early in the morning and late in the afternoon, which is great for the kids.
The beaches will also produce good salmon and taylor, the strip from Terrace Beach to Haycock and Wonboyn beach a couple of the better ones.
There have been no recent reports from rock hoppers but the drummer prize is usually taken out by a good fish. These hard fighters can be taken from any of the deeper accessible spots along the coast where other species likely to be found are snapper, leatherjacket, sweep and trevally.
Casting a lure from the rocks may also net you a salmon, taylor or bonito and floating out a live bait possibly a big kingfish.
Only some of the target species are mentioned here, there are quite a few more and all attract a cash prize of $400 in the open section, $200 in the ladies and a $50 voucher and a trophy for the boys and girls sections.
Remember too that all open entries automatically go into the draw for the boat, outboard motor and trailer package from Fraser Marine valued at $12,500.
Visit www.edenfishingclub.org.com.au.
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