By Jack Mangrove
On the beaches, plenty of anglers and there families made the most of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend and headed for the sand.
There seemed to be a constant steam of 4X4 making their way up the Noosa North Shore.
Plenty of whiting, dart and bream were on offer in the close gutters, with most anglers using live beach worms and pippies, casting to the back of the gutter and rolling these baits under the white water seemed to be the best practise.
For the Tailor and Jew anglers the best reports are still coming from the northern part of the North Shore up toward Double Island.
The very early morning tide was the most productive with most fish taken on pilchards and strip baits of mullet and bonito.
The rock hopper have also made the most of the lighter wind conditions in the mornings with plenty of anglers making their way out to the Noosa National Park, squire, sweetlip and the odd tuna were on offer.
With the wind up and the offshore scene closing down a little last week so a lot of anglers focused their attention on the river.
Good numbers of mangrove jack have been taken on live baits, strip baits and paddle tail soft plastics. Peak times have been late in the evening on the hotter days.
Live worm and yabby baits have accounted for good numbers of whiting from Gympie Terrace, the Dog Beach and the Frying Pan.
If you can get the wind at your back try flicking some surface lures, smaller popper and walk the dog style lures have been getting the better whiting. Trevally, queenfish and tailor have been present in the Woods Bays again surface lures first thing in the morning or soft plastics as the sun get up. Good quality flathead have been coming from the lower reaches of the river. Drifting whole fish baits or live baits has been doing most of the damage. Plastics in the prawn profiles slowly hopped off the bottom has also proved successful on bagging a big lizard.
For the anglers that did make it outside over the weekend, good numbers of coral trout were taken around the Sunshine Reef area, lightly weighted pilchard baits or livies fished hard on the bottom got the results.
Micro Jigs have been proving their worth on these fish with the oval shape really performing.
Cobia, Jew, snapper and larger pearl perch have been coming from the deeper areas of the Barwon Banks and the Hards.
Mackerel and tuna schools have been showing up on most of the closer reef, letting slugs between 10-30g sink and then pulling them through the schools has proved the best method.
There has also been good snapper coming from the southern reefs around Coolum and the Gneerings reefs, fishing a slow sinking bait through a burley trail has been the most successful method.
It’s on again – the National Gone Fishing Day will be held on 15 October. This is a day when all Australians can get out on the water for a fish and celebrate our love of fishing.
It doesn’t matter if you have never fished before, Gone Fishing Day is for everyone. Jump on line and register at gonefishingday.org/
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
