Fishing on the Sapphire Coast

Q: Where can I fish Merimbula?

Short Point Beach and Middle Beach are good fishing spots in Merimbula, along with Merimbula Wharf and Merimbula Lake. You can also take a tour with Fishpen Charters, Headland Fishing Charters or Sapphire Coastal Adventures.

Q: Where can I fish in Tathra?

You can fish from the beach in Tathra at the northern end of Tathra Beach, Bournda Beach, Middle Beach and Gillard’s and Cowdroy’s beach. There is also excellent fishing at Tathra Wharf and in the Bega River and Nelson Lagoon.

Q: What can you do on boat tours in the Sapphire Coast?

There are lots of great boat tours on the Sapphire Coast, including Whale Watching tours with Cat Balou Cruises and Sapphire Coastal Adventures and fishing charters with Headland Fishing Charters, Fishpen Charters, Sapphire Coastal Adventures and Freedom Charters.

Highlights

From the wharf

The most famous place to fish on the Sapphire Coast is arguably the heritage-listed Tathra Wharf. With a cafe on site, and views to Tathra Beach and up to Mimosa Rocks National Park, it won’t matter if you catch any or not. In Merimbula, you can fish from Merimbula Wharf, which has the fantastic Wharf Restaurant, or Mitchies Jetty, which is one of the most photogenic boatsheds in town. Hire gear or top up your tackle box at Tackleworld Merimbula, Boss Outdoor or Bermi Bait and Tackle.

Bermagui is front and centre for fishing in this region with its bustling harbour home to fishing tours, charter boats and the excellent Fishermen’s Wharf complex, where you’ll find restaurants, a wine bar and eye candy in the shape of boats and trawlers. Get tips from the locals and discover their favourite fishing spots.

The Wharf Local cafe with coastal views across Boulder Bay, Tathra

The Wharf Local, Tathra

From the beach

Mimosa Rocks National Park is excellent for fishing, with Wapengo Lake, several beaches and lagoons. Tathra Beach is great for salmon, tailor and sand whiting, with bream and flathead there for the taking in the Bega River up from the mouth.

The waters off Eden are perfect for beach, game and reef fishing. In the spectacular wilderness of Beowa National Park (formerly Ben Boyd), to the north and south of Eden, are wonderful bays, beaches and rock platforms.

Mimosa Rocks National Park, Tanja

Hire a boat

In Merimbula, hire a boat from Sunny’s Kiosk and take in the scenery while waiting for a bite. Afterwards, have lunch at the cafe on the dock. Boat hire is also available from Mitchies Jetty, with some fine reefs and fishing grounds less than 20min from the Jetty.

Mitchies Jetty, Merimbula - Credit: David Rogers Photography

Fishing charters

Fishing charters regularly depart from Bermagui, Merimbula and Eden. In Bermagui, the continental shelf is only 20km offshore with the waters famous for black marlin. Fishbermi Charters can take out anyone from beginners to experts for a variety of fishing charters targeting reef fish, kingfish, tuna and sharks.

In Bermagui and Merimbula, Headland Fishing Charters offer reef or game fishing charters on a boat that can take up to 12, while Fishpen Charters cruise out of Mitchies Jetty for reef fishing and family fishing trips. Sapphire Coastal Adventures offers fishing charters and coastal discovery cruises, setting off from Merimbula Marina. Freedom Charters offers a range of reef, sports and game fishing trips, departing from Eden Harbour.

Local fishing boats docked at Bermagui Fishermens Wharf, Bermagui

Bermagui Fishermen's Wharf, Sapphire Coast

Wallaga Lake, just north of Bermagui is a popular coastal waterway for fishing and boating. You can join South Coast Estuary Charters for guided fishing experiences in pristine estuaries, where you can catch flathead, bream, mulloway, whiting and other species.

For seafood sourcing of a different kind, join a tour of an oyster estuary to sample famous Sydney Rocks fresh from the water. Captain Sponge’s Magical Oyster Tour operates out of Pambula and takes visitors on a two-hour tour of an oyster farm on the pristine Pambula Lake.

Captain Sponge's Magical Oyster Tours on Pambula River, Pambula

Remember your lifejacket if rock fishing or in a small boat under 4.8m. Unless fishing under the supervision of a licensed guide, you will need to pay the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish in the waters of Eurobodalla and throughout NSW. Licenses span from three days to three years, and you will need to carry your receipt with you when you fish.