After a year like no other, the South Coast is poised for a summer like never before.
As anyone who's tried to find accommodation lately will know, the coast is booked solid over the school holidays. Some towns don't have vacancies until the end of February.
For many of the tens of thousands of holiday-makers who will descend on the coast over coming weeks, this summer will be about making up for lost time.
Last year's summer holidays were a write-off for a lot of Canberrans, with the bushfires - both before and after Christmas - throwing vacation plans into chaos.
Holidays for many simply didn't happen. And COVID-19 then meant a lot of people missed out on a beach break of any description in 2020.
So we all richly deserve a summer sojourn this festive season.
Wetting a line
Apart from a healthy dose of sun, sand and surf, many Canberrans' holiday plans will include a spot of fishing.
The great news is the fishing on the NSW far South Coast is peaking.
A combination of healthy rainfall throughout spring and early summer and the timely arrival of warmer currents just days ago, has laid the foundations for what should be a very fishy period, especially in the creeks, rivers, inlets and lakes.
Where to begin
If you simply want to catch a fish - any fish - then you can't go past the estuaries this summer.
Because it's been so wet, large amounts of fresh water have pushed many species into the lower reaches of the saltwater rivers and lakes.
This is going to work in favour of fishers. Instead of being spread out, like they were last summer, there's a strong chance popular angling species like flathead, bream, whiting, blackfish, trevally, tailor and salmon will congregate in the vicinity of estuary mouths, where the water is clear and food abundant.
A sure-fire way to tangle with these fish is to target them with light tackle and fresh bait.
A well-balanced outfit comprising a seven foot, 2-4kg spin rod matched with a 2000-3000 size reel loaded with 3kg breaking strain line is ideal. If you're a bit unsure, talk to the experts in your favourite tackle shop - they'll set you up with a rod and reel combo perfect for the task.
Terminal tackle - hooks and sinkers - should be small and light. The most common mistake holidaying fishos make is fishing too heavy. When fishing the estuaries, there are very few circumstances where you'll need a massive sinker and large hook - all you'll do is put the fish off biting.
A pea-sized sinker and small, fine-gauge hook baited with a peeled prawn, nipper or beachworm, will put any angler in with a fighting chance of connecting with just about any estuary species that swims.
Look for a location that affords access to channels and drop-off where the water is around two to three metres deep. Fish lie in wait in these deeper areas for baitfish, prawns and crabs to drift off the shallow flats into their lair - and they'll pounce without hesitation.
Areas where there's obvious structure, including jetties, rock walls and bridge pylons, are also magnets for fish and are well worth a look.
The next step
Fishing with artificial lures can be just as or even more productive as bait fishing, but a lot of once-a-year or part-time anglers are hesitant to give it a go.
In reality, lure fishing can be child's play, and this summer might be the perfect opportunity to test the waters.
You can use exactly the same set-up as for bait fishing. One recommended tweak is to spool your reel with braided line, rather than straightforward nylon monofilament. Braid is low-stretch and allows you to feel every bump, nudge and bite at the end of the line. This increases your odds of hooking a fish.
Soft plastic lures - and there are countless models to choose from on any tackle store wall - are perfect for the beginner. They don't require highly specialised techniques in order to work. Rig one on an appropriate sized jig-head (again, staff at any tackle shop can help you here), cast it out and simply begin a slow retrieve, ensuring the lure is regularly bouncing along the bottom.
Species like flathead can't resist slowly-worked soft plastic lures. They'll jump all over them and you'll often catch more fish than the person soaking a bait next to you. You'll also hook bream, flounder, whiting and trevally.
Hot spots
There are scores of excellent estuaries within a few hours' drive of home that will fish extremely well over the summer break. It's impossible to provide an exhaustive list here, but the following is a snapshot of a few of my favourites.
Lake Conjola: Open to the sea for the first time on many summers, Conjola has fished beautifully in the lead-up to Christmas, yielding plenty of whiting, bream and flathead. It should continue to fire over the holidays. Because it can become crowded with boaters and skiers, anglers should look for quieter backwaters away from the vacation traffic.
Burrill Lake: An underrated estuary that offers much more than meets the eye. Upstream from the highway bridge, Burrill opens up into an expansive system that produces excellent catches of flathead and bream. There are even a few estuary perch up in the snags. The flats towards the mouth are a haven for tasty sand whiting.
Tuross Lake: The poster child for 'rec-only' fisheries on the NSW South Coast after becoming a recreational fishing haven in the early 2000s. With netting a distant memory, species such as flathead, bream, whiting, estuary perch and mulloway have thrived. Trophy flathead to a metre long are the main drawcard.
Wagonga Inlet: Has been a 'rec-only' fishery longer than any other estuary on the South Coast - and it shows. Its reputation a first-rate location for monster flathead, big bream, fat whiting and mulloway is legendary. Boat fishers do best.
Wallaga Lake: Arguably one of the easiest systems on the coast to secure a feed of pan-sized flathead, Wallaga also dishes up great catches of bream, whiting and big tailor. It's open to the sea and is in top nick heading into Christmas.
Mogareeka Inlet: The mouth of the Bega River and one of the best land-based spots for seriously large dusky flathead. Walking the flats near the mouth and casting baits and lures into the channels will produce lots of fish, including some genuine 'crocs'.
Pambula Lake: Underrated and under the radar, Pambula often fishes better than its larger and more glamorous neighbour, Merimbula Lake. Drifting stretches of between oyster leases is a sure-fire way to secure a mixed bag of flathead, bream and trevally. Its lower reaches and mouth often fish very well for salmon and tailor.
Rules and regulations
Anglers 18 years and over fishing the south coast require a NSW Recreational Fishing License. These can be purchased at dpi.nsw.gov.au. Licenses cost $7 for three days; $14 for one month; $35 for one year; or $85 for three years.
Size and bag limits apply to many popular south coast species, and fisheries inspectors are often out checking catches over the peak holiday period. So make sure you're across the rules and regulations, which can also be found at dpi.nsw.gov.au.
