Holls

Yeah, the really big crocs love to take a caught fish on the way up. Dragged one huge flatty up beside the kayak, around 90cm before it spat out a 25cm pinkie in disgust. A question, you mention "red bream", is that a little snapper by another name, or a different fish? Here's one that choked in our lake.

Hi Sam, don't think you can miss out on a fish down here. Good whiting off the beach to the north of Burrill Lake entrance, as well as salmon. In the lake, there's bream & duskies. I've caught legal pinkies. A few mulloway were caught last summer, and some very big salmon way inland past the ski club. If you can get a kayak that's best, and I like to anchor. Incoming tied is good, don't fish too deep! Some big flathead are in 1m of water.

Found this (rather decomposed) catfish in Burrill Lake, South Coast. I think it must be an "Estuary Cobbler" of the Plotosidae family. But it's not 'mottled brown' but more a uniform grey. 62cm long, next to my phone case. Any ideas?

Some nice fish there! Mutton birds! Those shearwaters are supposed to be in VIC by now. Impossible to get your baits down. We inadvertently hooked four (in wing, feet, chest). When released, they STILL don't go away! Pretty hungry, I'd say.

Hi Deek and Mrs! I live right on Burrill Lake and fish regularly in the lake. I was more looking for opportunities to join someone offshore. Seems I might have located a local, but please keep me in mind for anything at sea! Best to both, Holls.

I live near Ulladulla but I don't have a boat! I'm an experienced fisherman & have fished off shore there quite a few times. Wondering if there's someone with a boat who would like some company. Happy to share costs etc Cheers, Rob

Yes, I'm on Burrill Lake. Got 5 nice flatties 2 days ago, the females had yellowish flesh again. Think it must be something to do with breeding status.

This seems to be a small Eastern Rock Lobster found on the edge of a lake. Do you think it's a shed shell, or has it come to some other demise??

Hope I'm in the right forum here. I recently caught two very nice 48cm Duskies, one a male, the other a female. The male's flesh colour was white/grey as expected, but the female with eggs had very yellow/orange flesh which was not nearly as firm. She was not sick, fought like crazy. Does anyone know anything about this? Appreciate any info (nothing online).

What are you after? Flathead at about 30 metres, snapper out to about 50 metres +

Lake is looking better all the time. Since they opened the mouth 3 years ago, sand is returning to the shores around Kings Point. There are millions of tiny bream in there at present, big ones before too long! Reports of mulloway returning, some caught on lures . A caution to boats: A lot of shallow seagrass beds. Suggest going slow over them or avoid altogether. The speedboats over easter virtually mowed the beds! Weed washed up everywhere. Cheers!

Occasionally mate. Live on the lake, but been very busy of late. Cheers.

Strange thing last night. Sitting by Burrill lake towards sunset, a large fish swam into the shallows and just wallowed there. Thought it was a stingray, but on closer inspection, it was a VERY large whiting. Quite lethargic, it started to dart away but then turned and came up, almost beaching itself. I lifted it out of the water, it seemed stunned, or close to death, but strong tremor body movements. Very fat, very healthy looking, nothing in gills or throat. It was going to die, so I killed, scaled and filleted it (thought it might have a hook in the gut, but no). Any idea why it beached itself? Seen this before? (Went down this morning in case there were others - some lake event - but no other fish.)

Nothing wrong with a good aussie salmon! Best to bleed them immediately upon catching, knife under the gill cover and cut straight through all the gills. Later, fillet and remove skin, cut out the dark red flesh along the centre line. You get some great fillets of a very firm fish, excellent in fish pie & curries, or I slice thin fillets, breadcrumbs on the BBQ! Bites: It takes time, but you can easily detect a bite if your rod is standing in a rod holder (a lump of seaweed can confuse). Cheers!

Hi Neil, I live on Burrill Lake just north of Batemans Bay and bream are still active here in the lake, as well as legal tailor and the odd snapper. I fish from a kayak, sneak close to where tailor are smashing baitfish late in the day and cast any ordinary silver lure over them. Snapper like live mullet, bream sometimes, but I find a fresh mullet cut in half is great for bream. But look for crustaceans around the lake to catch bream as well (crabs, yabbies). Running sinker for bream.

Yes, snapper are known to be affected as well. Apparently snapper breed at sea but close to the shore, and their spawn, drifting with the currents can end up in estuaries and lakes where the juveniles stay. I've caught some legal sized snapper in Burrill Lake. (Here's a pic)

Net story has been disproved, and it's not from another fish bite. It's a deformity from something in the water - but they're not sure what (heavy metals, pollution, run-off??). You can eat the fish tho. But I've never heard of the syndrome being so far south of Sydney?? Anyone caught one in other waters down this way?

Hope I have the right section: Over the last year or so, I've been catching bream in Burrill Lake with what has been ID'd as Saddleback Syndrome. I thought it was a Queensland issue, but seems to have crept south. Anybody know anything about this? (Photo is of a fish that was frozen, but you can clearly see the deformity in the dorsal fin.) Thanks.

Used to catch a lot of longtom in Darwin while fishing for Queenies. Last week a guy caught one in Burrill Lake, South Coast NSW. Didn't know they occurred this far south.

Yes! Got it now, thanks! It is 65cm long. My wife has used it in her art exhibition. Thanks again.

This pic is probably more accurate colourwise.

Can some clever fishraider please identify this skeleton, found on the beach, South Coast NSW?

Yes Kiwicraig, I really don't want them on board!

Yes, for some reason, lots of blue swimmers in the lake! Fished for a couple of hours this morning, constantly catching crabs or losing bait to them. Moved around still more crabs coming up and letting go when close to the yak.

Well done. Saw a few moving around this morning on the sand flats. Must give it a go!