Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
It’s on!
As anglers, this is the type of weather we all get excited about, and for it to fall on the weekend is an added bonus. With light wind and clean swell, there was no reason to not get out there – unless you owned a small boat or are inexperienced at crossing the bar. The swell on the bar ramped up on Friday and stayed with us for the weekend, but with patience and power, it was navigable. This was also the first weekend that snapper and pearl perch were back on the menu, following their annual break. Great fishing
North Reef, Chardons and Sunshine were all on the travel list due to variable wind. With the tides smack bang in the middle of the neap phase, the turn in the tide was bite time. It came as no surprise to see some solid fish getting caught on bait and lures. Bait anglers loaded up with squid and pilchard, and with pilchard floaters drifting downward, it was a case of wait for the reel to start screaming! This method of fishing is so productive for the big mid-water fish, with cobia, mackerel, tuna and of course snapper likely to pick up your bait. Most anglers are thinking mackerel have gone north, however reports of school mackerel are plentiful, so be sure you take some Superflex Single Strand Wire with you. For best results, aim to keep your leaders to no more than 30lb. Shogun Ice Clear is the perfect colour while the water out wide is clear. Combine this with a Shimano Baitrunner reel and I guarantee you’ll soon be addicted to the sound when it goes off.
Lure anglers will find best results with slow fall jigs that have some flutter and flash. The Storm Gomoku Koika is a consistent performer around the 60-80g sizes in the 40m range. They often get picked up by snapper, cobia, jewfish, tuskfish and pearl perch. If jigging is not your thing, then super-light weighted curl tail plastics allowed to drift in the current – like a pilchard floater – will get smashed. Check out Chasebaits Love Bug – these are a hybrid plastic with a lot of movement.
Surf fishing has seen an improvement for tailor anglers. Fishing after dark with gang hooked pilchard has seen some quality fish around the 60cm mark landed. Fishing around dark on an incoming tide has been working well and next week’s tides look perfect for this. Try around the middle groyne and the mouth. Don’t forget to pick up some bait thread. Wind some of this around your bait and see how hard you can cast without losing your bait.
River fishing is starting to show signs of a good flathead season ahead. There have been lots of smaller fish getting caught in the lower estuary on livies and lures. With the shift in the main channel, the fish will be moving with it and schooling over the newly created sand banks. Here you can drift whitebait or run a smaller paddle tail soft plastic and slow roll it along the bottom. Take a look at Slim SwimZ and Keitech Easy Shiners for two great profiles.
Upriver, small jewfish are showing up and taking the previously mentioned soft plastics. These fish are great fun on 10lb gear and though undersized, they still put up a good fight, though must be returned quickly. You can also find good flathead around the lake and the run across to the between the lakes stretch. With the weather starting to warm up, you will notice a few mangrove jack will start to show up, which is always welcomed as these are the top predatory fish in the river.
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 Tackle World Noosa, Noosa Boating and Outdoors and 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!
