By Jack Mangrove
With the good conditions last weekend, reef anglers did extremely well with most anglers reporting success from either the bottom or pelagics on the surface.
Good numbers of trout are still coming from Sunshine Reef.
Well-presented pilchards or live baits right on the bottom has been the best approach, and good-sized sweetlip have been feeding on most reef systems.
Pearl perch and cod have also been common captures from North Reef, Chardons and around the Double Island Point area.
Boats that made the trip to the Barwon Banks were well rewarded with a good mix of reef fish including pearl perch, cod, jew and cobia all landed, while good numbers of Spanish mackeral have been hanging around North Reef, Chardons Reef and Sunshine Reef.
Live baits, gar, and pilchards have been good bait options, however trolling baits and deep diving lures have also been nailing some big fish.
Yellowfin, long tail and mac tuna schools were again in the bay earlier last week, with small stick baits and slugs accounting for some great fish.
On the beaches, things were a bit busy over the weekend, plenty of anglers made their way up Noosa’s North Shore for a beach session, and with the new moon last week, anglers were delighted with some quality fish coming from the very early morning tides.
Whiting are in great numbers with the close gutters providing some good fish, worms, pippies and peeled prawns have been the go-to baits and dart are also in good numbers with the larger fish coming from the top of the tide.
A couple of smaller jew were reported from the southern beaches around Coolum, with some larger bream and the odd tailor were also in the mix.
Muller fillets, salted bonito fillets and pilchards were the baits of choice.
With a bit of rain last week the river has started to colour up which is great, as it creates a lot more bait activity in the river.
Lots of trevally have made there their way into the river on the tides with the evening the better fishing, surface poppers just on dusk has seen plenty of big eye trevally taken.
Prawn profile soft plastics have been accounting for good numbers of giant and big eye trevally, tailor are also being hooked on plastics, while mangrove jack are still on the chew right throughout the system.
The flathead population seems to be improving every year with more and larger females being caught and released.
The stretch between Tewantin and the first lake and Weyba Creek seems to be hot spots.
Whiting have still been in good numbers right throughout the lower part of the system, the Dog Beach, Gympie Terrace and the Frying Pan have all fished well on the incoming tide, with live worms, yabbies and peeled prawns have been the baits of choice.
Bream are also about in Woods Bay on prawns, pillies and strips of bonito and small soft plastics in prawn and crab profiles have worked well.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
