Manly Boat Harbour Rock Wall. Whiting will take soft plastics, including grubs and fish tails. The fact that so many casual anglers consider beach fishing unproductive probably comes down to where and how they fish. The rock wall has the benefit of extending out into deep water. The edges of mangroves are also a top spot for bream on high tide, as are tiny creek offshoots that are generally accessible only on the largest of spring tides. If a headland is encountered along the beach, try fishing along the edge where the beach meets the rocks. I always drive the boat around in a wide arc when I go back to the start of my first mark though so as not to spook the fish by driving over the top of them. I often read in fishing books and magazines that the last two hours of the rising tide and the first hour of the falling tide is the best time to fish for whiting off the beach. I fish for Whiting when I have the time regardless of tide and find that you can catch them at any stage of the tide. Rod                                   Light 10’6 2-4kg with a whippy tip, Reel                                  Alvey reels in the 50-55 series. For the South Aussie Anglers there’s a King George over 50cm shaping for a fight. Chasing whiting on topwater lures such as stickbaits and poppers as well as small soft plastics is very popular with lure anglers. A ball sinker is best. The fish will take the bait and you can gently lean back and set the hooks. My favourite whiting fishing weather is 5-10 knot south to southeasterlies or 5-10 knot south to southwesterlies. The second set is breaking on a sand bar (the sandbar moves in and off shore slowly because of currents and tides over days/weeks). So in this case, a cast up onto the sandbank and slowly retrieved into the gutter just after the wave has broken and spread its foam over the gutter is the way to go. As the tide recedes the baitfish flee for deeper water and you can bet those predators will be ready and waiting. Using live baits however, is the key to getting big Whiting. The likelihood of catching Sand Whiting at these extremes is far less likely however and the target zone starts between Cains and Townsville and stretches all the way down to the far South coast of NSW. Re: Best tide / time for whiting Jeff, i target big whiting both day and night. “If God told me that I was only allowed to chase three fish species for the rest of my fishing days, Whiting would definitely be in that three.”. Surface lures however like poppers and stick baits have been a revelation for Whiting lure fishing. Whiting are one of the most popular species for anglers of all ages for a number of reasons. Basically you want to be chasing whiting on lures in the same sort of estuary flats as described above, except you should limit yourself to areas of less than 1m of water, even half a metre. At times, a lure like a spoon or a jig can out produce live bait. If no fish, cast from an angle onto the sand spit and retrieve the bait over the edge/drop off into the slightly deeper gutter. This is the fish mouthing and crushing the bait. The King George Whiting is fond of the cooler waters. Whiting are a small foraging fish that doesn’t like … Rods, Hooks & Weights. Once anglers learn a few beach fishing secrets, they will soon realise the beach can turn on some great fishing for species like whiting and even during the middle of the day! Other productive locations are sandbanks that don’t uncover at low tide with soft muddy sandy and an undulating bottom. Fish that drop back into tidal creeks that still hold water at very low tides will often congregate in holes. I find these spots can fish very well at dawn and dusk regardless of the tide due to the structure provided for the fish, as well as the lower light conditions. Without a doubt the best baits for Whiting are live blood and sand worms, yabbies otherwise known as saltwater nippers and pipis. When fishing the beach, if the tide is receding, fish the front of the gutter. It has dedicated lifers who target nothing else. Despite their name, winter whiting can be caught throughout the year in their usual locations, such as the big bays and straits of South East Queensland. Some of the best fishing times occur during a strong incoming tide since the current will be bringing baitfish, crustaceans and other prey in towards land. If using a paternoster, ensure your bait hangs below the sinker. Most general purpose rods are a little less sensitive in the tip. Fishing Tackle Shop Blog – All About Fishing & Outdoors, Shop Now – Spin reels ideal for whiting rigs. The reason I say this is because whiting do tend to wait until darkness before they will venture really close inshore. Well, this video tutorial below will show you the #1 factor to keep in mind when planning your next fishing trip. Keep the rig simple. A good way to find sand banks that hold whiting is to walk a sand flat at low tide and look for small divots in the sand. See the rigs diagram hereabouts. After you have worked spot A with a series of casts or let the bait sit for 5 minutes or so, you should move and cast to the back bank (spot B). Whiting fishing is always at its best with a fair bit of current flow. For those anglers who prefer a more relaxed style of fishing, the ‘set and forget’ technique with your rod holders can still produce a few whiting in estuaries. I hope it helps you to catch a few more of this very popular species. As the tides increases, the whiting will follow the drains in for the first few hours of the tide, before they disperse to the shallows for more access to the bait when the flats are well and truly covered. The surrounding gutter is reassuring for the fish to escape into if predators come hunting for them in the shallows. In fact, with an Alvey reel you can actually wind backwards on your reel to give the fish line at the first indication of a bite and therefore less resistance when they pick the bait up and run. When it comes to rods, it’s best to use one with a soft, limber tip. A few tips on techniques, tackle, baits and more for catching whiting from four very different locations. If you miss a strike, try feeding some line back out to the fish with the rod still in the holder. Whiting live in the shallows and will forage the sea bed in waters a few inches to 6 meters deep (up to 12 meters for King George), they’re looking for worms, yabbies, pipis and other invertebrates uncovered by wave and current action. Plus, you'll learn about the 2 … This provides cover for the whiting. To enjoy the sort of success that experienced whiting anglers achieve, you need to understand the fish and adapt to the location and conditions. Another tip for wading the flats, particularly as the tide rises, is to stir the sand or mud up with the heel of your waders or feet as you retreat to the shore with the tide. To deal with fast flowing current you want to use two anchors, one at the strern and one at the bow to prevent the boat from moving around. Rod                                   As above although shorter light rods in 7”-9”, Reel                                  Alvey reels or 1000-2000 size spinning reels can be used from boats or riverbanks, Linw                                  6lb line and leader, Rod                                   Long 10”6 rods at anchor from the box and stern, 7”-9” light whippy rods from the sides, Reel                                  Alvey reels and 1000-2000 size spinning reels, Line                                  6lb line and leader, Rod                                   7”-9” light rods with whippy tips, Beach                              Live beach worms, sliced pipis and yabbies in calm gutters, Estuary flats                 Yabbies, live mud, wriggler or squirt worms, beach worms on western side of sand islands, Fast rivers                     Live mangrove or blood worms, jelly prawns, yabbies, Bay winter whiting       Red dyed frozen worms (less expensive than live worms and work), yabbies and Gulp 2” sandworm soft plastics on no. By getting down wind, and using a good pair of Polaroid sunglasses, it is usually pretty easy to spot the schools of fish moving up on the flats. When it comes to rods, it’s best to use one with a soft, limber tip. Not only do they taste great, but they are widely distributed and the ‘fighting whiting’ fight pound for pound like a fish two to three times their size. Avoid striking heavily when a Whiting bite, it’s easy to pull hooks, particularly if you’re fishing with braid. For outfit 1, spool up with mono to 6 pound if you’re casting flesh and live baits. As noted in the diagram, you also need a heavier ball sinker (4-5 ball) to hold your rig in place during the middle stages of the tide. Otherwise, if the fish are more spread I will drift and GPS the spots I catch fish from. Since weather, tide, and other conditions affect species behavior, knowing the best times to fish is essential. The other reason I like these types of gutters is that even in a slightly larger swell the fish get some respite from the choppy surf on the shallow sand spit. I often read in fishing books and magazines that the last two hours of the rising tide and the first hour of the falling tide is the best time to fish for whiting off the beach. 2)Find the Fish: Try to fish the Big tide Tides For Whiting in winter and summer the image below show’s the different stages in the Tides. It’s a lot better than casting with light line, only to hear your line snap under the pressure of the cast. I learnt these techniques from reading and going out fishing with local experts such as Wayne. A good technique to try on an incoming tide is to fish between the deeper water beyond the edge of the flat and cast out to fish that may be moving onto the flat along with the rising tide. Whiting reside in the salt water inshore grounds and are prolific on our beaches. For example, if sundown is say 7pm the best tide to look for is one that peaks before midnight. As the tide drops, keep moving along the gutter until the tide has eventually stopped. My favourite whiting fishing weather is 5-10 knot south to southeasterlies or 5-10 knot south to southwesterlies. I’ve found the best bite to be on the incoming tide early in the morning. Quality finesse outfits are usually more expensive and often suffer in the hands of children, newbies and careless anglers. There’s a 40 cm plus Whiting out there with your name on it. Whiting truly are for everyone. When the tide is in, it can be difficult to reach the strike zone with a smaller rod. When the tide falls, the fish retreat to the deeper water of the channels and drop offs. Big beach worms like this produce plenty of baits that beach whiting find hard to resist. Whiting will often hook themselves if you set your rods low to the water to offer minimal resistance. Rising tides give foraging fish such as whiting and bream access to yabby banks and oyster racks in estuaries, which might otherwise be exposed on low tide. It has launched the angling careers of many a 3 year old. It allows live baits to move more naturally for longer, and encourages a more aggressive bite. These are natural feeding areas for fish as are points or other structure that may divert the tides or currents along the beach. Fishing near estuary mouths after rain can produce fish like this. For Outfit 3, Line rating will be determined by the rating of your chosen rod. The gutter was only about 150 meters long and the tide was receding. Beach photos of the surf, birds, and any fish you catch will preserve the memories of your winter whiting fishing trip. It is also found at the top of Tasmania. In my mind, beach fishing is one of the most underrated yet productive ways to catch a feed of legal size fish. This article aims to provide you with the keys to unlock the ‘whiting code’ in four main types of whiting locations across South East Queensland and New South Wales. The best Whiting Fishing Rig – Rods and Reels. Finally, if you can, avoid the slow change of tide period from about 1hr before to 1hr after the change of tide, as this tends to attracts more bream and toadfish, whiting prefer the run. The trick is to use a 7-7”6 high modulus graphite rod and undertake a constant wind of a 1000-2000 size reel. The first rule is balance. As the tide begins to rise, and water flows over the saltwater flats, fish begin to patrol these areas in search of food. I will continue to drift until they go quiet and return to the top of your drift. Check the links below, stock up on your Whiting kit, bag out, and then feed the family with some of the most amazing tasting fish the ocean has to offer. ‘Winteries’ tend to prefer a mix of silty and muddy bottoms. You will always find the bite slows for half an hour to an hour around the change of the tide period, so be sure to focus your efforts on the rising and falling tides. Estuaries and sand flats are broadly defined as either saltwater rivers, creeks, bays, broadwater, sandy straits or the western or calm side of islands such as Fraser, Moreton and the Stradbroke islands in Queensland. If after 10-15 minutes you have caught no fish, or the fish stop biting, move to the next gutter of similar formation. This rig is ideal for the beach also, weather permitting. The next most important tip is if you get a bite on your rod, don’t touch it! (5) Camera in a large Zip-Loc bag. You will be using mono or braid with flesh and live baits. For the kids and the ‘rough’ anglers look for an outfit that is a little more robust. Fishing for Whiting can be as relaxing or as intensely active as you choose. What makes this type of fishing different is the fast flow of the water and the need for you to adopt your techniques and rig. Long light, whippy rods are perfect for whiting. Best Times to Fish. Jerking, blooping or ‘walking the dog’ encourage attack from below. Structure is critical, not the man made pylons and racks that attract Bream, but the holes, hollows, drop offs and subtle undulations of the sea bed. Casting out just behind the break … The first place to start in such gutters is position A on diagram D. This is known as the blind or closed end of the gutter. Of course you can fish lighter still, depends on how brave you are feeling. I have three favourite types of beach gutters I prefer to fish at or around high tide. What is great about these fish, is they are a little less finicky (so will take more of a variety of baits) than the summer whiting and tend to gather in larger schools. I had live sand worms and was catching good fish. Generally, I find that if the water is glassy or flat the fish get a bit wary and prefer a moving bait, so I drift or cast and retrieve at anchor in these conditions. Too much wind and swell and your gutters can turn into a washing machine and the fish will disappear, seeking calmer water. I’ve also found a bit of a pattern in that if the water is very clear, they will move to deeper water (3.5m+). It covers all of your closed water applications from land based to the boat and Kayak. He was using yabbies and catching the biggest Whiting I had seen in my life. Low tide whiting. For drifting in your boat or kayak, it might be wiser to fish a little heavier. This is why they are so much fun and so loved by Australian anglers. Modern spinning outfits are perfect for targeting whiting offshore, even in depths of water of several hundreds of feet. We’ll look at Whiting fishing rigs, Whiting locations, the best lures for targeting Whiting, great Whiting kit and some good old Whiting fishing tips. It’s graphite, 12 to 13 foot and can be spin or Alvey style. The first is a big sand spit covered by about 0.5-1m of water on high tide (see diagram A), which drops away into a slightly deeper gutter. Fluoro leader to 6 pound is ideal, the hot tip is to get a leader as soft as possible. Type of fishing: Jetty Expect to find: Flathead, Whiting, Bream Best Time to go: Early morning So there you have it. This is for obvious reasons, they’re pointed at all sorts of fish. For outfit 2, spool up with 9 to 12 pound line. During winter though these fish are a daytime proposition. When fishing the beach, if the tide is receding, fish the front of the gutter. The key feature of the rod is a sensitive tip. 1) Get to the fishing location at low tide 2) Pump yabbies or worm (I didn't do the worming) and put them in a bucket of salt water 3) As the tide comes up, the whiting move up onto the sand flats to chase the yabbies, so we put our very lightly weighted (if at all - depending on depth) yabbies with the hooks in front of them on Jeanneau Merry Fisher Marlin 605 and 695, on Stessl Funseeker Bowrider 6.3 with Yamaha F200, on Horizon 525 SunRunner with Mercury 115hp ProXS, Stessl Funseeker Bowrider 6.3 with Yamaha F200, Horizon 525 SunRunner with Mercury 115hp ProXS. SLACK WATER To fish these type of gutters, stand back 10m or so from the water’s edge and cast to the back of the sand spit and slowly retrieve your bait towards shore. It’s this action that reveals their prey. When half-tide rising water begins flooding grass banks, oyster banks and points, then baitfish, shrimp and crabs flee to these safe havens while redfish often stage nearby waiting for sufficient water depth to advance. From the collection of bait, to catch and fillet, a Whiting expedition is always very rewarding. The second set is breaking on a sand bar (the sandbar moves in and off shore slowly because of currents and tides over days/weeks). Finding the whiting Deeper gutters and channels where the water first floods up onto the bank or sand flat when the tide is rising. Fish the tides The more productive times are the first half of the run-in and the second half of the run out tides. This outfit is primarily for the beach. As whiting feed they bury their nose, almost up to their eyes, as they pull worms, crabs or yabbies from the bottom, leaving a divot as they pull back and continue their forage. Outfit 3 is a dedicated beach rod. You should use the same set up and rigs for beach corners as the main beach, but be aware that the best time to fish them will depend on the swell and wind direction. While estuaries tend to hold bigger whiting, some thumpers still can turn up on the beach. Longer leaders work best with Whiting. A falling tide occurs when a tide changes from high tide to low tide and is the best time of the day to fish. When casting lures choose braid 2 to 6 pounds. Low tide shallow gutters (see diagram D) are some of the least fished on the beach, but can turn on some of the best whiting action of the lot. If you need weight to hold your position or get over a sure break to a distant gutter, weight and strength is the answer. KG Whiting love fresh Squid. While Whiting can be caught some distance up river, the start of the brackish will generally put the brakes on the Whiting bite. the places we catch them, are a little narrower than there distribution. The higher water levels give the sheepshead complete access to the barnacles, oysters, crabs, shrimp and small fish that live on the underwater structures. Feel free to up that to 15 but keep in mind lighter is usually best, depending on conditions. This is the rod you will be using most of the time. Another favourite high tide location is a shallow gutter pressing hard up to the shore with a small shore break (see diagram B). Fishing for Whiting … With Live baits quality fish in big numbers are possible throughout the day. Check the links at the bottom of the article for a range of rods, reels lures and assorted tackle, brilliantly priced to get you kitted out for ‘Summer Whiting’. For the spin rod, strap a 6000 or 8000 reel to the rod. That’s exactly what Gold Coast boat builder, Stessl […], by Steve Morgan •At Fishing Monthly, we like getting the first look at new ranges of boats. You can spot these areas in 2-3m of water even without a sounder by the lumpy ripple effect on the water surface as the tide and a gentle breeze pushes in. That is, fish closer to the entrance of the estuary as the tide begins to push in giving the whiting access to new banks. It is possible the fish are right up near the shoreline, so your first casts should be with you standing more than a rod length away from the water’s edge. Whiting often love moving baits, so this means you want to cast your line out and slowly retrieve it back to you, with a slow constant wind of the reel. When these winds tie in with a rising tide at about 10am and overcast conditions, if I can locate the fish, I will clean up. Finally, adding 3-4 small piece of red tubing or red beads in your rig just above the hook makes your bait stand out like a beacon on the sand and acts like an attractant for the whiting. Trolling small lures will also pick up whiting at times in estuaries. 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