Angling was the last thing in mind as strangling layers of thick red-to-black smoke limited visibility to just metres in some cases over the last week.
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Members of the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club pass their sympathies to everyone impacted by the horrendous bushfires up and down the Sapphire Coast and at Mallacoota.
Officials said the Spencer Park clubrooms had been unaffected and were a suitable site if anyone was still in need.
As previously announced, the club's annual gala fishing competition and monster fish auction seat to run on January 5 have been postponed.
Now in its 84th year, the auction is held just once a year and provides a chance for visitors and locals alike to grab up a selection of freshly caught fish with all proceeds donated to charity.
With local business now suffering from both the fire events and the departure of virtually all New Year holiday tourists, the club will endeavour to honour its mandate to support its sponsors and its chosen charity Merimbula Marine Rescue.
The annual Kayak raffle normally drawn together with the fish auction was undertaken on Monday morning and the Club congratulates David Oliver of Tura Beach, Suezanne Bourke of Tura Beach and Michael Grimwood of Eden who all won wonderful Australis Kayaks sourced from Merimbula Mowers and Marine.
As conditions improved by Sunday night into Monday, a few anglers have begun venturing out to fish. Mogareeka is a great starting point for dusky flathead, easily accessible by shore based anglers. Lovely trevally are on the chew all along the Merimbula channel down from the bridge and in the Pambula channel near the Shark Hole. Best time is low tide with both soft plastics or pilchard baits.
Morwong remain plentiful and respond to bait, micro jigs and soft plastics. Snapper are patchy at our local reefs try White Rock, Long Point, Haycock and south to Lennards and Boyd Tower. Sand flathead have become more common to the south past Turingal Point. You need a good drift to find the right spot then go back again and again. Try 17 fathoms where, although patchy, there are some lovely fish. Others are off Bournda Island and Tura Headland.
At the Merimbula Wharf calamari squid are available morning and evening. Best results from prawn-like slow sinking jigs.
The Club will be open this Friday 10 January. Visitors are welcome. Darragh Reynolds is your scheduled host. Membership application, renewals and everything you need to know about local fishing is on the club's website at www.mbglac.com.au. All enquires to Peter Haar 0417 021 066.
