With the weather finally starting to play the game with minimal breezes and little to no swell the offshore crews were all set to hit the water.
With the great weather, anglers headed wide to places like the Barwon Banks, the Hards, and wide off Double Island.
Starting locally, just outside the bar was a hot spot for some nice mackerel, and tuna.
Most of the mackerel were taken on slow trolled dead bait like slimy mackerel, bonito, and gar on weighted rigs like the TT bait rigs.
Up in Hervey Bay, the tuna were schooled up but were flighty and were hard to get a slug into.
These schools were moving quickly feeding on schools of rain bait, frogged mouth pilchards and hardy heads which is usual for this time of year, so the smart angler got ahead of them shut down and waited for the schools to approach.
For the bottom bouncers there was plenty on offer, seemed like everybody got a feed with most reporting good quality sweetlip, pearl perch, red emperor, tusk fish, cobia and some arm stretching amber jack.
For those that ran wide, a few sail fish were raised along with some bigger mackerel and wahoo.
From the bottom, the back of the Barwon Banks around the 60m mark is where bigger snapper and pearl perch were on the menu.
Sunshine reef also turned it on last week with some nice trout raised along with some better sweetlip and a couple of bigger cod.
The beaches have been fishing well, local beach anglers have reported the biggest dart they have seen for a while and this maybe because of the amount of food on offer after the bigger swells from Jasper last week.
Worms and pippies have been working a treat as well as the good old, peeled prawn.
Trevally were also in the mix with some nicer models taken around Double Island at night.
Whiting numbers have been a little slow, but this may just be because there are so many dart.
With the new moon just before last weekend reports of jewfish have also been coming in with most anglers reporting just legal fish.
Swells are set to get a little larger this week and this could be a good thing giving these big silver fish a bit more cover.
In and around Tin Can good reports of flathead have been coming in with quality fish all the way up the Creeks.
As the waters warm these fish will move to the shallower banks for the warmer water temperatures.
Casting up onto these shallow banks from the boat with prawn or small fish profile soft plastics has been very effective.
With some bigger full moon tides over Christmas there will be plenty on offer around the river mouths.
Trevally, queen fish and tailor have all been on the chew.
Fast moving plastics cast at bust up along with smaller micro jigs or even medium sized stick baits should all be in with a chance.
Good whiting have been feeding on the run out tide around Pelican Bay, fishing the sand banks and the drop offs as the water drains is working the best.
Live worms and yabbies have been the go-to bait.
Small surface lures like the Bassday Sugapens in the 65mm fished around the top of the tide over the shallow sand banks has also been very productive.
In the Mary, the Kayak anglers have been having a ball, with the water level low now the fish are quite concentrated making it easy for anglers to pick up big numbers.
The public banks are very busy at the moment so if you are planning on fishing around the weir, I suggest you get there for sunup and be gone before the crowds move in.
In the dams some nice saratoga are on the chew.
With these fish just coming out of the breading season they are keen to put on condition and are feeding hard.
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 Gympie’s Newest tackle store “The tackle Shop”, Tackle World Noosa, and Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola for all the right equipment, bait and advice to get you catching.
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