Well as the title suggests it has certainly been a big week of weather yet again. It really is a case of having your gear ready to go at moment’s notice, being prepared to make sudden changes to plans once out. The biggest bit of advice is to have mobile phones with the local radar up so you can see storms moving in or have your marine radio on and listen to weather updates.
Once out anglers certainly have landed some chunky Spanish to 15kg and cobia around the 7kg mark. Reef fishing has been great with charters bagging out on big nannygai, snapper, sweetlip, cobia and trout. Double island was popular before the weather turned with the local reef of Sunshine, halls and North a short run from home.
It appears that floated pilchards and trolled hardbodies are getting the bite with Rapala X-Rap 30 and Nomad DTX 140’s working well in a spread. Some anglers prefer to troll at high-speed making the Nomad Madmacs the perfect lure. It is thought that high speed trolling prevents total bite off’s so if this is you, try increasing your speed or use a small amount of wire.
For those anglers who like to troll big dead baits we now have a return of whole bonito which are one of, if not the best big Spanish mackerel troll bait. Match these to a custom gang hook rig or buy a pre-made one for when the weather breaks.
Surf fishing should start to fire up late next week as we push toward a full moon the following week. A lot of fish will start to feed aggressively during the building neap tide phase, and this applies to all areas including the estuary. Be sure to fish as light as you can with 6-8kg ideal as the sweep from the swell will be high. If looking to re-spool an alvey then Platypus Lo-Stretch is our pick with its reduced diameter and increased sensitivity.
The Noosa River was starting to clear up and there is bound to be a bit of a cold push coming from upstream. After the weekend things should start to settle down with more bites coming. Around the mouth the early morning low tides will give you a chance to fish the clean run-in tidal waters. Have lightly weighted baits and soft plastics so they look more realistic. The new color range of Squidgy paddle prawns look great with whitebait a great colour for big flatties. You can always expect to find flatties laying in wait around here with whiting and bream lurking in the deep gutters. If you want to try another area then the dog beach will be quieter now and there are a lot of great snags for those on boats. These fallen trees are some of the best structure in the lower estuary and will definitely hold some big fish including jacks, if you can get to them. This area is a must for weedless rigged soft plastics like small Zerek live flash minnow as it is streamlined and has a great side profile.
Upriver, you can try around the ski run and even between the lakes for trevally and jewfish, however if you are catching catfish you need to head down river. Catfish are a classic sign that the waters are too fresh. Noosa tends to clear up faster than other systems and if it is dirty think about strong smelling baits like bonito, frigate tuna, slimy mackerel and mullet. For the lure anglers then nothing beats soft vibes and with hundreds to pick from you can certainly find something to take your fancy.
Freshwaters are again overflowing from the heavy falls mid-week. Much like week’s before, the fresh can fire one day and cold the next. Ensure you have at least two rods rigged and ready to go. You should have a TT Vortex spinnerbait on one and a weedless rigged Keitech easy shiner 3 inch for times you suddenly see schooled up bass on your sounder. If surface fishing, try any bays the wind is blowing into and work all the snags in that area only moving on once you have thoroughly worked it.
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!
