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Cold produces red hot fishing
  |  First Published: July 2014



Winter has arrived, but don’t let this be an excuse to hang up your fishing gear just yet, as there is some superb fishing happening at the moment!

TREVALLY

In the Noosa River, Woods Bay continues to fire with a host of different trevally species, and they love nothing more than the cool, still mornings that winter provides. Whilst trevally feed right throughout the day, the low light periods are definitely the best time to target these fish.

The best way to catch trevors is to try to match what they are feeding on at the time. For instance, if you can see fish on the sounder but no surface action, they are probably feeding on prawns and crustaceans on the bottom. In this situation you should use a prawn imitation like the Gladiator Prawn or Marukyu Crab. When worked slowly across the bottom to imitate a prawn moving in the tide or a crab walking across the bottom, these plastics work a treat on a hungry trevally. A little scent on your lures will also help with your hit rate, and the Pro Cure range of scents is great as they have different scents for different lures.

If the fish are busting up on the surface, a surface walker like the Strada Pencil or a popper like the Lucky Craft Tone Splash cast amongst them should see a result. A quick and erratic retrieve resembling a fleeing baitfish is the best way to go. The smart angler will have both these angles covered and more; to be successful with these great sportfish you need to be able to adapt. If you are just getting into soft plastic or lure fishing call into Davo’s and we’ll happy to show you which lures are catching which species, and give you the info on what’s biting and where.

MULLOWAY

Further upstream, school mulloway have been in good numbers just near the mouth of the first lake. Fish the change of tide with a low light period and you should see some excellent results! Live bait can greatly increase your chances of a good fish, with the odd large flathead also inhabiting this area. When live baiting try snelling a second hook down near the tail this can greatly improve your capture rate if the fish are not feeding aggressively.

ROCK AND BEACH

On the beaches, the larger winter bream have moved into the deeper holes and gutter along the beaches. These fish tend to be larger than the ones you catch in the warmer months, and can be very challenging in the surf, with fish up to 40cm not uncommon.

For those anglers who are lucky enough to have a 4x4, head up to Noosa’s North Shore and keep a lookout for a nice gutter or hole whilst heading up the beach. You will find the low light periods are the best times to target these fish. Bream love prawns, yabbies and small pillies, and don’t be surprised if you pick up a tailor, dart or even a nice mulloway as these baits are favourites of many species.

For those of us not lucky enough to own a 4x4, the southern beaches are also producing, with areas around Sunshine Beach and Perigan Beach working well. They also have got some good looking gutters, with quality fish coming from these areas.

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 who are willing to walk the distance. When you 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.

OFFSHORE

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 within easy reach for the smaller offshore boats, and on a calm day they also make for excellent kayak fishing. If you can, pick a day with an early morning tide, this will greatly improve your chances of a good bag of reefies.

A great way to bring the fish on the bite is with the aid of some berley. Small pieces of pilchard dropped over the side at regular intervals will help to bring the fish around and keep them in the area. Berley cages are also a good idea. These cages are weighed with lead to help them get to the bottom.

When using berley, don’t overdo it. If you attract too much activity to your spot, this will soon bring the sharks and other non-desirable species into range of your baits.

And lastly, don’t forget to pull up the berley cage before you move off. You would be surprised how many of these have been donated to the reef, or end up skiing along behind the boat on the way to the next spot!

For all the latest fishing and bar reports, visit www.fishingnoosa.com.au, and Tight Lines and Bent Spines from the team at Davo’s!

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