By Jack Mangrove
Noosa has been fishing a treat as we move into prime time for tailor and jewies off the beach.
The Noosa north shore has been inundated with anglers and their 4×4 heading up the beach in search of those elusive tailor, anglers will not disappointed with some good catches reported.
Along with the tailor, there were some nice bream, flathead, whiting and bigger dart.
Most anglers are bait fishing with pillies, mullet strips, and salted bonito. Don’t despair if you don’t have a 4×4 as the gutter just outside the Northshore Caravan Park are also holding good fish.
To the south, the Maroochy north shore and Yaroomba Rocks has been the place for some quality jewies, this time of the year is one of the strong for big jew.
Try not to strike on the first bite but let the fish run, many a quality jew is lost in the enthusiasm of an angler striking too soon, jew love to pick at baits, or roll it round in their mouths scaling before they swallow. Strike too soon and you will simply pull the hook from the fish’s mouth.
In the Noosa River, the mouth has been really firing with quality bream, tailor, trevally and school jew.
Flesh baits like mullet and bonito strips have been one of the best performers, soft plastics and slugs are also claiming some quality fish.
Down towards the sand bags on the Dog Beach quality whiting have taken a liking to worms, peeled prawns, and yabbies.
Smaller popper and surface walkers have also claimed there fair share of fish.
Woods Bay has again been the home of some quality trevally, tailor and queenies. Anglers have been enticing them with surface poppers in the low light periods and soft plastics through the day.
Gympie Terrace stretch of the Noosa River has fished well with families enjoying whiting, bream and the odd flathead.
In the ski runs, flathead have been plentiful with the run-out tide – the best time to plan your attack. Soft plastic in reds and pinks have been very productive.
Offshore, things will be equally amazing, and as the swell settles down we should still see those quality spotted and spanish mackerel, look for that bird activity as these speedsters of the sea smash the bait balls from underneath.
Fast trolled lures are a great way to cover a lot of ground when things are a little quiet, work those drop off and edges of the reef, this is where these fish like to congregate and feed on smaller bait schools.
There has been some real advances in deep trolling lures with most able to travel at up to twelve knots.
Sunshine Reef is producing some great coral trout, fish your lure or soft plastic hard to the bottom here and you will be rewarded.
Also at Sunshine, the sweetlip are on the chew as well as good parrot and snapper.
The deeper reefs like Chardon’s and North Reef have also come up with the goods, with larger snapper, pearl perch, sweetlip, cobia.
Up towards Double Island and the Banks Snapper, venus tusk fish, pearl perch, moses perch and lots of amberjack will all be on the menu.
Don’t forget to load those spanner crab traps as there are still plenty on offer with many traps coming up loaded.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
