Noosa River goes through quieter phase

August 15, 2019

With the winds picking up slightly we saw only the larger boats or experienced skippers crossing the bar and fishing the local reefs. The swell was very close together as wind swell combined with a fading ground swell and run out tides so slow and steady was the best approach. Toward the end of the week we had westerly winds and super clean waves.

North reef was popular for the charters and they came home with a mixed bag of cobia, snapper, pearlies, lipper and some sizable jewfish. Mixed baits dropped down on paternoster rigs proving the popular choice with squid, mullet and pilchard baits the popular choice. Live bait works very well here when dropped down on a snelled rig so be sure to stop off, drop a sabiki jig and load up on livies before going wide.

In closer sunshine reef has smaller squire sized snapper, lipper, sizable coral trout, pearl perch and a few longtail tuna still swimming around. This is a great place to drop a pilchard floater as the bigger snapper, cobia and tuna are happy to swim about mid water. Be sure to use a long length of 30-40lb mono leader if running braid so you have a better presentation. Anyone who has a baitrunner style of reel would do well to use it here as these reels are perfect for floating baits in a burley trail. With burley in mind be sure to start a steady trail when on anchor. We have had the new moon so currents and tides will become less making this week the perfect time to mash up some pellets, oil, old fish frames and a few handfuls of sand to help bind it all together. Alternatively try using a small burley pot and freezing your mix to make it last longer. We have seen some monster squid caught around Arkwright and they will follow a burley trail so it pays to have a squid lure on board for the chance at some fresh calamari.

Surf fishing was also quieter in the lead up to the new moon as the weather picked up too, but some good jewies have been landed around the mouth of the Maroochy and Noosa rivers. A few anglers have reported higher numbers of tailor along the North Shore in the chopper sized category. These fish are taking whole and cut pilchard baits and squid on strip bait rigs which have a length of wire attached to prevent the inevitable bite off. During the daytime bream, whiting, dart and flathead are around with a few big flathead landed and released as we approach their breeding season. Its always a great thing to do your bit to help preserve fish stocks so don’t forget to take a snap and send it in for fish of the week.

The Noosa River is going through a quieter phase but the trevally are on the move throughout the lower reaches. The waters are crystal clear so baits and lures have to be presented in the best possible way and on the lightest possible lines. Anglers using 4lb will excel during these conditions and this makes a great time to put your skills to practice when fishing this light. The MMD splash prawns are working well for whiting and big eye trevally. Lower down in the water column small micro jigs work well for getting the bite when the fish are sitting on the bottom. The blue blue jigs and major craft jig parra prove to be the most consistent producers. Don’t forget if you are missing out on fish hitting your lures try the small Ecogear assist hooks running off the back of your lure instead of the stock treble hook. The helps greatly when the fish are just missing the hook up. If headed up river the ski run is worth sounding around as trevally and jewies are often found schooling up here. Live baits work well as do soft vibes and 4 inch paddle tail soft plastics. Adding scent really helps too as does tying a loop knot to help free up the lures action. Be sure to find out or ask how you tie one as picky fish will spot a poorly presented lure. Further upstream the mouth of Cooroibah and the channel that is the start of the stretch known simply as between the lakes holds good flathead this time of year. The sand flats on either side can also hold good whiting too so flick small surface lures onto the flats and work them off into deeper water.

Freshwater continues to be consistent with fish schooled up in the deeper warmer waters. It is always worth having a sound around these deeper areas in both Mackers and Borumba as well as around the spillway float lines. Their natural response to want to get downstream and breed is only halted by these walls and schools can be of epic sizes. Check out Lake MacDonald and 3-ways as well as botanical gardens for 2 great areas. Borumba is a little harder to fish due to its size but bass can even be caught at the boat ramp so before you try and head up into the arms be sure to nose around the smaller inlets closer to home. Surface lures are still getting hit in the afternoon and soft plastics with a creature look also work like the Berkley gulp pulse worms. The smaller micro jigs previously mentioned also work great as do the hot bite spoons. www.fishingnoosa.com.au