Fishing tips: How to catch whiting in Moreton Bay

It’s September, which is whiting time in our local waters, so I will devote this column solely to them - how and where to catch them locally.

The Fish

There are two species historically referred to as “summer” whiting and both can be caught in Bramble Bay, Deception Bay, Pine and Caboolture Rivers, and along the Redcliffe Peninsula. There is the yellowfin whiting and the sand whiting. You can distinguish sand and yellowfin whiting by the presence of a very large prominent black spot on the base of the pectoral fins of the sand whiting that is absent from the yellowfin whiting. The in-possession bag limit for whiting is 30 and it is a combined limit for both species due to the difficulty for an untrained eye in telling the two species apart. The minimum legal size of both species is 23cm.

Sand whiting are found along the east coast, from Cape York south to Tasmania, as well as Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean. Moreton Bay is the southernmost location where yellowfin whiting are found in numbers, and they range north along the Queensland east coast around northern Australia and then down to Shark Bay in Western Australia. They also occur on the southern shorelines of Papua New Guinea.

The spawning period of sand whiting in Moreton Bay extends from September through to March, with spawning most likely occurring at the mouth of estuaries or in the surf zone. From personal observation, yellowfin whiting have a similar spawning period in Moreton Bay. Yellowfin whiting are likely to spawn on the western side of Moreton Bay, although this is not known with a high degree of certainty. Both species spawn more than once per season.

Sand whiting grow rapidly, and most fish caught and retained are only three or four years of age, although like all fish species, there is variation in age at length which can be substantial.

Ten years of age is about the maximum age of sand whiting in Moreton Bay. Any sand whiting over 40cm can be considered an exceptional fish, while for yellowfin whiting 35cm is a really good fish. Sand whiting are officially recognised, in scientific literature, as reaching a maximum length of 51cm and 1.4kg in weight. That’s one giant whiting. My personal best sand whiting was 46cm from the southern end of Moreton Island.

The Where

Whiting can be found commonly feeding over intertidal flats and in the sandy and shallower parts of channels in estuaries and the western side of Moreton Bay and just past the shore break on beaches. This is where you should look for them.

Sand whiting will be common this month on Bribie beaches including Red Beach, Woody Bay, Bald Point and the Skirmish Point area. These areas fish best in a south easterly wind that stirs up the water and encourages the fish to feed more actively. Early morning is the best time to fish there. The Moreton Island beaches around Comboyuro Point will produce fish during the late afternoon and the night. Margate Beach, Caboolture River, Shorncliffe Pier, Hay’s Inlet and the Pine River will produce a mix of yellowfin and sand whiting.

The How

If I had to choose one rod and reel combination for land-based whiting fishing it is a 4126 rod with a 6-inch direct wind Alvey reel. It is the perfect weapon and what most of the champion whiting anglers have used for decades. It is adaptable for all land-based locations in Moreton Bay. Any of the very light spinning rods and very small, good quality spinning reels (e.g. Shimano Sedona or Okuma Epixor) paired with a very light 8- or 9-foot rod will also work, particularly in western Moreton Bay.

In terms of line, 6lb monofilament line is all you will need, and my preference is for line that is thin for its strength such as Platypus Super 100, although many other brands will suffice.

Hook size for whiting should be No. 4. My preferred hook patterns are the chemically sharpened Mustad Fine Worm or the Tru-Turn hook, both of which are commonly available. Fine Worm hooks do look brittle and are easy to bend up to a point, but they have not let me down when it has mattered. Although many anglers swear by them, I am not a fan of long shank hooks for whiting as I don’t think you need to put that extra bit of steel in the bait.

Like a lot of fishing, sinker size is critical, and you need to be thinking about whether you are using the right sinker size and keep changing it up and down if you are not catching fish. After observing people fishing for whiting (and land-based fishing in general), nine times out of 10, people are using a sinker that is too heavy and this limits their catch. The premise is simple, use a sinker that is suitable for reaching the fish and spending as long as possible in the area where they are, but no heavier.

Worms are the premier bait for sand whiting. Rock worms that are dug up on parts of the Redcliffe Peninsula are relatively easy to obtain and preferred by many anglers. The worm that is sold as a bloodworm is the mud or “Cribb Island” worm - Cribb Island being the suburb that was reclaimed for the Brisbane airport, which at the time was a popular and productive spot to dig them. The Cribb Island worm has the advantage of being able to be bought at several bait shops or dug yourself. They have good keeping qualities as long as they are kept cool in shallow trays with plenty of water exchange. With this method you can keep them for about a week this time of year.  

Yabbies are an underrated whiting bait, particularly for yellowfin whiting locally, and they have the advantage (or disadvantage depending on your mindset) of typically producing a wider variety of fish than worms. I prefer small yabbies for targeting whiting. The sand flats in the Bribie Passage are a reliable location for pumping yabbies.

Tight lines and head out to nab a feed of local tasty whiting this September!

Daryl McPhee is an associate professor of environmental science at Bond University