Lots of options offshore

NOOSA

Peter Wells

In the river mouths around the Sunshine Coast there have been some great sessions on trevally, with the low light periods fishing the best on the high tide. Surface lures like the G-Splash from Lucky Craft working the best, with plenty of fish around the Tewantin boat ramp area in the Noosa. In the Maroochy, the flats opposite Oyster Bank Road have been very popular.

On the beaches, Noosa’s North Shore has seen some nice jewfish taken late at night with large baits of mullet, squid, tailor and worms. The drone fishing method has

North Shore have been worth the effort at night. Fishing the deep hole just north of Pincushion Island has seen some bigger jewfish, large tailor and even queenfish and larger giant trevally.

Freshwater

The rivers and dams have also allowed us our fishing fix. The Mary has again been a great place a trip

River to wet a line and those in kayaks have been having a field day. Bass numbers have been very strong and the fish have been responding well to surface lures in the morning and evening while spinnerbaits and soft plastics have worked well as the sun gets a bit higher. or the Bassday Sugapens are perfect for when the fish are feeding on the surface. Look for those early morning or late afternoon tides for plenty of action.

This is also a great time to target mangrove jack in the river systems, with the upper reaches of the Noosa River really starting to fire up. Look for that rough ground, rock ledges and fallen logs where jacks love to hide. The run-out tide always seems to fish better, as the fish lay in wait for a passing prawn or small bait fish brought down on the tide. Suspending lures like the Bassday Sugadeeps are perfect for the job - try and cast those lures hard up into the structure and have the drag set tight as these red rockets will hit and run, trying to get back to their snag.

Whiting have been in great numbers lately, especially around the larger tides. If you want to try surface lures, having the wind at your back will help with those longer casts. Make sure you work that lure without pausing. If you stop, a lot of the time the fish will spook.

Another good tip is to use trailing hooks like the Ecogear ZX hooks in the small size. The sand banks just inside the Noosa River mouth have been the pick of the spots.

Worms and yabbies have been the prime baits, with peeled prawns also picking up some nice fish.

Another fish we are seeing good numbers of is flathead. Live baits, dead baits, soft plastics and even micro jigs have claimed some great flatties. Fishing the run-out tide seems to be really gained popularity, and seeing as it’s pelagic season, this may be the way to come into contact with a nice mackerel off the beach.

The dart have been in plague proportions. Fishing for dart is a great way to keep the kids entertained, with small pieces of pilchard and prawns being the baits of choice. Parents, don’t assume you’ll have the chance to fish yourself; as soon as a bait hits the water it is usually gobbled up and the kids are back with a fish or asking for more bait.

Whiting is another species that has improved in size and numbers. Good whiting have come from most beaches, but one of the standouts has been just inside Double Island Point. To the south, the Maroochy and

If the kids are just getting into fishing and you just want to see them catch, then earthworms, prawns and red meat have all worked well.

Offshore

Fishing out of Noosa, the Spanish mackerel are about with some larger fish being landed. February/March is the time of the year where we usually see those bigger models come through.

Trolled lures like the Rapala Magnums are perfect for trolling the pressure edges of the reef, these lures can be trolled at speeds up to 12 knot and have a great range of sizes, depths and colours. Remember the fishing windows for Spanish mackerel are limited in the closed season for most of the month.

Close in, Sunshine Reef is really firing with some quality grassy sweetlip, squire and trout taken over the last month. This is usually the first stop for those looking for live baits and while collecting bait anglers will drop one to the bottom quit often coming up with some quality reef species.

Tuna are also on the chew with some schools chopping up bait in Laguna Bay. The new Ultra Gar from Pro Lure has just hit the shelves and look fantastic, these stick baits come in floating and sinking and are a great representation of a gar.

Hopefully weather conditions will continue to improve and those in larger craft can make there way to the outer reefs like the Barwon Banks, the Hards and the reefs off Double Island. These trips are worth the effort and have produced some outstanding fish. Snapper, pearlies, Moses perch, mulloway, gold spot cod, tuskies, nannygai and red emperor have all been accounted for.

The offshore scene out of Mooloolaba has also been good. Mackerel and tuna are in good numbers and if you can get out you should be able to get amongst them without too much trouble.

Trolling around Old Woman Island has seen some success with spotted and school mackerel in good numbers. For those of you working the reefs the cod and sweetlip are in good numbers around Coolum and the Gneerings.

• 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, North Shore Bait and Tackle at Marcoola and our new store, The Tackle Shop in Gympie, can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success.