Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
OFFSHORE has been the first to see positive results of cooler water temperatures, with pan size Sunshine Coast snapper appearing in good numbers and most fishos bagging out.
Most fishing on the Sunshine Coast will benefit from the cooler water, with the last of the pelagics starting to disappear.
Offshore has been the first to see positive results, with pan size Sunshine Coast snapper appearing in good numbers and most fishos bagging out. The popular areas have been the bottom end of the Barwon Banks, Murphys Reef, Mooloolaba 9 Mile and Sunshine Reef.
The best method is slowly floating baits to the bottom using three 5/0 Tru-Turn gangs with either a pilchard or whole squid for bait. If you find the current a little strong, place a small ball sinker above the gang hooks to ensure the bait reaches the bottom.
Berley is a must when snapper fishing. Try using cubed leftover baits such as pillies, or you can buy bags of pellet berley such as the Big John’s 2kg mix. Lately I’ve had luck by dropping 30-60g micro jigs down the berley trail, with my favourite being the Palms Slow Blatt Oval jig.
The last of the mackerel have been taken off Double Island Point, with the spanish loving slow-trolled lures. One of the best lures this season has been the Spaniard Special, which continues to produce when trolled slowly. If it’s big jew you love to catch, Chardons Reef off Noosa is the spot, with average fish of about 15kg being caught on live yakkas.
Another great thing about May is it’s my favourite mud crabbing month, and this year is shaping up better than last in both the Noosa and Maroochy rivers. We saw good run-off in March, so make sure your pots are heavily baited for good catches.
Another tip is to soak your mullet in tuna oil overnight before going crabbing, which will improve the scent trail, therefore greatly improving your catch. Tailor have started to fire in the lower stretches of the Noosa River, with most fish taking surface lures such as Fish Candy Skinny Dogs and Bassday Sugapens.
The larger tailor are loving live baits fished after dark on a run-in tide. Trevally are in good numbers, with golden, giant and tea-leaf varieties all biting in the lower-light periods. The hot spots have been Woods Bay, Munna Point and the back of Noosa Sound.
Lucky Craft G-Splash surface lures will do the job because they are premium hard plastic surface lures designed to take this punishment. The stretch between Lake Cootharaba and Tewantin is producing school jew, and fishing the deeper sections with live bait will land you a jew or two.
If you love a good feed of prawns, dig out the net because solid numbers of banana prawns can still be found throughout the system. The mighty Maroochy River has seen the quality of bream on the increase, with the bigger fish taken after dark.
The secret to landing good bream in this river is to use berley. Both Davo’s shops carry a great range of berley and one will suit your fishing. Best baits have been mullet fillets, live yabbies, small pillies and gut. Just remember that when using berley, only use enough to keep the fish interested and not feed them.
Upriver from the motorway bridge to Bli Bli we’ve seen school jew and trevally hooked on soft plastics. Popular models include the Z-Man 4” SwimmerZ and Keitech 4” Easy Shiner. Most jew are coming from the deeper holes and drop-offs so take the time to have a good sound around when chasing these beauties.
On the beaches, the stretch from Pincushion to Marcoola is producing a few chopper tailor. The higher-water gutters first thing in the morning are generating the better fish. The best baits have been smaller pillies rigged on three 4/0 hooks with a fluorocarbon leader.
If the sweep is a little strong, try using a surf-style sinker that slows the drift of the bait and reduces line twist. Grass sweetlip and squire have been taken on the rocks at Yaroomba. A mullet strip bait rig is preferred when chasing these fish.
This rig is made from two Tru-Turn hooks in sizes 5/0 and 3/0 and joined by a swivel. Teewah Beach is dart central, with good catches on the run-out tide. The trick is to fish those lower-water gutters while using pipis for bait on a long bait-holder hook.
This will secure the bait while giving it longevity. The northern beach entrance has its usual start of season high-water gutter that always produces tailor in May, with first light and after dark the better times. The influx of fresh water has had bass schooling in the main basin of Lake Macdonald where most fish are falling for Kokoda G-Vibes slowly lifted off the bottom.
Borumba Dam bass have been striking 3” Keitech soft plastics rigged on TT DemonZ jig heads when fished close to timber structure. For all the latest information, jump onto fishingnoosa.com.au For up-to-date bar and fishing reports, don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World Noosa or Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola.
Tight lines and bent spines!
