With the bureau of meteorology stating that this month could be a wild one they were spot on. We have had a mixed bag of wild weather with huge hail stones, flash flooding and even a tornado! So what has this done to the fishing? All of this weather lined up with the week leading to a full moon so we even had big tides and quiet mornings both in the rivers and offshore.
The bite period was late morning and into the afternoon and for the offshore crew, medium sized fish were the main size. North Reef featured cobia, gold spot cod, tuskies, snapper, pearlies and other reef fish. Traditional paternoster rigs work well here but fishing hard on the bottom with a snelled 7/0 octopus hooks and a whole pilchard, mullet slab work very well for bigger reef dwellers. Check out the new Shimano Ocea FC leader and ask us how to snell two hooks. If you don’t know how to do this feel free to ask us how as this is a must know technique for all bait anglers.
Surf fishing on the coast has seen an influx of small whiting in the 20cm plus range. These fish are also plentiful in the estuary. Small live beach worm on a whiting hook and small running sinker has been catching lots of these fish along with similar size dart and bream. If you are struggling to catch worms we sell worming pliers which can help you grab them.
Inside the river besides whiting you can expect to find flatties, bream and trevally. Fishing from the land you would be best to look around the river mouth, the Dog Beach and around Munna Point. Gympie Terrace is also a great spot when the sun shines the sand bars hold many good whiting and flathead. You can fish for whiting with lures here making the smaller sized Bassday Sugapen and Atomic Walker two great options.
Mangrove jacks will start to fire up soon and the rains mid-week will be pushing fresh waters down from the everglades. With the bigger spring tides on Wednesday you can expect to find bigger congregations of baitfish in the lower estuary and up towards the ski run. Live baits do work very well for these apex predators as do big paddle tail soft plastics at night. The newer Gulp paddleshad would make a great choice for beginner anglers as they have a strong scent small and good action.
Freshwaters are dropping which helps to concentrate the bait and the fish. Surface fishing is becoming good and once we see some hot weather the first light surface bite will be fantastic! Have a few lures ready and weedless soft plastics. The Zman finesse frog is a perfect plastic for weedy edges and points. Don’t forget if heading the lakes and dams you need a SIPS permit which can be purchased online and is sent to your phone in only a few minutes.
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 Tackle World Noosa, Noosa Boating and Outdoors and 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!
