Well, that’s farewell to winter as we ticked over into September.
The cold nights gave way to warmer day temps and a noticeable change until the rains moved in for Friday and Saturday.
Until that, the post new moon provided hot fishing offshore for some and quiet for others.
Out wide around North Reef and beyond there were some extra large cobia coming in. These fish were easily around 20kg+ and with smaller fish around 10kg those who scored certainly got a good arm stretching! These fish were taking anything from a live bait to a lure.
If you are new to using lures offshore you can try soft plastics. If you have tried soft plastics, then try soft vibes like the Nomad Vertrex or Samaki Vibelicious 150mm. These lures are yet to gain popularity but work exceptionally well often getting smashed on the drop. You can expect to catch almost everything on these with snapper, jewfish, and cobia prime targets.
After the rains you can expect the fishing to turn on again as many reef fish love a good dump of rain. These rains were not super heavy so expect the river to be running clear with little to no discoloration offshore.
Snapper and sweetlip have been on and off but you can still expect to find some prized eating fish around the 50-70cm size. Last week North Reef was popular and out wide is where the bigger fish tend to be this week so it’s going to be a case of monitor your sounder and cruise about.
Surf fishing has seen a few jewfish on the run up to the new moon with most coming after dark. These fish can be taken on lures but fresh baits tend to do best. There have also been tailor running around with trevally following close by. Should you want to try for a jewie then a fresh slab of legal size tailor can work very well on a snelled rig with 50-60lb mono leader like Platypus hard armour which is supple enough to tie complex knots, yet retain great presentation.
River fishing has had a flush of freshwater which often pushes bait and fish toward the mouth. With this in mind, if launching a boat try around sandbags, rock wall of the river mouth and the frying pan areas. There are new channels forming which many fish will be exploring and making the most of. One such fish are flathead which sit and wait for smaller prey to pass overhead. Whole whitebait and prawn on light running sinker rigs work very well especially in the current. For those lure fishing, smaller 3-4 inch soft plastics on 1/6th jig heads will work well. Check out the new range from Bite Science and grab a pack of matched jig heads on BKK hooks.
As we see water temps start to creep up over the coming weeks, you will also notice mangrove jacks featuring around rocks and heavy structure. Try fishing around the bridges and areas that receive sun as heat will disperse into the surrounding water which some fish like.
Lastly, with the rains it is always worth setting a few crab pots along the mangrove edges in the upper reaches of the river. We have 2kg bags of crab bait which is sure to bring in any nearby crab. If you need any supplies, we carry a wide range of accessories and can help with how to get you set up.
Now for all the latest information log onto 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!
