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Sunny Coast continues to shine
  |  First Published: February 2014



With temperatures reaching the 30ºCs and hot fishing to boot, it’s not hard to see why the Sunshine Coast is one of the best and most popular destinations in Queensland! Currently, we’re experiencing a great run of offshore fishing, with everything from Spanish mackerel to coral trout giving the budding offshore angler plenty of variety.

The warm water and reef edges are perfect for a wide range of pelagic species, such as Spanish and spotted mackerel, various tuna species, cobia, trevally and much more.

On the mackerel scene, there have been stacks of these speedsters cruising around bait schools and reef edges lately, making them an easy target for a bit of light tackle fun! Some of the best locations for the mackerel have been the northern end of Sunshine Reef as well as the ‘Blinker’ located just off Mooloolaba. These fish respond well to a jigged metal slug or jig wound at high speed around bait schools, although if you are after the large trophy fish, large baits slow-trolled on a Davo’s Spanish Special will give you the best chance of catching one of these speedsters!

Mixed in with the mackerel have been some big schools of mac tuna, long tails and even some nice yellowfin tuna, which love nothing more than a high-speed metal of soft plastic. Laguna Bay is a great place to target tuna as schools of small baitfish seek refuge in the clean, sheltered waters this area has to offer,

On the reef scene, coral trout are in great numbers around most of the major reef systems with Sunshine Reef (off Noosa) and Murphys Reef (off Mooloolaba) being two of the most popular reefs for catching a trout or two. These greedy fish can easily be compared to a mangrove jack and the reefs they live in will really push your tackle to the extreme. One of the most popular methods to targeting trout is to jig a large, heavy weighted soft plastic, such as Z-Man 7" Jerk ShadZ and 8" GrubZ around coral bommies and drop-offs. Another point to remember is to make sure your drag is done up tight, and your leader is up to the task of being run in and out of the reef.

In the Noosa and Maroochy rivers, mangrove jack are a prime target for those who fish with lures and with bait, and their aggressive nature keeps you coming back for more. If you’re planning on fishing the Noosa River, try fishing places like the stretch of water between Lake Cooroibah and Lake Cootharabah. In this stretch fondly known as ‘between the lakes’, you’ll find mangroves, fallen trees, deep undercut banks, rock bars and plenty of other structure that holds fish. Because of all this structure, jacks are drawn here in good numbers and makes for a great place to spend a hot, humid afternoon.

In the Maroochy, jacks are found around the deeper stretches of the Upper Maroochy, such as the waters around Dunethin Rock. The country up that far is very snaggy, with plenty of rock bars and fallen timber making great ambush spots for jacks to hide. Some popular lures for this location include any 4" soft plastic with a decent action rigged weedless and slowly ‘hopped’ around the structure.

Another species of fish in good numbers during this time of the year is whiting. While not a common lure target, the art of catching these speedy shallow water fish on lures is certainly taking off. The waters around the Black Banks in the Maroochy and both the Frying Pan and Weyba Creek in Noosa hold some cracking whiting, and the shallow waters suits perfectly to surface luring. Some popular lures for these areas include the Zip Baits Skinny Pop, Bassday Sugapen and the Berkley Scum Dog, and the ‘walk-the-dog’ action these lures produce just can’t be resisted!

Mud crabs will be on the move with the slightest bit of rain, and it’s well worth putting your pots out before a decent down pour. As far as choosing the right bait for mud crabs, it’s often thought smelly, rotten old baits are the only way to go, but lately there’s been a definite trend to using whole baits such as whole mullet. It’s unsure why this is the case, but it might have something to do with the fact the smaller fish have trouble ripping these whole baits apart, which gives the crabs more time to find them.

Next time you’re visiting Noosa, or you’re a local who wants to know more about fishing, drop by either Davo’s Marcoola or Davo’s Noosa for the best local advice on where, when and how! Another thing worth keeping an eye out for is our website www.fishingnoosa.com.au which is loaded with up-to-date fishing and bar reports with some great photos and tips!

We hope you have a great new year, and that this one is just as fishy, tight lines and bent spines!

Looking for a new member

Davo’s Tackle is searching for a new team member. The full time position is a sales/manager and the successful applicant must be computer savvy, be able to lead a team and be willing to work up to 50 hours per week including weekends. Great product knowledge of all things fishing would be an advantage but is not essential. Please email resume to --e-mail address hidden-- and all applications will be kept strictly confidential.
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