By Jack Mangrove
Well the good weather didn’t last too long and the swell ramped up for the offshore anglers making bar crossing next to impossible for smaller boats. With only the charters headed out during the start of the week the bite was pretty quiet but the spring tides and gusting south east winds saw the fish on the chew but made for choppy conditions.
Sunshine reef was the popular spot as it’s close to home and some chunky coral trout were chewing on live baits and fresh slab baits fished hard on the bottom. For anglers using the paternoster style rigs then sweetlip, cod, venus tusk fish or tuskies and moses perch we also coming onboard. The one good thing about rain is that the sweetlip love a good flush of fresh. There were also a few larger sized snapper coming in too which are expected to only get bigger. Mid-week saw a brief window with some cracking Spanish mackerel around jew shoal and along the halls reef section headed north toward Double Island. These fish taking trolled hardbodies and gang hooked pilchard floaters for those drifting. Be sure to carry wire as you can go through a lot of gear in a short space of time if the bite is good. The longtail tuna and mac tuna have been prevalent all along the coast with many people reporting bust ups as far as the eye could see. Saturday saw a break in wind and although the rains came through the sea stayed calm. Bigger longtail tuna and mac tuna were getting caught in close and a few Spanish mackerel were also in the mix. Be sure to have a casting rod rigged with a slug as you never know when these speedsters will show up!
The Noosa River has been a little slow due to the freshwater coming from the Noosa Everglades which is keeping things murky. As the water temperature cools from the rains you can expect to find some thumper flatties and bream in the lower reaches around the dog beach, river mouth and along Gympie Terrace. These fish love whole whitebait and hardy heads on light gang hooks. Cast these along the drop offs and let the current gently wash it along and wait for the bite. For lure anglers soft vibes and paddle tail plastics have to be the go, not forgetting to allow time for the lure to sit on the bottom. Dirty water allows you to use leaders up to 14lb which helps prevent bust offs that big flatties are known for. Trevally are still about and these love an early morning high tide so watch for surface action and cast directly at them with slugs or heavily weight plastics and crank them back at speed. With the rains be sure to try prawn style lures as prawns will be getting flushed out and matching the hatch will certainly help. Lastly with all the rain comes the continued success for the crabbers. Be sure to weight your pots down and keep them close to the edges as the current will be strong. As always using fresh mullet is best or grab yourself a pack of crab bait to tempt the big ones.
Now for all the latest information log onto www.fishingnoosa.com.au
