By JACK MANGROVE
WITH the wind and rain over the last week, offshore anglers have been struggling to find a window in the weather to head offshore. For the larger boats that did venture over the bar, the closer reef have been the chosen areas. Sunshine, Halls Reef and Jew Sholes have been the chosen few and have been producing. Even though the water is a little dirty, the spotties are still around. The bottom is also producing with sweetlip, trout, moses perch, and squire all on the chew. Good schools of bait are still showing on the sounder, so there is plenty for the predators feeding. Live bait and pilchard floater have been working as well as local squid. Fishing your squid hard to the bottom may result in a good trout. Micro Jigs are also claiming some nice fish, but with the run you will have to go a little heaver. On the surface, tuna are also feeding in the bay. Slugs and fast worked soft plastics are worth a go, if they are really feeding hard large surface popper are also a great thrill. The Halco Rooster Popper are a personal favourite.
On the river a lot of anglers that would normally be heading offshore have found the river the only way to feed there fishing addiction. The river mouth and Woods Bays have been the hot spots with two hour either side of the tide the most productive. Live bait has been working well with herring and poddy mullet a real favourite of the jacks and trevally. Whiting have been in good number with worm and freshly pumped yabbies a favourite. Good- sized flathead have also been taken in the deeper channels near the Frying pan at the start of the run out tide. A well weighted bright coloured soft plastic like the Major Mitchell from Squidgy has claimed some good fish. Fishing the rocks at the mouth has been popular with some great-sized jacks taken on lightly weighted pilchards and fresh mullet strips. Using a longer rod here is also a good idea, this gives you more control over the jack as they hit like a freight train and try to make it back to their home in the rocks. Talking of rocks, the rock hopper that frequent the rocks at the Noosa National Park and down toward Coolum have also been having some great success with sweetlip and squire on the high tide. You must be careful fishing in these locations on the tide as the odd rouge wave can sneak up and cause some havoc. Keep the majority of your gear up above the high water mark and never turn your back on the sea.
On the beach, the swell has made some great gutter along Noosa eastern beaches, this, in turn, has really picked up the beach fishing, for those die- hard anglers the very early morning tide this week should see some good quality predators move into those gutters. Fresh mullet, salted bonito fillet pilchards should see some good quality jew tailor and the odd trevally.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
