Near perfect conditions inside Noosa bay

Well what a turn out for the winter time weather. The westerly offshore winds gave way to a blustery southerly change and the swell has remained very low to almost non existent on the Noosa bar. Anyone who had a boat sure made the most of the near perfect conditions inside the local bay. With the Noosa headlands blocking the winds the inshore shallow water reefs were certainly worth a look.

As usual the charters have made the most of pre full moon conditions taking punters out to North Reef and beyond. With baits dropped bigger snapper, sweetlip, cobia, scarlet sea perch, pearl perch and tusk fish were on the catch list. The winds made conditions a little bumpy, but consistent fishing was experienced by all. As usual fresh slab baits, pilchard, squid and mullet were the baits of choice. With the building currents be sure to add a little extra weight to your pilchard floater so it sinks downward. Having bait wrap will also keep the bait more compact so it falls and presents better too.

In closer Sunshine reef, Castaways and Halls were the popular spots for people enjoying the mid week change in wind direction. These grounds are great for dropping livebaits as we still have some fat coral trout around and even mackerel! Yes the warmer waters are keeping some huge Spanish mackerel in the local area so be sure to be geared up with single strand wire and gang hooks as these are the big ones.

There have also been a few longtail tuna landed so having a PE3 casting rod ready to go will provide you with a chance. This time of the year the fish may not be busting up but looking for bait fish driven to surface is a great sign and casting a heavier weighted soft plastic beyond these schools and burned through can trigger a bite from a bigger fish.

Surf fishing is remaining consistent with anglers using lighter combo’s the most popular. Daytime fishing has seen a mixed bag of bream, dart, whiting, flathead and trevally on a simple running sinker rig. The key to success is to move around and fish multiple gutters until you are happy with the bite.

Taking some fresh mullet can really help get beyond the smaller fish that tend to pick softer baits quickly off the hook. Evening fishing has produced the occasional jewfish and tailor so using fresh bait or livebaits are best when targeting these two species.

The Noosa River has been very calm with Woods Bay, toward the Marina a great option for landbased anglers. With protection from south easterly winds, there is nothing nicer than breaking out the 6lb gear and enjoying the warm daytime’s while having a fish for the winter bream, whiting and flathead.

Best baits for these fish range from whole fish baits like frogmouth pilchards and hardy heads down to the humble beach worm. If you do not know how to snell a hook be sure to ask us how as this is a great way to use two hooks and keep bait presentation excellent.

If you are after jewfish and trevally then the ski run is a popular spot to find these fish. Both fish tend to move around a lot so sounding along rock walls and any rock bars will certainly help find them. Using 3-4 inch sized soft plastics with curl and paddle tails the best option.

Take a good look at the extensive range of Entice soft plastics which are super tough and have a lot of action. To increase your chances of catching a fish be sure to break out some pro cure super gel scent. This sticks to plastics and lures and really helps when the bite is tough.

Freshwater is still fishing well across the dams and lakes. The bigger Borumba is holding big schools of winter time bass that are mainly feeding once the daytime sun has warmed things up a little. There are still big saratoga on the bite and are hitting smaller baits and suspending lures so it pays to downsize and slow presentations down in the winter months.

Lake MacDonald is holding mainly bass in the usual areas of the bubble trail, 5-ways and around the botanical gardens. The beauty of both areas is that you can usually find an arm that is protected from the winds giving you a quieter approach.

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. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and remember Tight Lines and Bent Spines!