Southern
OLD
Spring snapper surge NOOSA
Peter Wells
With the lead up to the full moon we will see plenty of snapper come on the chew, with reefs like North, Double Island and Sunshine reefs all reporting good fish. Also on offer are a good mix of other reef species including pearlies, jewfish, sweetlip, cobia and tuskies. Using a bait jig to get some fresh slimy mackerel or yakkas has proved to be worthwhile, as live baits seem to be getting inhaled
have also been working well, and this is a great way to get among the bigger fish without your bait being picked to pieces. Dropped to the bottom and ripped up at speed or allowed to fall slowly, These jigs have turned up some monster fish. To the south, snapper number still seem to be strong, with better than average-sized fish coming from the Gneerings, Murphys and Coolum reefs. Plenty of anglers picked up fish over the 70cm mark and then had to release even larger fish. The key to catching good fish is using larger baits, like
Andy Macdonald landed this 73cm flathead in the Maroochy River. as soon as they get to the bottom. Large strip baits have also been popular, with fresh mullet and hussar working well. When fishing bait, a consistent stream of berley will really help the cause. Those with larger craft have done the run to the outer reefs like the Hards and the Barwon Banks where there is plenty on offer, with some big amberjack, snapper, pearl perch, cobia and cod climbing on any live bait close to the reefs. Slow fall and knife jigs
big strip baits of mullet, bonito, pilchards and whole squid. Using bigger baits has meant that there are still baits for when the bigger fish come along after the pickers have had a feed. Another tip is to use plastics on a paternoster rig with a bait on one hook and a plastic on the other. Cobia numbers have also been good, and they just seem to be getting bigger. Plenty of angler have been shocked by the size of some of these fish.
Sweetlip are also in good numbers with the warming waters. The well-known grounds just off Mooloolaba have been producing some good fish. BEACH FISHING On the Beaches, good schools of tailor are really starting to show up in numbers, and using gang hooks with fresh mullet strips, bonito fillet and whole pilchard baits has been best. Fishing along the Noosa North Shore has been very popular, with the Double Island end seeing some bigger fish on the morning and afternoon tides. Jewfish are also about and love a feed of tailor, so if you get a legal chopper, take the sides off it and send it out the back! There is still a strong presence of whiting in most of the close gutters, so make sure you call into the shops and check out the range of Whiting Whacker rigs from Black Magic. These rigs are dynamite on the whiting, and when loaded with worms or squid tentacles they work a treat. Dart are there in numbers, with the top of the tide the most productive time. Pipis, yabbies and worms have been the better baits on bait keeper style hook. These hooks give the bait longevity while it’s being washed around in the surf. Most of the closer gutter will hold fish and are an easy cast for the kids. NOOSA RIVER In the Noosa River we have seen a solid run of flathead from Makepeace Island all the way down to the river mouth. These have been caught on a wide range of baits, from livies to frogmouth pilchards, and of course soft plastics. This area has also been good for trevally. Fish in the
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Maria Rothenborg got this nice 74cm snapper fishing around North Reef. Photo courtesy of Fishing Noosa. mid-50s are not unusual, so it’s important to upsize your leaders when the trevally are around, as they can get through some gear if the leader is too light. The bigger fish are falling to a range of trolled hardbodies, surface lures and fresh strip baits fished on small gang hooks. Surface lures to use include the popular Lucky Craft G-Splash and the Bassday Sugapens. Beach worms have been accounting for quality bream and whiting in the lower estuary when rigged with lighter leaders and worm hooks. Fishing areas like the dog beach, Frying Pan and Woods Bays has produced great results. Upstream and around structure there have been good reports of mangrove jacks. The jacks have been very active, with anglers having positive results on both lures and bait. The best results have been seen after dark, with jacks up to 55cm taking live baits and bigger lures. Fishing areas like Noosa Waters, the back of the sound, and around the bridges has accounted for most of the action. These fish are quick, extremely aggressive and require heavier gear if you want to stop them. Running quality fluorocarbon leader around 25lb with 20lb braid certainly helps in landing these beautiful fish. With plenty of showers moving through we must talk about the crabs. Mud crabs will be up and walking, looking for deeper holes with
Joe Tomic hooked and released this stunning billfish offshore from Noosa. more saline water in them. Try to position your pots in those deeper holes near mangroves if possible. Don’t forget to mark your pots with an ID tag and yhave our float no smaller than 150mm in diameter. Another good tip is to have a proper crab measurer for both mud and sand crabs. • Don’t forget to check in to www.fishingnoosa.com. au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings. The knowledgeable teams
at Tackle World Noosa and Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success! • For all the latest information log onto www. fishingnoosa.com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports. Drop into Davo’s Tackle world Noosa or Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola to find out where the fish are biting, and remember tight lines and bent spines!
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30
OCTOBER 2022
Ben Wlasak picked up this nice tuna from the rocks from the Noosa National Park.
