Winds of change

Sonya Anderson caught this 50cm GT while on a Noosa River Fishing Safari. Photo: www.fishingnoosa.com.au

What a start to the week with blustery winds and some pretty average weather conditions, then the swell picked up and made crossing the bar a bit risky for smaller craft. With winds forecast to drop later this week hopefully we will be able to get out amongst them again.

The Noosa River is providing anglers with a nice mixed bag of fish. The rains have stopped which is seeing the fishing improve. With clearer conditions the river has started to open up and anglers are now catching fish between the lakes. From the upper reaches mangrove jacks are back on. Small prawn style plastics and soft vibes work very well here. The Zerek ultimate shrimp is a great size and has a hook strong enough to get the job done. Trevally will also hit this area and given Noosa is a great prawn river it comes as no surprise that prawn plastics work so well.

Down from the upper reaches Lake Cooroibah and around the boat channel holds good flatties. Again using prawns and soft vibes works very well along these sand flats. Check out the smaller soft vibes from Samaki if the waters are dirtier on the run out tide.

From the Noosa Marina down to the river mouth you will find a wide range of trevally species, flathead, whiting, bream and mangrove jacks to name a few. If you are after big flatties the new Castaic paddle tail plastics have an action that takes some beating. With a long skinny tail the vibration and body roll these give off on a slow wind are perfect. With the neap tides upon us now is the time to break these out.

Whiting and bream continue to feature around Gympie Terrace and as the swell eases you can expect to find some new gutters and holes around the mouth. Lightly weighted peeled prawn, live beach worm on 00 size ball sinkers and 4-6lb mono lines are best suited here. If you are in the market for a new rod and want a more traditional feel but love the weight of graphite rods then the Abu Garcia Rayrex 10f foot 6 ultralight is perfect.

Surf fishing has been productive for surf anglers with the bigger surf gear. With the big swell running jewfish will often come out to feed in low light hours. This is where 20-30lb outfits on 12-14ft surf rods excel. The Prevail range of rods from Penn are great value for money and have something for all styles of surf and rock fishing. They are very light, strong and feature corrosion resistant guides. Pair this with a long cast surf reel and you are on your way to landing one of these bigger 120cm + fish.

Lastly the freshwater remains consistent with good numbers of bass taking blades and vibes. The surface bite should start to fire up now the waters have warmed up. Try the MMD splash prawn around the lilies and overhanging trees on first light, especially as we head toward a new moon. Borumba is holding at 80% capacity and although this sounds full there standing timber section continues to claim a few propellers so watch your speed.

Now for all the latest information log onto www.fishingnoosa.com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports, don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World, Davo’s Boating and Outdoors in Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola for all the right equipment, bait and advice to get you catching. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and remember Tight Lines and Bent Spines!