By JACK MANGROVE
WITH the spectacular weather we have been having, the offshore brigade has been heading out in force.
Sunshine Reef has been a hot spot for snapper, sweetlip, trout and tuna. Good quality pilchards, local squid and live baits fished hard to the bottom have seen some outstanding results.
Out on Chardon’s, it has been all about the pelagics, spanish mackerel, yellowfin tuna, longtail tuna and Mack tuna which have all been on the chew. Floating pillies, livies, trolled hardbody lures, micro jigs and slugs are all also working well. Clear water is the key as the pelagics hate the dirty water.
North reef has also been fishing well, with a good array of reef species including cobia and pearl perch. North Reef has been a haven for spanish mackerel with big numbers of good sized fish taken. When fishing for pelagics using good quality mono leader is a must, you will get better results than with wire.
In the river, the dirty water is starting to subside with the bigger tides helping to clear the river. The lower reaches of the river are still where you should concentrate your efforts.
Good sized whiting are around the Frying Pan and Dog Beach. There have been a few anglers who have been able to get their hands on some good blood worms, these are a fantastic bait for whiting with some anglers hitting their bag limit while using them.
Bream have been in good numbers with Woods Bay and the river mouth being the pick of the spots. Fresh mullet strips, prawns, frogmouth pillies and pippies have all been working well.
There have been some great flathead in the river again, the clean water on the incoming tide seems to be the trick. Brightly coloured soft plastics, paddle vibes and live bait have all been favoured by a hungry lizard. Remember your bag and size limits, for dusky flathead a minimum size of 40cm and a maximum size of 75cm with a bag limit of five.
On the beach, the large winter bream are starting to show up. With the amazing swells we have had over the last couple of weeks, beach anglers have had to stick to the river but now that things have calmed down a little, anglers are hitting the beaches in droves.
On the North Shore we should see some good sized tailor as well as squire and jewies. Large pillies, fresh mullet and salted bonito are all excellent baits and should produce some great fish.
On behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures.
