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How to Catch King George Whiting
By Philip Dickson
King George whiting would have to be one of the most popular species of fish to catch throughout the southern states of Australia. They are a great fish to target with the kids on board and are one of the best eating fish you will find. The southern end of Port Phillip Bay in Victoria is one of the most productive King George whiting fisheries in Australia, with the whiting entering the bay from Bass Strait in huge numbers and ending up spread through out Port Phillip and Corio Bay. In this article we will concentrate on the southern end of Port Phillip Bay, from Queenscliff through to Indented Heads, where we have strong tidal influence and plenty of varied options when it comes to where and how to catch these tasty specimens. They are a viable option all year round, including the winter months with their cooler water temperatures.
The Correct Ground
Locating the correct ground is an important factor went hunting for these fish. Fishing in water around three to six metres, where the bottom is more often than not clearly visible and consisting of broken ground, is preferred. Weed and sand patches is generally the bottom that we are looking for and prefer to fish.
In the deeper water, around seven to ten metres, the bottom is not always as visible, so it comes down to a bit of luck and local knowledge when fishing the deeper areas. When anchoring, where the bottom is visible, it is best to scour an area where you believe that you have found a suitable bottom. Motor up current, dropping the anchor on the weeded area and then let the boat drift back and settle. Here the objective is that you should be casting into the sand patches, located between the weeded areas. This should see you with the best chance of a successful session.
If I have not had a fish within ten minutes then I will make a move and sometimes a move of only ten or fifteen metres will make a difference. On other occasions several moves may be necessary to find the correct area or where the fish are schooling up.
Peak Times
Whiting can be caught at any time during the day, providing there is a tidal influence. The peak times however are first light and the last hours of daylight in the evening. I prefer the evening sessions, with the time from when the sun sets, to just after dark, being my favourite time to fish. As mentioned it is most important to have tidal influences and generally the larger the tides, the better these fish will feed. A half metre differential or larger, between high and low tides, is a great time to fish. This is normally around the new moon, while the tides around the full moon are a lot smaller and quite often less productive.
Bait and Burley
Whiting feed on a variety of baits, including mussels, pipis and squid, with all these being very popular. Each angler has their favourite bait and my preference is frozen calamari. I have found that after the calamari has been frozen and then defrosted, it is a lot softer and therefore doesn't require the tenderising that fresh calamari does.
Cut the thawed calamari into thin strips. Using a paternoster rig and a size 4 hook, pin the squid strip at the very end as this eliminates the bait spinning in the current when it is presented on the bottom.
To burley or not to burley. Everybody has differing opinions regarding the use of burley and obviously the use of Burley can help hold a school of fish at the back of your boat, however on the downside it also attracts all the unwanted guests, such as toads, leatherjacket and rays. Depending on the time of the year it can also attract hordes of undersize pinky snapper.
I personally prefer not to burley at all, however, if you want to give burley a try, a popular burley mixture consists of chicken pellets and cut up pilchards, placed into a burley bomb / cage and dropped to the bottom. Shaking the bomb occasionally should see small amounts of burley drifting out into the area where you are casting. Crushed mussel shell is also another very popular burley method. For best results, when using this method, you should distribute the shells by a throwing them out by hand, a small amount occasionally. As they are heavier, they will sink to the bottom a lot quicker.
Gearing Up
Long leaders are a must when fishing in strong tidal water. The longer the leader the better, with a minimum of a metre and I myself prefer a two metre plus leader, with a four inch dropper to a fixed sinker. I find that the minimum length rod you will need to fish these longer leaders is seven foot. My rod of choice is an Okuma 7' Helios Spin Rod, which is matched up with an Okuma Helios SX Spin Reel and 10lb Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader.
Like all types of fishing, success comes down to time on the water and no-one catches their target species every time they venture out. King George whiting are an exciting fish to catch, especially when they are on, with non-stop action and bag limit numbers easily achieved. Grab the kids and give it a go.
Cheers, Phil