Episode 53: Noosa River Trevally With Andy “Phippsy” Phipps

Phippsy’s Top Tips For Noosa Trevally Fishing

• There are several species of trevally within the Noosa estuary. The most common ones are big eye, golden, diamond and giant trevally. The diamond trevally is especially prized and has become more common in the system. It’s a poor eating fish, so please release diamonds to fight again.
• Trevally are a year-round option in the Noosa system, but summer time means hot days and 4.30am dawn periods. Phippsy prefers the cooler months from May to August when conditions are more comfortable for the angler and the bite happens later in the morning.
• Never go past an aggregation of bait. Anywhere there is a show of bait on the sounder is worth putting in a couple of casts.
• Trevally (and other pelagic species) tend to be fast moving and pretty flighty, so take care not to scare them. If you see fish on the surface or on the sounder, stay 15 or so metres back and cast to the edge of the bait school. Don’t try and position yourself in the middle of the school or you’ll likely disperse bait and fish.
• Trevally aren’t just a surface fish. Sinking a plastic down when fish are surface feeding can result in some big fish and can also result in a by-catch of tailor, queenfish, flathead, jewfish, grunter, jack and many more species.
• Avoid holding the rod too high. This mistake gives the fish a head start when it takes the lure, causes wind knots and results in missed bites. Keep in touch with the lure at all times.
• The tide pushes bait into the Wood’s Bay and Frying Pan areas in the early morning and late afternoon, making these good places to try during low light.
• The runout tides tend to fish best, especially around feeder streams, canals and the mouths of lakes where baitfish are swept down to waiting trevally. Look for areas of flowing water and current lines for best results on trevally species, especially when there is bait in those areas.
• Bridges and other structure in the Noosa Sound area provide lots of opportunity for land based anglers.
• The 2-3 days right on the top of the full moon usually fishes poorly and is better fished in the afternoon with the runout tide. The periods leading up to the full moon fish better and often fish well during the evening and into the night.

Phippsy’s Tackle For The Noosa Estuary

• Phippsy likes a 2-3kg line class rod with a 2000 size reel, 4kg braided line and a 4kg fluorocarbon leader. He likes the Blue Steel range from Wilsons Tackle, which has a softish tip, plenty of grunt in the butt and can handle jew, queenies and jacks as well as our target trevally.
• Using light tackle, don’t put too much pressure on the fish and they won’t go as hard. use the boat to follow the fish and play the fish patiently until the fish tires.

Phippsy’s Best Lures For Trevally Fishing

• Phippsy strongly recommends selecting lures that represent the bait that live in the Noosa system, which includes herring, mullet, whiting, prawn. Don’t get too hung up on colour, other things are more important.
• The Bassday Sugapen in the smaller sizes is deadly on a range of fish in the Noosa system, including trevally. It can be skipped quickly like a gar for tailor or queenfish, made to spit like a prawn for whiting or zig zagged walk the dog style for trevally and other species.
• The Zerek Fish Trap 3″ soft vibration bait is deadly on many species using a lift, drop and slow roll style retrieve.
• A prawn style soft plastic such as the Atomic Prong is a great option and will take trevally when they’re feeding on the prawns.