Bega River Mouth (Mogareeka Inlet)

Mogareeka Inlet is the mouth of the Bega River, just north of Tathra, where the river runs under Handcocks Bridge on the Tathra–Bermagui Road and spreads across sand spits and shallow flats to the sea. Bream, dusky flathead, jewfish, whiting, mullet, tailor, estuary perch, bass and luderick are caught here through the year. When the river is running high, it is the local mecca for very large dusky flathead and trevally. There is no marine park here; standard NSW rules apply.

The sandy bank on the south side, just downstream of the bridge, drops into the deepest channel in the inlet and is where most land-based anglers set up. Soft plastics and small hardbodies worked slowly along the channel edge are the flathead method, while nippers, bloodworms and peeled prawn on a light running rig take whiting and bream off the sand. Jewfish are a night-time, tide-change target with live mullet or fresh squid in the channel. On dark summer nights, locals also dip-net prawns along the edges.

Dusky flathead are the headline fish — only those between 36 cm and 70 cm may be kept, with a bag of 5, and the big females over 70 cm go back. Bream are here all year at 25 cm and a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine, and sand whiting run the flats in the warmer months at 27 cm with a bag of 20 shared across the whiting. Mulloway (jewfish) are 70 cm minimum with a bag of one. Tailor and luderick round out the list, and estuary perch and Australian bass come down from the upper river — both have a combined bag of 2 and may only be released from May to August in rivers and estuaries.

Fish the run-out tide when the river is carrying bait out over the flats, and work your lures right along the drop-off, where flathead lie waiting. After heavy rain, the discoloured river water pushes fish down to the mouth — that is the time to target big flathead and jewfish. Nippers and bloodworms can be pumped on the flats at low tide, which is what makes the spot good for kids. DPIRD's net closure on the Bega River applies only upstream of the Jellat Jellat Creek junction, so the mouth is fished under the standard NSW rules.

Turn off the Tathra–Bermagui Road at the southern end of Handcocks Bridge into the Mogareeka car park beside Tathra Lions Park; a single-lane boat ramp sits just west of the bridge. From the car park it is a short, flat walk over the sand to the channel edge. The northern bank is reached from the reserves on the other side of the bridge. Tathra's shops are a few minutes' drive south.

Inside the inlet the water is sheltered from most ocean swell, though a strong north-easter blows straight across the flats and makes light-line fishing hard. The Bega River has an intermittently open entrance: swell can close the mouth with sand, and floods or a council opening break it out again, so check whether it is open before you plan around a tide, and expect the channel to move from season to season. Clear water and a rising or high tide suit whiting on the flats, while dirty water after rain is the flathead and jewfish window.

The river mouth is not a swimming beach for small children — the channel drops off sharply from the sand and runs strongly on the tide, especially after rain when the river is in flood. When the mouth breaks out after heavy rain or a council opening, the new channel scours fast and its sand banks collapse — stay well back. Stingrays lie on the flats, so shuffle your feet when wading. The sand spits change shape and soft patches can bog a careless step or a vehicle — stay on formed tracks. The bridge is not a fishing platform; fish from the banks and keep clear of the boat ramp when boats are launching.

Bream, dusky flathead, jewfish, whiting, mullet, tailor, estuary perch, bass and luderick are caught at Mogareeka Inlet throughout the year. Large dusky flathead are the reason most anglers come, especially after rain.

Most land-based anglers fish the sandy south bank just downstream of Handcocks Bridge, where the deepest channel in the inlet runs close to shore. Park in the Mogareeka car park beside Tathra Lions Park at the southern end of the bridge.

Only from September to April. In rivers and estuaries, Australian bass and estuary perch are catch-and-release only from May to August. The bag is 2 in total across both species, with only one over 35 cm.

Yes, the sand flats at the mouth are a known spot to pump nippers and dig bloodworms at low tide. Standard NSW bait-collection rules and limits apply.