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Trevally take some topping
  |  First Published: June 2013



Winter has arrived, but don’t let that be an excuse to hang up your fishing gear. There are some cracking fishing sessions happening at the moment!

In the Noosa River, Woods Bay continues to be a Mecca for hoards of different trevally species; they love nothing more than the cool, still mornings that winter provides.

While trevally feed right throughout the day, the low light periods are definitely favoured by these impressive fish as the bait fish they feed on struggle to adjust to the changing light, which leaves them vulnerable to attack! To really get the best out of an early morning session, try coupling a low light period of the day with a tide change, such as when high turns to low.

It’s unclear why tide changes affect the fishing so much, a switched-on angler will take advantage of it by focusing their efforts around bait schools and other likely trevally haunts.

When it comes to selecting a lure to chase trevally, try to keep in mind what they are likely to be feeding on. For example, if you’re fishing a large expanse of sand with not a lot of structure, chances are a prawn profile soft plastic will do the trick; whereas, heavy structure that provide cover for baitfish lend themselves to a jerk shad presentation.

Trevally are aggressive feeder and love nothing more than a fast, erratic retrieve. One great way to help cover more ground is to select heavier jigheads as this aids in casting distance and the heavier head allows you to work your soft plastic faster. Some popular styles of soft plastics include Gladiator Prawns, Atomic Prongs, Izumi Gastronomics, Powerbait, Power Minnows and Fish Arrow Flash J Shads.

Elsewhere in the river, big bream have started to move in and it’s great fun chasing them with lures! Fishing the deeper holes, such as in front of the coast guard boats, the stretch of water just before the Munna Point Caravan Park and behind Noosa Sound, has been producing the goods. By fishing these places on a run-out tide, with a small metal blade, you’re giving yourself the best chance to tangle with some big bream!

Further upstream, school mulloway have been in big numbers just near the mouth of the first lake and, once again, by fishing the change of tide with a low light period you should see some excellent results. Fishing this part of the river isn’t easy as the bottom is very snaggy, so it pays to use a snagless presentation, such as a TT Snakehead. This will greatly lower your snag rate while still allowing your lure to swim properly.

For the offshore brigade, the close-in reefs have been the pick of the destinations, with places like Sunshine Reef, Jew Shoal and Halls Reef all being good fish producers. These reefs are all in easy reach for the smaller offshore boats and on a calm day they make for excellent kayak fishing.

As this is generally a busy time of the year, fishing smarter, not harder will improve your catch rate. Focus your efforts around the tide change. When you do find fish and they aren’t hungry, come back when there is a tide change and you will be surprised how the fish react!

Another way to get fish to bite is with the aid of berley. Berley cages with lead weights are readily available at most tackle stores and make getting the berley to the fish a breeze. When using berley, don’t overdo it as it attracts too much activity to your spot, such as sharks and other non-desirables.

Another location that has been fishing very well lately is the rocks off Noosa’s National Park. Off the rocks, snapper, sweetlip and a range of pelagics are easily accessible for those willing to walk the distance.

When you do arrive at the rocks, be sure to watch the waves for a few minutes before selecting your fishing spot, as rock fishing is the world’s most dangerous sport for a reason!

Another great way to stay safe on the rocks is to bring a friend with you to help keep watch on the waves.

Noosa River to Reef

Apart from the great fishing, winter also offers one of South East Queensland’s biggest fishing competitions – The Noosa River to Reef Family Fishing Classic. The event is held on 31 May to the 2 June and attracts a lot of attention with great prizes, such as boat, motor and trailer packages, fishing kayaks and thousands of dollars worth of fishing gear, accommodation and so much more.

For your best chance at winning this comp, try to get here a few days earlier so you can explore a little before the comp and, of course, drop by Davo’s Compleat Angler in Noosaville for local advice, baits and other equipment.

For all the latest fishing and bar reports, visit www.fishingnoosa.com.au . Tight lines and bent spines from the team here at Davo’s!

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