Fishing Frenzy in Narooma

We left Bermagui on a calm day with almost no wind and so we motored the entire way to Narooma, taking about three and a half hours. Just as with the Lakes Entrance Bar, we had a specific time that we were aiming to cross the bar at Narooma; high water, on an incoming tide. The Narooma Bar is also very notorious, often described as the most dangerous bar in New South Wales. Thankfully, with such calm conditions, the bar waters were flat and we motored through uneventfully. However, as I write this, almost two weeks later, a tragic accident has just occurred where a five metre boat manned by locals overturned while attempting to cross the bar and both passengers drowned. A tragic accident and very much a sobering reminder for us about the need for constant caution.

Our first impression of Narooma was of a spectacularly pretty little town, and we weren’t disappointed in the nine days that we stayed there. We anchored Cool Change in the crystal clear waters of Wagonga Inlet, swapping over to a heavier sand anchor. We did try to put out a stern anchor too, but that was a spectacular fail, and a most interesting exercise in retrieving it. We still have some techniques to learn!

To Matt’s delight, immediately upon arriving, we spotted numerous stingrays swimming around the boat as well as a seal who popped up to say hello. These guys were to be frequent visitors around the boat over the next week or so. Matt jumped into the water to swim with the stingrays and filmed some good footage on the GoPro. By the time I hopped in later, the tide had turned and was running out strongly – it was like swimming on the spot in an infinity pool!

But our main reason for coming to Narooma was to go fishing. Whilst Matt is a very enthusiastic fisherman, he is not an overly successful one. In Narooma we were to meet Matt’s Uncle Geoff and his mate Bernard, both very keen and very experienced fishermen, who had promised to take us out fishing for kingfish. And unlike most of our attempts, they were promising a high degree of success. However, Matt believes that all fisherman’s tales should be treated with a large degree of scepticism, particularly when coming from his Uncle Geoffrey. And so, he was not overly optimistic about our chances.

But, in this instance, Geoff was right and Bernard sure did know his stuff. Within minutes of our first drop, just out from Montague Island, we had a fish on the line. And that first day we pulled in kingfish after kingfish. Bernard and Geoff taught us the correct techniques, including how to let the boat drift over the target area, and very generously let Matt and I reel in most of the fish. It was very exciting! When we had six keepers, we moved location and went fishing for flathead. Once again, success, and we caught seven good sized flatties to take home. What a day!

Our first day’s haul: we actually took home six kingfish and seven flathead (I just forgot to take the photo before Bernard started cleaning the fish!).

The second day that Bernard and Geoff took us out we began by first catching live bait, little yakka fish. This required a very different technique and lightning quick reflexes. Bernard was hauling them up into the live bait tank while the rest of us weren’t having much luck at all. I did manage to catch one little yakka, but other than that it was all Bernard. Obviously practice makes perfect!

Out in the deeper water, Geoff and Bernard taught Matt how to skewer the yakka onto the hook without damaging it’s spine so it could still swim. I still struggle with baiting wriggling worms, so I’m not there yet. Dead bait for me, please. But the live yakka were obviously very attractive to the kingfish because we pretty quickly caught five fish. Although all five were undersize, pulling up each and every one was still totally thrilling for both of us. And then Matt caught his biggest fish to date – an 85 centimetre kingy. He had to work very hard for it and describes not having had a forearm pump such as that since his motorcross days (it was a left handed reel, obviously).

The third day that we went out to Montague Island was quite a different type of fishing day. Right from the first drop we had a seal at the back of our boat. Bad news, said Geoff and Bernard, shaking their heads. But up until that point, seals were cute and interesting and a novelty for us. We were about to find out exactly why fishermen think of them as pests.

We had plenty of bites and lots of hook-ups, but almost every time we had a fish on the line and were frantically reeling it in, a seal would come along and grab it, flinging it around to get it off the hook. It became a competition between fisherman and seal, and not a very fair contest as it turns out. We lost umpteen fish to the seals, including a ‘monster’ (or so Matt claims!). I kept being told not to fish like a girl, but I was no match for those seals. Matt and Bernard did manage to pull in a good sized fish each, beating the seals, but the boat was so chaotic that I didn’t manage to capture any photos.

Here are some photos of the seals, taken after our first fishing session. There is a large population of Fur Seals that call Montague Island home and it is possible to swim and snorkel with them, as several tourist boats do. Matt was very keen to swim with the seals on our last day, but unfortunately the water was too choppy.

After pulling Bernard’s boat out at the boat ramp, we would take the day’s catch to the cleaning table where Bernard would clean and fillet the fish. There was always a large assortment of animals on hand, vying for the offcuts that would inevitably be thrown their way. The seals were incredibly bold, coming up very close to us and had Bernard shaking his filleting knife at them to scare them away. Each time Bernard threw a de-filleted fish or some guts into the air, there would be an awesome flapping of wings and much pushing and shoving by the pelicans and cormorants. Depending on how far away the delicacy was thrown, often it was a seal who would emerge the victor.

Bernard and his wife, Arlene, were incredibly kind and generous hosts, having us over to both their house and their boatshed for countless dinners and lunches, as well as driving to pick us up and drop us off at the boat. I also had a couple of hot showers in a real bathroom at their house, with real towels and a bathmat – total luxury! We spent some lovely afternoons and evenings with Geoff, Bernard and Arlene, eating delicious food, drinking wine and hearing about their fishing adventures of old times, including the incredibly huge kingfish that Arlene caught (and the photo to prove it – just amazing!). We have now had kingfish raw (sashimi), grilled, crumbed and in a curry. It sure is a delicious fish. The ‘chicken of the ocean’ as my brother-in-law Michael, describes it. Thanks to the generosity of Bernard and Arlene, we still have several meals worth of vacuum packed kingfish in our freezer.

Bernard and Arlene have a delightful little boatshed on the edge of the Wagonga Inlet. It is a beautiful, peaceful place to hang out and relax. Matt and I brought our stand-up paddleboards to the boatshed and I think we may have convinced Arlene to buy one. They’re not bad for a blow up SUP purchased from eBay!

For the first six days we were in Narooma, the weather was absolutely lovely, warm and sunny. We did some touristy stuff; cycling around town for a day and visiting Glasshouse Rocks, the local surf beach and Australia Rock, as well as riding out to Dalmeny and enjoying the beautiful coastline along the way. We also joined a local swimming group ‘The Mullets’ who swam right past our boat on their two kilometre swim. Three times a week they meet, and depending on which way the tide is flowing, they plan their route (I’ll give you a hint – it’s with the current!). They were all very friendly and welcoming and invited us to join them anytime.

Then after such lovely weather, it rained for two days straight. On the first rainy day, knowing that the rain was coming, Arlene and I planned a girly day. I had such a lovely time hanging out with Arlene, and meeting both her and Jordy in Bermagui, made me realise how much I miss my girlfriends and ‘girly’ time. Fortunately, Arlene and I have similar interests and so we planned the perfect rainy day schedule. We went to a yoga class at the gorgeous Half Moon Yoga studio, had coffee and cake (gluten free, of course) at Bound to Earth Espresso Bar and then went to see a movie at the Narooma Kinema. The kinema is a gorgeous old heritage listed building, and has been showing films and live performances since 1928. While we were there, we booked tickets for the Narooma film society screening of ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’ for the following night. I had been recommended the movie by a friend, and was really looking forward to seeing it. Arlene and Bernard were also keen, and so we dragged Matt along too (Geoff had returned to Melbourne that day). It was a beautiful movie, uplifting and inspiring, and I highly recommend it.

The unique frontage of the Narooma Kinema, and an ad for the film:

The day after the movie was when we had originally been planning to leave Narooma, however, on checking out the bar conditions that morning we vetoed that plan immediately. There was huge swell and the water was very choppy, with waves breaking right near the entrance/exit. No go! Instead, we let Bernard and Arlene know that we hadn’t made it out and Bernard took Matt fishing for garfish at nearby Mummaga Lake while Arlene and I went for a long walk around town. They hadn’t quite got rid of us yet!!

Fortunately, we did get out safely the following day, but that’s a story for the next blog.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Geoff, Bernard and Arlene for all their kindness, generosity and hospitality. Thanks for taking us out fishing, driving us around, feeding us and for the excellent company. We both had a wonderful time, learnt a lot and left Narooma feeling very inspired.