By JACK MANGROVE
WHAT a year it has been for Noosa anglers!
For visitors and locals alike, the Noosa area is truly a gift from heaven when it comes to fishing.
With a spectacular river system, wonderful reefs, rocky headlands and of course those magnificent beaches. We are truly blessed.
The fishing over the past year has been a sensation with the river producing some great piscatorial challengers.
In the warmer weather we see great mangrove jack, summer whiting, threadfin salmon and the elusive barramundi.
The cooler months bring us big winter bream, tailor and winter whiting, while all year round the flathead, trevally and jewfish keep us busy.
Is it any wonder the area attracts so many anglers?
Then of course there is offshore; we all know our Noosa Bar can be a challenge some days, but with a cool head, and the right weather forecast it’s not that much of a concern.
Once outside the world is your oyster, with closer reefs like Halls Reef, Jew Sholes and Sunshine Reef are readily accessible to smaller craft. While larger craft have the choice of those reefs and the option for areas like Chardon’s Reef, North Reef and of course the Barwon Banks. With all these area you have such great options, you can bottom bounce for some very tasty reef dwellers, floating baits for fish that tend to swim mid water or troll lures for those speedy surface feeders.
With the change of season we also see a change in the way we fish, with the winter period the time for chasing those great reef species like snapper, pearl perch, and sweetlip, while the warmer months see us looking for spanish and spotted mackerel, tuna and some great billfish.
We also have the wonderful beaches and headlands, with Noosa’s North Shore a short ferry trip away, you can take your four wheel drive on the beach and enjoy a day’s fishing with the family.
Maybe you would like to camp for a couple of day in the camping grounds that are right on the beach.
Fishing early morning and late afternoon always bring the best results on the beach, with big tailor, whiting and bream in the winter, and whiting, flathead and dart in the summer as well as big jewfish all year round.
A beach fish is a great way for a land based angler to get a feed.
Whether you are in the boat, on the beach or simply having a quiet fish off the bank, Noosa has it all.
On behalf of Jack Mangrove, we hope the New Year bring you good luck on your next fishing adventures!
