Bermagui Game Fishing Charters

Bermagui's  location on the south coast is where the continental shelf is at it's narrowest, only 13 miles wide and inside the edge of the shelf there are substantial reef systems. It's less than a 30 minute run to the 12 mile reef, so more fishing time on your charter. These factors make the offshore areas off Bermagui a place marlin can gather in  numbers, with days where more than six marlin are raised and hooked on a fishing charter common. The striped marlin are some of the largest in the world with fish over 135 kg (300 lbs) hooked regularly.  

Bermagui and the south coast region of NSW is one of the world's great big game fishing grounds.
First made known to the world by Zane Grey in the 1930's, literally thousands of australian and international anglers have travelled to Bermagui to battle with marlin and tuna. Easily accessible from the major cities by road and conveniently close fishing grounds make Bermagui the best marlin fishing location in Australia.

While Bermagui is best known for it's world record sized striped marlin and yellowfin tuna, the region also has large blue marlin as well as black marlin.
The Bermagui game fishing season starts with a run of yellowfin tuna in spring (sep-nov), with the marlin showing up in early summer by late summer early fall (feb-apr) they are in full swing and in may and june the marlin are joined by the tuna again. The late season marlin are the biggest striped marlin in the world.

The game fishing boat  is the "Reel Class"  a 36 foot blackwatch vessel that cruises at 23 knots.

The charter fishing boat is fitted with reelax game chair , reelax maxi outriggers and heavy duty rod holders, Furuno 1Kw sounder, Raytheon C120 plotter, radar, auto pilot, live bait tanks and freezer. Teak decks, private toilet, galley with microwave, TV/video , and is in NSW waterways survey for 8 passengers. Fishing equipment is shimano reels and Ian Miller rods.

Mako sharks are found all year around at Bermagui, during the summer they are caught while marlin fishing with live or dead baits on the troll and while drift fishing for tuna during autumn and winter, they are also caught by people who are bottom fishing over the reefs of Bermagui and a mako follows up the hooked fish or eats the hooked fish.

Montague Island is situated 7 kilometres off the coast about a 35 minute cruise from the safe harbour of Bermagui. It is a rocky island about two kilometres long and is classified as a national park. Home to a seal colony and several varieties of seabirds, the waters around the island are home to yellowtail kingfish , bonito and snapper as well as seasonal visits by tuna, marlin , dolphin fish and wahoo if the currents and water temperatures are right.



 

Bermagui Game Fishing Charters - The most common billfish encountered is the striped marlin but black and blue marlin are also caught, with three biggest blues caught in Australia coming from the south coast region and some large marlin have been tagged and released and lost, every season a grander marlin is hooked by one of the vessels in the fleet.
Black marlin are in the range 90kg to 200 kg with an occasional monster. The blue marlin range from 160 kg to 400 kg plus.
 
The crew will use a variety of techniques depending on the conditions, these include lure fishing, live baiting , skip baits and bait and switch teaser fishing. Lure fishing is used mainly for blue marlin while the other techniques are primarily used for striped marlin.

Tuna fishing at Bermagui has a long history, with people making the pilgrimage to Bermagui since the 1930's to try their luck at catching the mighty Yellowfin Tuna. Recent runs of tuna here in spring and early summer have made Bermagui into a near year round game fishing locale .

The traditional tuna season at Bermagui is autumn and early winter. Yellowfin tuna up to 200 lbs (90 kg) cruise these waters at this time along with school fish of 60-90 pounds (25-40 kg). Schools of albacore tuna and also Mako sharks are also present. As spring arrives a run of southern Bluefin tuna shows off the coast these fish can grow to 400 lbs and when found in schools some fast action with every rod hooking a tuna.

For Prices and Availability please do not hesitate to contact us.