By Jack Mangrove
Westerly offshore winds saw a multitude of anglers make the most of the offshore conditions during the weekend. The swell has remained very low to almost non-existent on the Noosa bar so anyone who had a boat sure made the most of the near perfect conditions inside the local bay and on the local reefs.
The pre full moon conditions saw a strong bite on North Reef with snapper, sweetlip, cobia, scarlet sea perch, pearl perch and tusk fish on the catch list. The winds made conditions a little bumpy mid-week, but consistent fishing was experienced by all. Fresh slab baits, pilchard, squid and mullet were the baits of choice for those fishing deep. If using a pilchard floater be sure to add a little additional weight as we approach the full moon and bigger currents. In closer Sunshine reef and Halls Reef were the popular spots for people looking for reef fish. These grounds are great for using live baits on big coral trout or sweetlip. The warmer sea temps are seeing some huge Spanish mackerel in the local area so be sure to be geared up with single strand wire and gang hooks as these these fish will snip standard mono leaders. There have also been a few longtail tuna landed so be sure to have reels loaded with enough line to cope with the runs both of these fish can do.
Surf fishing is remaining consistent with daytime fishing providing a mixed bag of bream, dart, whiting, flathead and trevally on a simple running sinker rig and worm or mullet strip. Eveninig fishing has produced the occasional jewfish and tailor so using fresh bait or livebaits are best when targeting these two species. There are plenty of gutters all along the coastline so find one that works for you, if not move on until you do.
The Noosa River is a great place to get protection from south Easterly winds, there is nothing nicer than using 6lb gear and enjoying the warm daytime’s whle having a fish for the winter bream, whiting and flathead. Best baits for these fish include whole frogmouth pilchards and hardy heads down to the humble beach worm for whiting. If you are after jewfish and trevally the ski run is a popular spot to find these fish. Both fish tend to move around so monitor your sounders as you come across any rock walls or rock bars. Using 3-4 inch sized soft plastics with curl and paddle tails work very well here as does slowing down your retrieve speed and using scent. This sticks to plastics and lures and really helps when the bite is tough.
Freshwater is still fishing well across the dams and lakes with Borumba holding big schools of winter time bass. The bite window appears to be after sunrise and things have warmed up a little. There are still big saratoga on the bite and are hitting smaller baits and suspending lures so downsize and and go slow. Lake MacDonald is holding mainly bass in the usual areas of the bubble trail, five-ways and around the botanical gardens. The beauty of both areas is that you can usually find an arm that is protected from the winds giving you a much quieter approach.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
