OFFSHORE: Blustery 20 to 25 knot south easterlies, the legacy of a fading cyclone Hamish, hammered the coastline for most of the week before dropping away quickly on Saturday afternoon. Media coverage on the oil spill, which polluted Moreton and Bribie islands and Sunshine Coast beaches as far north as Coolum, may have been responsible for the lack of boats on the reefs as conditions improved but the news that most of the sludge has now been removed is heartening.
Understandably, there was very little feedback from the offshore brigade this week. North Reef was as far out as anyone cared to venture and those who made the effort reported the fishing as painfully slow with only fairly average catches of squire, sweetlip, moses perch and shark to reward the faithful. Laguna Bay was the only other producer of note, but again, it was quiet with just a few northern bluefin tuna prowling the Little Hall's Reef area. Still, there's nothing wrong with a bit of tuna action as Andre Potappel (above) will happily testify. Andre was out near 'Little Hall's' yesterday morning putting his new boat through its paces when he spotted a few splashes in the water. Casting a metal slug lure he counted it down to get a bit of depth and was only starting to retrieve it when he was hit by this very handsome 14.8kg 'Longtail'.

ONSHORE: The coastal surf beaches were a no go zone most of the week and as a result we have no reports of note.

The estuary system was the one bright spot in an otherwise lackluster week with the river mouth producing tailor and queenfish on cast prawn lures (particularly Rio's gold flecks) and a few flathead on drifted whitebaits and fresh prawns.

Trevally were in good numbers in the stretch from Munna Beach to the Yacht Club (going for surface poppers), around the Sheraton Bridge and in the Woods Bays, as were whiting and bream.
Tewantin lad Tremayne Fuller (right) was fishing in 'The Bays' with his father on Sunday when his pilchard bait was monstered by the thumper 2.8kg 'Golden' he's posing with.
Mangrove jacks were also in good numbers and very much on the bite around the back of Noosa Sound at night (to 2.5kg), at the Sheraton Bridge (to 1kg), in the Noosa Waters canals, up between the lakes and into Lake Cootharaba itself.
Bob Young (above) used a prawn bait to attract his 2kg fish in Noosa Waters on Thursday.
And good fishing buddies Bob Jeynes and Mick Doran (below) hit the jackpot in their secret spot up in or near Lake Cootharaba over the weekend with the 1.5kg to 1.7kg mangrove jacks they're pictured with being a good example of their catch, some of which they released. They were kitted out with G-Loomis rods and Pflueger reels loaded with 8lb braid and 40lb monofilament leader. Their baits? Live garfish.