Yellowtail kingfish
Good
Prime. Cast stickbaits and poppers at surface activity, jig the deeper reefs, and keep a live bait out under a balloon.
Tathra Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The historic wharf on the Sapphire Coast: Tathra’s wharf and headland, the beach to the Bega River mouth, and the reef outside.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 2:52 pm model
Air / High
12 °C / 17 °C
Wind
SSW 6 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Tathra has the water in the comfortable band where most of its fish feed through the day. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SSW around 6 km/h, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 17 °C. Tides: high 8:17 am and 8:52 pm, low 1:53 am and 2:52 pm: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 20 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:07 PM-1:07 AM and 11:34 AM-1:34 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Tailor
Fair
Rock ledges and beach gutters on the rising tide; metals cast and retrieved fast, or a whole pilchard drifted through the wash.
Mulloway
Fair
Fish the deep holes and the rock walls through a tide change after dark; live mullet, yellowtail or a large soft plastic worked slowly.
Australian salmon
Slow
Look for birds and surface splashes along the beaches and in the bays; cast metals, plastics or ganged pilchards into the school.
Tie on: Soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jighead · Small hardbody, shallow diver · Squid jig, size 3.0 · Fresh pipi or worm on a small hook. Prime windows: 11:07 PM-1:07 AM, 11:34 AM-1:34 PM, 4:48 AM-5:48 AM. Similar at 18 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
New South Wales requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from A$7.00. New South Wales fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing tailor here? Check the size and bag limits with DPIRD NSW before you keep anything; the Tailor page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Tathra today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:47), sunset (19:41), the moon and today's score, with the modelled tide changes in the panel below. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:07 PM-1:07 AM and 11:34 AM-1:34 PM; minor 4:48 AM-5:48 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
A modelled tide curve for these coordinates and the forecast for the day.
Tides (modelled)
Modelled sea level curve from Open-Meteo Marine for these coordinates, datum mean sea level. Fish the moving water either side of each change.
A model, not the official prediction: times can drift by tens of minutes inside bays and estuaries. Check the Bureau of Meteorology tide predictions for the exact times before you rely on them.
Mon
LOW1:53 am-0.46 m
HIGH8:17 am0.66 m
LOW2:52 pm-0.58 m
HIGH8:52 pm0.29 m
Tue
LOW2:25 am-0.40 m
HIGH8:54 am0.69 m
LOW3:35 pm-0.56 m
HIGH9:36 pm0.24 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp12 °C
High / Low17 °C / 10 °C
WindSSW 6 km/h, gusts 17 km/h
Pressure1020.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain33% cloud, 60%
Sunrise / Sunset05:47 / 19:41
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~20 °C est.
Why the tide matters here: tides and fishing in Australia.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Tathra
The best day on Tathra this week looks like Thursday 12 Nov, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.
Best day this week: Thursday, 12 Nov — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 9 Nov — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 11:07 PM-1:07 AM and 11:34 AM-1:34 PM
- Minor period
- 4:48 AM-5:48 AM
- Sun
- 05:47 to 19:41
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 60%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Tathra: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Tailor
Autumn and winter on the east coast; the run reaches K'gari (Fraser Island) in late winter, where the east beach from Waddy Point to Indian Head is closed to all fin fish from 1 August to 29 September
The surf and rock fish of the east coast, running north in autumn and winter. Fast, toothy and best at dawn, dusk and into the dark. Rock ledges and beach gutters on the rising tide; metals cast and retrieved fast, or a whole pilchard drifted through the wash.
Mulloway
Best: summer and autumn, especially after rain
Jewfish. The big silver prize of the estuaries, breakwalls and surf beaches: nocturnal, tide-driven and unforgiving of noise. Fish the deep holes and the rock walls through a tide change after dark; live mullet, yellowtail or a large soft plastic worked slowly.
Yellowtail kingfish
Best: December to April
The hardest-pulling fish within reach of the shore. Headlands, harbour markers, offshore reefs and the warm current in summer. Prime. Cast stickbaits and poppers at surface activity, jig the deeper reefs, and keep a live bait out under a balloon.
Australian salmon
Winter and spring on the southern beaches
Not a salmon at all: a hard-fighting schooling fish of the surf and the bays, from WA around to NSW. Great on light gear, poor on the plate. Look for birds and surface splashes along the beaches and in the bays; cast metals, plastics or ganged pilchards into the school.
When to come: the Tathra calendar
Activity by species and month for the southern year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Tailor
Mulloway
Yellowtail kingfish
Australian salmon
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 20 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Tathra today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Yellowtail kingfish led the card at good. High of 16 °C, wind to 27 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Yellowtail kingfish led the card at good. High of 18 °C, wind to 27 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Yellowtail kingfish led the card at excellent. High of 19 °C, wind to 21 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7.00, the same for residents and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by DPIRD NSW and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the New South Wales licence page before you keep anything.
Access
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required at Tathra, with three days the cheapest at A$7; the licence page on this site lists the rest.
About this water
Tathra is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Tathra: the full guide
Tathra and the wharf
Tathra is the village on the Sapphire Coast between Bermagui and Merimbula, with a historic timber wharf on the headland, Tathra Beach running north to the mouth of the Bega River at Mogareeka, and rock platforms around the headland. The score uses the weather at the village, and the tide curve beside it is modelled for the same place. The Bega River has its own page.
Species and seasons
Tailor and Australian salmon run Tathra Beach and the rocks in the cooler months; yellowtail kingfish come to the headland and the wharf in the warmer months; and mulloway are night fish of the river mouth and beach gutters. Bream, trevally and yellowtail are caught from the wharf, squid work the weed nearby, whiting and flathead feed around the river mouth and beach sand in the warmer months, and drummer hold around the headland rocks.
Where to fish it
The wharf is the village’s landmark fishing platform, fished for squid, bream and trevally, and for kingfish in summer; follow any signs on the structure. Tathra Beach north to Mogareeka is for tailor and whiting, and the Bega River, a Recreational Fishing Haven, is for flathead and bream in sheltered water.
Reading this report here
The coast faces east, so a southerly or big easterly swell washes the wharf and the rocks, while a westerly flattens the sea; the wind row tells you which. The tide panel is a modelled curve for Tathra, labelled as a model, and most useful at the river mouth. Squid are easiest to find over clean weed when the water is clear, so a few calm days in a row usually help. After a big blow, the river mouth at Mogareeka can be the more sheltered choice.
Licence, access and rules
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required at Tathra, with three days the cheapest at A$7; the licence page on this site lists the rest. Bega Valley is not a declared lifejacket area for rock fishing, but the NSW Government advises wearing one on any rock platform, and DPIRD’s bag and size limits apply.
Common questions
Can I fish from Tathra wharf?
Yes; the historic wharf is the village’s landmark fishing platform, for squid, bream and trevally all year and kingfish in the warmer months.
Is the Bega River a recreational fishing haven?
Yes. DPIRD lists the Bega River among the areas reserved for recreational fishing.
Do I need a licence at Tathra?
Yes; fishing at Tathra, wharf included, requires the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days.
Is fishing good at Tathra right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Tide curve (modelled)
- Open-Meteo Marine, sea level height including tides
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.