Offshore, things have been on the blustery side with only a few charter boats making the crossing.\
North Reef was the pick of the spots and they returned home with solid snapper, tuskies, pearlies and other reefies including cobia. Once the winds drop we should be in for some great fishing so keep your eyes peeled.
In the Noosa River this week’s tides brought bigger spring tides with the new moon phase on the weekend. As such the trevally have been coming in and a solid 80cm diamond trevally was caught in woods bay. This is fast becoming a great place to find such monster fish so having a quality side scan unit can certainly take the guess work out of finding the fish.
Flathead continue to feature strongly around this area and are taking a huge range of lures and baits. Bait anglers have been using hardy heads and pilchards and let them drift around on a light gauge gang hook. The river mouth has some great drop offs so fish the turn in the tides here if you haven’t already tried. Also on the catch list here are whiting and bream. Around the rocks and sandbags of the dog beach are popular spots. Mangrove jacks are starting to become more active and some big ones are in the mix. These fish love and dead baits, especially fresh mullet chunks and even a prawn. Soft vibes are great for all areas of the lower estuary for flatties, jacks and trevally. They make a popular choice for anglers new to using lures so give one a try especially if it’s a bit windy as they cast far.
Jewies are becoming more active and love to sit in deep holes and out of the main currents. They will come out and feed in the open during a slack tide so pay attention to tide times. Fresh baits of mullet, pilchard and live worms work well for them and are best fished in low light or after dark hours. Be sure to up leaders to 20-40lb depending on where you fish as they do hang around rocks and heavy structure. Take a look around the river mouth rocks and Munna Bridge for two options.
Off the beaches consistent catches of small whiting, dart and bream keep young anglers entertained. There are a few tailor hanging around, but these are smaller and showing up during the evening times. This time is also a great time to fish for jewfish as the new moon period is thought to be one of the best times, especially if there are tailor running too. Be sure to keep baits fresh and well presented on lighter lines as jewies can be very wary of heavy lines. Look for a good looking gutter during the daytime and come back to fish it in the evening on the higher tide.
Lastly Lake Macdonald and Borumba are producing chunky bass and even saratoga to 70cm. The consistent sunshine continues to warm things up making now a great time to have a try. If wanting to target these fish during windier days be sure to have an assortment of suspending jerk baits in the 60-80mm body size. For both species try and use the wind to your advantage to make wind assisted casts. This keeps you away from the edges and possibly spooking bigger fish. The key to using this style of lure is to put in long pauses as this is when the big bites will come. Lastly don’t forget to purchase your SIPS permit before taking to one of our local stocked impoundments so that more and more fingerlings can be released each year.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
