Lots of snapper along Noosa coast

It certainly looks like we are seeing another wave of bigger snapper right now along the coast. With fish ranging in size from 4-7 KG these older fish are hitting everything from lures to lives and everything else in between. For the soft plastic anglers anything with some movement appears to be getting crunched with the new Powerbait nemesis certainly working well.

Another style of lure also working are soft vibes with the new Berkley Shimma Fork set to claim some good fish. These come rigged with Owner 3x strong treble hooks and the whitebait colour my pick for the big ones. Pilchard floaters are also working very well on 4/0-5/0 hooks during lighter current runs and or course live baits sent down and fished hard on the bottom too.

Elsewhere on the reefs pearlies, sweetlip, tusk fish, longtail, school mackerel and cobia are on the loose. These fish can be found far and wide so pick a reef, be it local or out wide and get out there while the light swell and moderate winds prevail. If you are in a smaller boat stay inside the bay areas and work around Halls reef heading north toward Teewah.

For those not heading offshore then the Noosa River is certainly coming alive. The continued run of bigger flathead continues and common catches are in the 60cm plus size range. These fish appear to be taking a range of flesh, dead and live baits as well as soft plastics and hardbodies.

As mentioned before the Powerbait nemesis is a personal favourite for these fish in the smaller size range. Use 1/8^th-1/4oz jigheads depending on current and water depth. Another great option are soft vibes as these require little skill to get them to work. To target one find sandy drop offs especially around areas of sand flats. The sand bags along the Noosa dog beach is a classic example.

We are also seeing a run of small soapy sized or undersized jewfish which is great for the local population. These fish are currently moving around a lot and can be caught throughout the entire system. They do love a soft plastic as well as bait so take your pick. It really pays to strike any bites from a jewie as they have hard mouths and will take off leaving the hook to simply fall out. Remember the legal size limit is 75cm and be sure to limit the time these fish spend out of the water as they do not do so well out of it. There are also some chunky GT and queenfish in the system too and these fish love a fast paced surface lure or diving lure so set drags to allow these fish to run.

Whiting are also becoming more frequent with good catches on lures and baits. On bait be sure to use beach worm topped off with some red whiting tube and a red bead to make it stand out. If running lures then 6lb leader and small surface or shallow running hardbodies work well. The Zerek one meter dive depth Tango Shad is a great example and easy to use. These fish can be found around the sand flats of the dog beach, frying pan and along Gympie Terrace. You can also find these in good numbers all along the beaches in the various gutters formed from the last swell.

Also on the beaches are smaller bream, dart and flathead which can be located around the Noosa and Maroochy river mouths. The evening fishing is a little quieter, but the chance of landing a big jewfish is always there during the new moon phase. Be sure to use the sharpest of hooks and use the very best gear as these big fish certainly know how to test it.

Fresh baits are a must and the presentation has to be spot on. They can be very fussy and will mouth a bait for what feels like a lifetime before fully taking it. During this time if they detect anything out of the ordinary they will drop the bait and turn away.

Lastly the local dams are seeing a rise in water temps due to no significant rainfall. The fish are a little harder to locate so turn sounders on and pay close attention. Be sure to have side scan units running and zoom in as smaller screens can be hard to read if scanning beyond 10 meters or more.

A great time to hit the Noosa Everglades is from Sunday as the wild bass closure is over. The fish could be found lower down in the more brackish water following their breeding so surface lures and grub style soft plastics should be used here. The lucky craft Sammy 65 is a great lure especially if in a kayak and if you want to fish surface as it can be skipped under trees.

Now for all the  latest information log onto www.fishingnoosa.com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports, don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World, Davo’s Boating and Outdoors in Noosa and  Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola for all the right equipment, bait and advice to get you catching.

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