The cold snap made its presence felt all over South East Queensland this week. With the temperature drop came the predicted westerly winds and calm seas. We have seen the water clear up offshore and also in the rivers so fish like to get the bite.
Offshore, we are seeing bigger snapper following the bait into the shallower reefs all along the coast. Halls reef is definitely worth a look as this area holds great fish year round. Also north toward DI you can find some patchy reef sections. Slow trawling any new area with a deep diving lure gives you a chance of hooking up. The Nomad DTX 85mm gets down to 6 meters so it appeals to a wide range of species. If you are headed out wider then Sunshine reef is holding some great fishing including coral trout, sweetlip, snapper, pearlies, cobia and the odd longtail. The Spanish mackerel are almost done but having a pilchard floater out with a short length of single strand wire will keep you connected.
North reef is also holding good snapper, Maori cod, estuary cod, pearl perch, cobia and the odd Longie. With smaller tides coming our way you can expect less run so now is the time of year for pilchard floaters while you fish the bottom. Make sure you use bait thread to keep baits in place. Out wider we have seen some great fish coming from the Banks and the Hards as well as Double Island. In these deeper water marks you can expect to find bigger snapper taking big slabs of mullet, live baits and Bonito fillet. Be sure you go with quality PE5 or higher gear. Check out the new range of Oceans Legacy rods as these have a loyal following and are proven big fish rods.
Surf fishing is continuing to improve with some solid jew coming from the headlands after dark. Best baits for these silver ghosts is bonito, fresh mullet, live beach worm and even tailor fillets. For the daytime anglers the continued run of dart continues along with sandy flathead, bream which are getting bigger and whiting. To target the bigger bream try running 4KG lines size 1 octopus hooks and small chunks of mullet, pipi or bonito. There are some great gutters around and with the swell coming up this weekend the following week should be great.
The Noosa River continues to provide anglers with flatties, bream, whiting, trevally, jacks and jewfish. For jewfish you can try around rocks and bridges and any deeper holes. A personal favourite is a 4 inch power bait minnow and 1/4oz jighead with 16lb DFC Nitlon fluorocarbon leader. Be sure to strike all small bites as they bite like a bream. Once you feel the weight you must set the hooks hard as they have hard mouths. Always have a landing net ready and once landed keep the fish in the net to recover as small fish give every ounce of energy in the fight and need to recover. You can use a pair of fish friendly lip grips to recover your prized catch with the Fishcraft grips the best for this. For other species flathead are sitting in the lower estuary around the dog beach, frying pan and along the sandy edges of the current line toward the coastguard and boat ramp. Trevally and bream make a great target fish and will often sit with mullet. This is the time of year we see the river full of mullet so be sure to cast at them and let your lure or bait drift downward. Once on the bottom get ready for the bite as it could even be a jack. Around the flats of Weyba and the Frying Pan you can find some fat whiting. Grab a yabby pump and load up on live bait if in these areas. Using lighter 3KG gear ensures the most fun and best success for line shy fish that sit in only a few inches of water. And, of course, the luderick season is now officially underway with the first blackfish of the year landed down towards the river mouth.
Freshwater has been really hit and miss with one day super quiet and the next on fire! The local Lake Mac is a classic example. Take the time to sound out all areas and along various contours to find where they are as they are on the move. If you monitor our Facebook pages you will have seen us fishing the new Hot Bite lures and having great success. This also applies to the deeper Borumba dam. As above using sounders to locate the fish is imperative before casting a line. The new G2 Gang Banger spoons have been cleaning up and with a set of small assists and a rear treble the smallest of bites often converts to landed fish. With the colder conditions the bass are sitting deep and even hard on the bottom so know your sounder settings and get stuck into some winter time fat bass.
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 Davo’s Tackle World, Davo’s Boating and Outdoors in Noosa and Davo’s 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!
