Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Noosa – Cool times
I think it comes as a shock that the current temperature is quite cold for this time of year. If we think back to this time last year, I certainly remember feeling hot, particularly at night. This has had an effect on angling, as have the strong wind and swell.
The good news is that when the wind drops, the offshore scene should be on fire. A few larger boats crossed the Noosa bar during the week and on Saturday to report our summer species are becoming more frequent. Though choppy, Sunshine Reef is holding coral trout, cobia, yellowtail kingfish, snapper, pearl perch, venus tuskfish, grass sweetlip and moses perch.
Mackerel are showing up in small numbers with bite offs frequent. Before these fish arrive over the next month, now is a great time to get your gang hooks or start making them, with Mustad Tarpons the best for this purpose. Also come and grab some single strand wire and micro swivels. We can show you how to tie the haywire twist to finish it all off. These fish will take bait – live bait as well as soft plastics and jigs. Yellowtail kingfish love a high-speed jig and will fight all the way to the boat. They even go nuts inside the boat, so have a damp towel to cover their eyes, which calms them down straight away, much like cobia.
From the surf, whiting are starting to show up in the inshore gutters. These fish are loving worms and peeled prawns on smaller running sinker rigs with size 6 long shank hooks. From the rocks you may find that small mackerel are showing up but most likely you’ll find trevally and possibly a lone tailor or two. These fish love a metal lure cast out and wound back at speed. Check out the many options from Halco, TT Fishing and JM Gillies.
Estuary fishing has seen a good run of flathead, which have been hitting Keitech 3” Easy Shiners and also the new Pro Lure Clone Prawn. Fish these bigger prawns on heavier 1/4oz jig heads so they stay harder on the bottom and don’t get washed away.
Mangrove jacks are certainly appearing more often and this run of hotter weather has them on the move. Using similar size plastics as you do for flathead will work well, as will larger profile lures around 80-95mm in size. Make sure you increase your leader to 20lb plus when targeting jacks, especially at night.
You will find night fishing can be the better time because it is quieter and you can run heavier lines in the cover of darkness. If you need to learn the FG knot, make sure you ask us how, as this is the best knot when casting for extra large fish.
There have been a few mud crabs showing up around the mangrove edges in the upper Noosa River system beyond Cooroibah. Be sure you lay a few pots and leave them through a tide change for success. Come in and pick up a bag of crab bait that’s sure to get you into the action.
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!
