Offshore fishing out of Gympie red hot

The reefs off Double Island had some nice reef fish come the surface.

With some fantastic weather last weekend plenty of anglers took advantage of the 50km rules and headed for the boat ramps.

OFFSHORE

THE winds dropped but there was a bit of residual swell. Bigger boats had no problems crossing the bars, with smaller boats having to pick their moments to get across.

With the big tides the run was a bit of a problem, with anglers having to use a fair bit of weight to get to the bottom.

GOTCHA – Joel Hautala's photos and stories of his and his mate Bruce's (pictured) adventures in Laguna Bay won the $100 Davo's Tackle World/ChaseBaits Australia Fish of the Week prize. Photo: www.fishingnoosa.com.au

The reefs off Double Island had some nice reef fish come the surface including snapper, sweetlip, pearl perch, cod, and red emperor.

Live baits were the best bet but for those that could not get any, frozen slimy mackerel, pilchards and squid did the job.

Fishing Jigs have also been working exceptionally well. Slow fall jigs have been a little tough to get to the bottom with the run so you are better off going for a knife jig.

A couple to try are the Pebble sticks from Shimano and the Streaker jigs from Nomad.

Out of Noosa the fishing has been very good with plenty of mackerel still being reported. You do not have to travel far with fish in the bay, Jew Shoal and Sunshine Reef.

GOTCHA – Dave Leonard and his mate Nick Jones (pictured) caught and released a few nice sailfish on a recent trip out wide off Noosa. Photo: www.fishingnoosa.com.au

Bigger baits slow trolled with squid skirts have been working well.

Try using bigger gar, mullet and even bonito and with plenty of bigger mackerel around at the moment this method seems to be working.

Hervey Bay has also been firing with plenty of tuna on offer.

These fish are great fun to chase on light gear and fast- moving lures. Look for the bird activity to find the schools of bait fish and you will find tuna.

Smaller slugs and stick baits cast to the edges of the schools and retrieved at speed should have you hooking up.

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Beaches

THERE are still plenty of dart on offer for the kids to catch, most of the closer gutters are holding fish with the high tide seeming to be the better time.

Running ball sinker rig with either worm, prawn or pipis has been the best set-up.

Jew numbers have also been good with plenty of smaller soapies taken. This goes against everything we were taught as it is normally the new moon when we see these fish. I think the bigger tides and the abundance of bait is the real key though.

Fresh mullet has been the number one bait.

GOTCHA – Dave Leonard and his mate Nick Jones (pictured) caught and released a few nice sailfish on a recent trip out wide off Noosa. Photo: www.fishingnoosa.com.au

Bream are also on the chew with some bigger fish over 30cm reported.

Mullet gut, fowl gut and white bait have been getting the thumpers.

Fishing the edges of the rips has also been key.

In the rivers and creeks the bream are starting to turn up in numbers. This will only get better as the waters cool and these fish get ready to spawn.

Fishing light is the key when chasing bream with little or no weight the best approach.

Smaller jew have also been taken around Kauri Creek and the Mary River.

Vibe-style lures are ideal with the larger paddle-tail style seeming to be the most productive. Try the Samaki Thumper Tails or the Berkley Shimma Shads. both of these have a great action perfect for the jew.

Winter whiting are also starting to show up.

GOTCHA – Paul Smith caught this 48cm mangrove jack in Noosa Sound. It went for a whole whitebait. Photo: www.fishingnoosa.com.au

I find the best approach is to drift over the banks with a light set-up using worms or yabbies.

Schools will get bigger over the coming months so a good feed should be on offer.

Some of the best ground I have found has be the mouth of Alligator Creek.

Flathead numbers continue to be very good with plenty of bigger fish. If you do catch a big one, remember these fish have an upper size limit of 75cm.

I will mainly keep fish between 50 and 60 cm retuning anything larger as these are good breeding stocks.

Flathead are one of the easiest fish to catch on a lure with soft plastics being ideal.

Brighter colours seem to work best with small fish and prawn profiles the way to go.

Up-to-date reports at fishingnoosa.com.au. Drop into Davo’s Tackle World and Davo’s Boating and Outdoor in Noosa, and Davo’s North Shore Bait and Tackle at Marcoola.

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