queensland mackerel around noosa

[Wayne-o]

Hey Everyone,

I’m new to the forum so thought I’d put up a topic to generate some discussion. I’m staying up at sunshine beach with the family and, weather permitting, get out and do some fishing. I’ve got a couple marks off sunshine beach but wondered where’s the best place to drop a line for mackerel??

thanks in advance!

 

[Rebel]

Welcome to the Forum.

Top lot of guys here.

Cheers.

[fatboy]

1 hour ago, Wayne-o said:

Hey Everyone,

I’m new to the forum so thought I’d put up a topic to generate some discussion. I’m staying up at sunshine beach with the family and, weather permitting, get out and do some fishing. I’ve got a couple marks off sunshine beach but wondered where’s the best place to drop a line for mackerel??

thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to the forum Wayne-o, can't help you on this one sorry, I'm a creek fisherman, someone will help you out I reckon

Fatboy

[ellicat]

Are you in a boat or kayak ?

Best bet would be to make your way towards Sunshine Reef, keeping an eye out for birds diving in. Then, if you find that, troll two lures in the area - 1 at 6 metres and 1 at 2 metres. Halco Laser Pros are the go.

If you happen upon a bust up throw some Halco Twisties from 10 grams to 30 grams into the fray and wind as fast as you can.

If you don't find any with those two methods, go to the reef and float out some pillies - 1 unweighted and 1 with a small sinker - enough to get it into the mid-water. Fish the bottom while you wait.

This thread following is for tuna, but similar tactics for macks (unless you are looking for Spanish Macks). -

 

[mangajack]

When targeting spanish I ignore the birds working. 

99% of the time they are one of the tunas (most commonly they are mac tuna) and time wasters.

I agree with ellicat, 1 deep and 1 shallow lure and work to the pressure points of the reefs. 

Sunshine Reef is an easy bet, the Jew Shoals is an occasional bet (you basically pass the jew shoals on the way to Sunshine Reef leaving Noosa)

It is also worthwhile when trolling to also have a 3" blue and white squid skirt over a medium sized barrel sinker and a single hook.....sometimes they fixate on a small baitfish and only want something about the size of a hardihead....downside is this will also pick up the tunas and smaller mackerel as well.

With the meagre bag limit of spanish these days I think you need to take a few spotties or schoolies as well to be worthwhile.

Be careful on the Noosa Bar, it has a happy appetite for boats.

[Wayne-o]

@ellicat @mangajack awesome, thanks. I’ve got a 6m bayliner f18. I went over the bar a couple times last winter, bottom bashing around the marks you mentioned. If the weathers right I’ll give it a go and let you know!

[ellicat]

38 minutes ago, Wayne-o said:

I’ll give it a go and let you know!

That would be good.

 

[Wayne-o]

@mangajack@ellicat

so grabbed two halo laser pros, 1.5m and 6m. Crossed the bar at sun up (with 15 other boats!). Trolled around the sunshine reefs for an hour before we got our first hit…a 1m+ spaniard on the shallow lure. We had 2 more hits after this, one bit straight through my new deep lure wire trace….($20 swiftly gone!) and the second seemed to let the shallow lure go before I could jag it. Bit of newbie to this type of fishing but still got a feed. The little bloke hooked a couple of monsters bottom bashing with cut pillies over the reefs….the rigs broke before we could get them up to the boat. Are there big reefies to be had at sunshine reef this time of year?? Our bottom bashing gear seemed like it was way too light. Didn’t look like a shark.

thanks for the help and advice guys!

wayne-o

[ellicat]

Sounds like a successful mission, if that mission was to find the fish, @Wayne-o . Gotta be happy with a metre plus Spaniard in the esky.

I think the reef fishes ok all year. Bummer the light gear was inadequate, but more knowledge for next time.

Thanks for reporting back. Will you go again before the holiday ends ?

[kmcrosby78]

Nice work @Wayne-o, good session and good result. Im not certain but I think I’ve read about/seen good trout from Sunshine Reef. What pound mainline were you running out of interest?

Edited January 19 by kmcrosby78