Noosa

Hoping for good winter conditions offshore

We are hoping for those perfect June conditions as we move into winter. Cooler conditions mean cooler water temperatures bringing on those wonderful winter species at this time of the year.

The reefs off Double Island have been really firing with plenty of species from the deeper reefs. Big snapper, pearl perch, cobia, red emperor, mulloway, cod, and some solid cobia were all boated. Those that are still looking for mackerel should not be disappointed with some good Spanish and tuna on offer. Unfortunately, the sharks continue to be a problem with a lot of angler loosing quality fish to the taxman in the grey suite. Anglers that love to jig have had some real success here with both slow fall and knife jigs both working well. We do get a bit of run in this area so having a good mix if weights and sizes in accentual.

Out of Noosa North reef has been popular with snapper anglers, this reef is a great place to set up a good berley trail. Having a berley pot hanging off the anchor rope with a frozen berley log and then further enhancing the trail with cut pilchard dropped at regular intervals has been very effective. Fishing a pilchard floater through the trail should see you with some good results.

Sunshine Reef has been worth a look with plenty of juvenile snapper, sweetlip and coral trout on offer. Soft plastics angler have had some great results here with pinks and white jerk shad style lures seeming to be the better performers.

To the south, Murphy’s Reef has shown pearl perch, snapper, sweetlip and Moses perch with pillies and squid the favoured bait. The Outer Gneerings is producing snapper, the odd mackerel and sweetlip with the early morning showing the bigger fish.

Currimundi Reef is certainly fishing better late in the afternoon and into dark with big snapper, sweetlip and jew mackerel taking floating pillies. Make sure when fishing these areas to have a good berley trail. Stimulate berley make a great readymade pellet berley, which is perfectly suited to this area.

The creek and rivers of the Sunshine Coast are alive with activity with plenty of species to choose from. In the Noosa River the flathead catches have been outstanding with plenty of fish taken on that run out tide, concentrate your efforts around those mud and sand banks with the water flowing off them, these fish will sit and feed on the food that is being washed off these banks. Prawn profile soft plastics have to be one of the all-time favourites and the Chasebait Flick Prawn is an outstanding examples that have a great colours perfect for flathead.

Elsewhere in the system the tailor and trevally have been in great form and there have been some quality fish taken, try fast moving slugs or surface lures in the mornings, remember to upsize that leader as those tailor teeth are sharp.

Weyba Creek has been good for the odd winter jack, these fish seem to become more active in the late afternoon on the start of the run-out tide, the warmer waters from the shallows upstream raise the temperatures in the creeks getting the fish feeding. Live baits on poddy mullet or herring are still the number one baits.

Whiting numbers are also improving with some nice sized fish taken of freshly pumped yabbies. Fishing areas like the dog beach down to the river mouth has been very productive.

In the Maroochy, chopper tailor have been in the river mouth and opposite the Jet Ski run with most fish taken on the top of the tide and the start of the run out. Throwing small metal lures like the Halco Twisty around the 15-30g and retrieving at speed has been the best

The very cute Darcy Martin with a solid dart off the beach.

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Kalani Love with a diamond trevally from the Maroochy River.

approach. Good trevally have been around the Sunshine Motorway Traffic Bridge and in the current line outside Nojoor Road boat ramp with brightly coloured soft plastics claiming some nice fish.

Winter is a great time to target big bream, as the water continues to cool the larger fish will head into the river to breed. These fish will school up under bridges, pontoons and jetties. Bream can live quite some time and a fish between 35 and 40cm can be 20yo. These fish are the breading stocks and are crucial for the continuance of the fishery. Please consider taking a photo and returning the fish when you catch one.

In the surf, mulloway continue to dominate during the low light nights over the new moon. Big baits of mullet or tailor were the best baits.

The bigger tides around the new and full moons is a great time to target big dart with some nice fish reported from the gutters on the Noosa North Shore. Baits to use include fresh cut pilchards, mullet and salted slimy mackerel fillet. All of the baits have a great smell and oil content so load up those hooks and you never know.

Reports have been coming in of tailor moving up the coast. The area from Teewah to Double Island and the bottom of Fraser has been where the action has been, school are still fairly small and fish are a large chopper size. • 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!