Noosa Turned It On

The Guide — Mitch Bertacchini – Mitch was friendly, easygoing and clearly very experienced on Noosa’s offshore grounds. What stood out was how well he balanced a relaxed charter experience with a constant sense of purpose. He always seemed to have a plan, whether we were looking for bait, working the reef, changing locations or setting up for kingfish. He was also excellent with kids, keeping my 12-year-old son engaged, involved and excited throughout the day. That combination of local knowledge, patience and professionalism made a big difference.

The Fishing Experience – The day had a great natural flow, moving between bait gathering, reef fishing, live baiting and chasing bigger predators. It never felt like we were sitting still waiting for something to happen — Mitch kept the charter moving and adjusted the approach as conditions changed. We caught a strong mix of species, including cod, trevally, trout and perch, before the session really came alive when we found the school of kingfish. It was the perfect mix of steady action and serious sportfishing excitement.

The Gear & Tackle – The gear was high quality and very well suited to the style of fishing. Shimano Saragosa reels, strong rods, 50lb line and 80lb leader gave us confidence when fishing around reef structure and targeting powerful fish like kingfish. Everything felt properly maintained, organised and ready to go, which is exactly what you want when a big fish turns up and there is no room for second-best equipment.

The Boat – Mitch’s boat was newer, well maintained, comfortable and very stable, making it a great platform for different styles of fishing. Whether we were bait fishing over the reef, drifting, live baiting or moving between locations, the boat felt safe and practical. For a family trip, that comfort matters; for serious anglers, the fishability of the layout matters just as much. This setup offered both.

The Overall Operation – From pick-up at the O-Boat Hire Jetty to the final move of the day, the charter felt smooth, professional and well run. Mitch adapted constantly, kept us fishing productively, and made sure the experience worked for both a young angler and adults wanting a proper offshore session. It was relaxed without being casual, professional without feeling rigid, and packed with enough variety to make the day memorable from start to finish. He put us on multiple trophy fish…although I was unable to land all of them 🙁

Take motion sickness seriously – Even on a good day, crossing the Noosa Bar and fishing offshore means movement. If you or your kids are prone to seasickness, take motion sickness tablets before the trip and follow the packet directions carefully.

Be ready for a mixed-species day – Noosa’s offshore reefs can produce a wide range of fish, so don’t expect the whole session to focus on one target. You might be bait fishing for reef species one minute, then live baiting for kingfish or watching for pelagic activity the next.

Trust Mitch’s plan – A good charter is not always about sitting in one spot. Mitch kept the day moving, searching for bait, changing locations and adjusting techniques to keep us around fish. Let the day unfold and trust the process.

Keep kids involved between bites – This is a great trip for young anglers, but offshore fishing can still have slower moments. Encourage kids to help watch rods, spot bait, ask questions and stay part of the action so they remain engaged all day.

Pack for comfort – Bring sun protection, a hat, sunglasses, light layers and anything personal you need for a day offshore. Depending on the length of the trip, also bring enough food, snacks and drinks to keep everyone comfortable.

Stay switched on when live bait goes out – Once live bait is in the water, things can change quickly. A kingfish, cobia, mackerel or tuna can turn up fast, so listen to the crew, stay near your rod and be ready when the bite comes.

Enjoy the whole Noosa experience – This charter is not just about the final fish count. Starting in the river, crossing the bar, heading offshore and fishing the reef grounds gives the day a real sense of adventure. Take it all in, especially if you’re sharing it with kids.

I would describe Noosa fishery as very diverse, we catch a lot of species both tropical and southern.

Through out the first half of the year I love fishing sunshine reef it is short travel time resulting in lots of fishing time and it really surprises customers the quantity and quality of fish it produces.

The days plan comes down to weather and where the fish have been biting of late. Of course some customers have specific areas they would like to fish and if that’s the case we do as they ask.

Like most offshore fisheries bait is everything. In most cases if there’s little bait there’s little fish. Knowing what others are catching on the day is also a huge help so staying in contact with other regular fisherman is a big thing no point wasting heaps of time driving around if it’s just one of those days when the fish are shutdown.

Throughout winter the main species are snapper, Pearl perch, grass emperor, cods and mulloway.

We had some good fun on the kingfish but they can be challenging especially for customers with little fishing experience. We find them mostly in shallow water with pretty large structure the fish are generally 8-15kg and are hesitant to eat baits on anything above 50lb leader luckily on the day we had a few eat baits on 80lb leader and stopping them even with heavy drag was hard work as they head strait for those big rocks.

Most common species everyone wants is the red emperor. We do catch a lot of 30-50cm ones but legal size in qld is 55cm. Generally when we do jag a legal one it is a quality fish around 10kg biggest I’ve seen so far is a touch of 17kg unfortunately for a lot of locals it was a German back packer with little care for what he had achieved he laughed at me as he had caught one 13kg earlier in the day and I told him he would never catch one again.

I’m pretty relaxed during the trip and I think that’s important. Obviously the fisherman in me – my heart sinks when a customers looses a solid fish but jumping up and down isn’t going to fix anything so just re rig and get them back in there for another go. Having good chat with the customers and getting to know them is also important.

For trophy fish in my opinion the second half of the year is probably your best bet. I’ve seen cods over 40kg, mid 30kg Amberjacks, Cobia also up around that 30kg mark, Snapper 7-9kg. The exception to that is Coral trout and Spanish mackerel and April May are the best months for them.

Noosa is definitely somewhere to treat with respect. As a skipper the bar is shallow and very tidal, the bar crossing out of the river can have rather large waves and the ocean can be pretty uncomfortable some days. The wind, swell and current can all be coming from different directions and that’s coming from someone who fished the southern ocean for a decade. For my own business I’d rather cancel a trip if I think it’s not going to be a good day for the customers and have them return and book again when possible rather than push out in ordinary conditions.

When everything lines up, Noosa really can offer outstanding fishing. I’ve fished all around Australia, and when this place is on, it’s on. You can spend a full day on one spot with bent rods the whole time, landing 20–30 different species — from Amberjack and Snapper to Coronation trout and Parrotfish. There aren’t many places that can deliver that much variety in one spot.

We are probably one of the only charter boats in the area running braid line, this helps a lot with feeling bites and getting baits down to the bottom in those times when the current is running hard. We also run a Minn kota electric motor on the boat, it holds us on our spots rather than using an anchor. This saves heaps of time each charter and allows us to be on top of the spot every time without fail. Sometimes the sounder can look great so you can’t not have a try but the fish might be herbivorous or just not hungry in these spots it allows us to have a try and then move of quickly if nothing is happening.

We generally run our mixed group charters as a 9hr trip as that’s what most of our customer base prefers. For your best chance at quality fish especially if you want something specific a private booking is great if it’s within your budget. For weather the last few years September – end of December has been consistently good.