By Jack Mangrove
The recent rains over the past week will certainly get those muddies moving, set your pot in the deeper sections of the water where there will be more saline water.
The fresh water will also have an affect on the bait fish in the river and if we get some decent rain, there will be a real movement of bait towards the mouth of the river.
Areas like Woods Bay and the river mouth will really start to fire with predatory fish feeding on the confused bait.
Trevally have been in good numbers in the river with a couple of good diamond trevally taken first thing in the morning on poppers. The rivermouth rocks have been fishing well with some quality fish taken including bream, trevally, small jew, tailor and mangrove jacks, fishing the tides has been the key and the evening tide has been perfect if you can cope with the wind.
Flathead have also been in great numbers in the river over the last week with some great fish taken on soft plastics, brighter colours seem to be working the best, cast upstream on the run-out tide and work the plastic along the bottom over the edges of small drop off and you are sure to tangle with a flattie.
Whiting continue to be taken around the frying pan, the dog beach, Weyba Creek and along Gympie Terrace. Worms and yabbies are still the prime baits.
For the mums and dads that are constantly baiting hooks, try using thin strips of squid, this is a great bait for the kids as it will stay on a little longer.
On the Offshore scene, things were a little average with the wind being up for most of last weekend.
It seemd that we are getting those annoying breezes around the 15 knot range that keeps a lot of smaller boats on the trailer.
For those that did brave the conditions, Laguna Bay was alive with baitfish on the incoming tide and some nice-sized long tail tuna were boated.
Charter operators managed to get out on Saturday and got onto some great fish around Sunshine Reef, tusk fish, pearl perch and sweetlip all hit the decks and then they were lucky enough to come across a big patch of large Maori cod.
If the weather calms down as expected it will be on again with the hunt for those big pelagics that haunt the coastline at this time of the year.
Over the last couple of years, there has been some monster spanish landed in March, and this year should not be any different.
On the beach, dart and whiting are the mainstays for most beach anglers, the odd large tailor has been taken from the Noosa North Shore, fishing the rocks at Noosa National Park and down towards Sunshine and Coolum has seen some good snapper taken.
Big morning tides and an abundance of bait fish has also seen anglers tangling with some jelly bean Mack tuna.
Down on the southern beaches, whiting have been in good numbers on the start of the run out tide, give Marcus and Peregian Beaches a go.
So on behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures!
