Lake Cootharaba in Noosa: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Noosa end of Queensland holds Lake Cootharaba. The shore lies 6.3 km out. Surface area runs to some 37.58 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The shoreline runs to about 32 km, far more than one trip can cover. Nothing else we list in Noosa covers more water. The nearest place of any size is Cooroibah, 11 km away. Further out sit Tewantin (14 km) and Lake Macdonald (16 km). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake Cootharaba

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Time trips to the tide table rather than the clock here. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records collected within a few miles name Australian longfinned eel, Australian bass, flathead grey mullet and shortfin eel. It reflects what has been logged, which depends on who was looking. At Lake Cootharaba the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, January reads 25°C and July reads 16°C. Every month fishes, though midsummer narrows the useful hours. The shoulder seasons either side of summer are the ones to aim for. March through May and September through November are the strong stretches. That is the shape of the year on Lake Cootharaba.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Lake Cooroibah is 9.4 km off. Signs at Lake Cootharaba carry more weight than any list.