The February Fishing Report, Week Two 2005, Noosa, Queensland, Australia, brought to you by Inox Quality Products.

OFFSHORE: With fresh to strong (25 to 33 knot) South Easterlies hammering the coastline from Friday onwards the seas and swell were quickly up around the 2.5m mark by the weekend, making it a short week for the offshore brigade. Having said that, with light to moderate (10 to 15 knot) North Westerlies covering the first three days there was still ample opportunity for those who had the time and the inclination to try their hand at a bit of trolling or bottom bashing.
Spanish Mackerel and Snapper

If distance wasn't an issue, Double Island Point was a good option for Spanish Mackerel and the odd catch and release billfish. A little closer to home; North Reef produced Squire, Snapper, Sweetlip, Moses Perch, Pearl Perch, Parrot Fish and Scarlet Sea Perch while at 'The Hill' the catch was Cobia, Squire, Moses Perch, Sweetlip, Shark and, as you can see by the photo above left, Spanish Mackerel. Local angler Ryan Baker boated this 8.5kg Spaniard while out there on a 3/4 day Cougar One Charter on Tuesday. He was kitted out with a Wilson Live Fibre rod and an Alvey 825C reel loaded with 30lb line. Further in, Sunshine Reef was another worthwhile destination, yielding Squire, Pearl Perch, Moses Perch, Shark and, as per the photo above right, Snapper. Mitch Pardon boated the 3.4kg 'Knobby' he's posing with while on a half day Cougar Too charter to Sunshine on Wednesday. He was armed with a Wilson/Alvey combo. Last but not least, Laguna Bay fired earlier in the week with Spanish Mackerel, Mackerel Tuna, Bonito and Yellowfin Tuna at Jew Shoal.

ONSHORE: The coastal surf beaches were worth a shot earlier in the week before the South Easterlies hit and Teewah

Beach on the North Shore was one of the better options. Tarwhine were on the bite around Teewah township while Dart, Whiting and Tailor (to 2kg) were active up near the camping ground and down below the first cutting, where Bream were also on the chew. On the East side, North Sunshine Beach and Sunrise Beach both produced quality Whiting, Marcus Beach yielded Chopper Tailor and Dart and at Peregian Beach the standouts were Tarwhine and Dart. In the river, Flathead were again in good numbers in the lower estuary with best results coming from down at the river mouth (including the Frying Pan), the Munna Point stretch (where Jewfish and Trevally were on the go after dark), and together with Trevally; Weyba Creek and the first ski run. And it was at Munna Point around Saturday lunchtime that Greg Wilson from Beerburrum (Qld) boated the 1.25kg 'Lizard' he's pictured with. Greg was armed with a Jarvis Walker threadline combo loaded with 8lb line. His bait? A whole Prawn on a No.4 longshank hook. Apart from that, the Woods Bays produced Trevally and Tailor on surface poppers and Rio's Prawn lures, while the stretch between the lakes saw Mangrove Jacks chasing gold Predatec spoonbill lures. On the freshwater scene, the Borumba Dam Bass were chasing spinnerbaits off the weed points in the main basin and the Eagles Nest had most of the Saratoga action. At Lake MacDonald, with the running of the BASS Electric tournament on Sunday, results were well spread. Details, Page Two.

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