By Jack Mangrove
With a change in weather we are now looking at clear skies and lighter winds. The offshore brigade have been making the most of the calm seas and lighter winds. Sunshine reef continues to be a favourite with trout upward of 7kg reported, with livies the most effective method. Spanish mackerel are still about and having a free swimming gang hooked or live bait rig bait can work very well. Off the reef some cracking sweetlip, red throat and small snapper have been landed, especially around North Reef. You can target these on baits, but a great way to do it is by using slow fall jigs. These sink slowly and flutter, causing big vibration that mimics a dying baitfish. Soft plastics are a must if you are in a slow drift. Keep an eye on your sounder and create waypoints as you drift. You can also burn your plastic up should you see a decent show several meters off the bottom.
Beach fishing has been hit and miss during the daytime but jewies continue to dominate during the low light nights of the new moon. The bigger tides this week saw some cracking fish caught. Big dart were also reported from the various gutters during the daytime. Baits to use include fresh mullet, bonito and beach worm baits. All of the baits have a great smell and oil content so load up those hooks and you never know. Around the river mouths some nice whiting have been caught using light 6lb lines and live beach worms or yabby baits. Don’t forget to check your pump works well and be sure to pick up a spare washer if yours has perished.
The Noosa River is starting to clear up each day and the spring tides this week have certainly given it a good flush. Trevally, tailor, whiting, bream and flatties are all on offer. Lure anglers are still concentrating their efforts along the ski run and Cooroibah Lake for jewies and flatties with soft plastics and scent the go. Further down toward the mouth bigger bream, golden trevally and flatties are found especially from the coastguard toward woods bay. The frying pan is a great place to target fish in search of warmer waters during the daytime. These shallow sand flats can hold huge whiting and with that you can also expect to find a big flatties. Woods Bays are holding a mix of trevally and tailor showing up so use a range of grub and prawn style plastics and surface lures. Crabs are still moving around so check your pots are in good condition and be sure to keep them close to the edges and weigh them down as the spring tides build.
Freshwater fish will be seeking warm water will be sitting deep so have sounders running down and side scan and be sure to pepper any schools with all you have to entice a bite. Small jigs bounced up and down on the bottom can annoy them into biting so persist if they are they and not feeding. Remember the closed season for wild bass starts from 1st June until Aug 31st which means fishing the Noosa Everglades is closed to angling. This makes now a great time to experience Lake MacDonald and Borumba. Don’t forget your SIPPS permits and have fun on the water.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
