By Jack Mangrove
With the wind up for most of the weekend anglers again headed for the river. On the River quality tailor have been in good number in the lower stretches. Big live baits at night have been the most consistent option to target the larger fish. Surface lures have also been accounting for their fair share of quality sized tailor. Be prepared to lose a few however as these fish are very toothy. Bream numbers are also starting to increase throughout the river. Lightly weighted flesh baits like fresh mullet and frozen prawn have been the best approach. Golden, Giant and Tea Leaf Trevally numbers are also on the increase with the low light periods the most productive. The Woods Bays, Munna Point and the back of Noosa Sound have been the most active areas, again surface lures have been very popular another option has also been small plastics on lighter jig heads. Weyba Creek and the frying pan are still providing good numbers of whiting on live worm and yabby baits. There are still good numbers of crabs throughout the system. Try setting pots a little further upriver in deeper waters close to mangroves. Be cautious of possession and bag limits as fisheries are checking pots.
On the Beaches again it has been about that southeaster. Sunshine Beach and rocks has again produced some good fish like Jew and the odd tailor on large flesh and whole fish baits. Castaway beach is also fishing well for dart and bream with the top of the tide the prime time. Whiting have also been taken in the closer deeper gutters. Worms, pippies and prawns have all worked well. Winter bream are also on the increase with fish over 35cm taken down towards Coolum Rocks. Mullet and fowl gut have been prime baits.
Heading Offshore before the winds picked up on last Saturday morning anglers were in fishing utopia. Sunshine Reef has been fishing exceptionally well for quality coral trout and cod in good numbers. Mixed reef species like red throat, squires and grassy sweetlip as well as pelagic like spotted and Spanish mackerel have also come from Sunshine. Chardon’s Reef has been fishing well for Jew and snapper on the bottom, as well as spotted and Spanish mackerel near the surface. Longtail, Mach and the odd yellowfin tuna are still frequenting Laguna bay. North Reef has been the spot for good numbers of squire. The Hards, Barwon Banks and the wider reefs east of Double Island has seen some great sessions on quality snapper pearl perch larger Jew, and the odd red emperor.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
