Whiting biting, by George!
HERE in Tasmania, we are fortunate in that we have a lot of species moving south and no one can really tell us why. Is it warming of waters or perhaps following food or is it something that may end in the near future?
Either way, I’m up for whatever comes our way and one species that has me and many others excited is King George whiting. Here in Tasmania we have various types of whiting but the most common are sand whiting and, of late, the King George whiting.
The arrival of King George to Tasmania indicates that species are on the move and some of the specimens I and others have caught are bordering on unbelievable, so much so that if it wasn’t for photographic proof, we’d be laughed out of town.
KG’s as they are fondly nicknamed, make their home on broken ground; rocky reef interspersed with seagrass and sand, feeding with their long sucking snouts on resident creatures like tube worms and small crustaceans which live in among the kelps, sea grass and sponges.
King George whiting are on average around the 40cm mark in Tasmanian waters. My best is 48cm and recently anglers off Beechford near the Tamar mouth managed two large specimens at 73cm.
The lighter the tackle and line class the better for hunting shallow water KGs as they are highly sensitive to heavy terminal tackle, poorly presented baits and noisy anglers clanging around.
Light flick sticks like your bream rod (2-4kg) are perfect out of a boat, as are small baitcasting outfits.
Whiting can be extremely “skittish” on occasions and the softly, softly approach is sometimes needed. Heavy line, noisy boats and general hubbub do not go hand-in-hand with whiting fishing. They are fussy feeders moving around quickly sucking in, then spitting out interesting morsels.
All you feel is the quick sudden tug of the line as the fish samples your bait, but just as quickly spits it out again if it looks or tastes a bit off.
You’ll benefit from slightly feeding the line back a bit after the first tug, so the fish can have another bite of your bait. Nicely presented baits of blood or sand worms, fresh squid (caught in the same weedy areas), and blue bait pieces threaded on to a long shank hook are all great fare to catch a KG.
For inshore KG fishing, a paternoster rig with double droppers, each sporting 2-3cm of thin red plastic tube slipped onto the dropper, before looping on the hooks, work OK.
Other captures include some great trout in the reaches of the Huon River and in the North, the Meander with local anglers flicking light minnow lures to trout, piling on weight in anticipation of spawning.
the Fisheries Service has started relocating fish already from the annual spawning runs at Great Lake and some waters stocked so far include Carter Lakes, Penstock Lagoon, Rocky Lagoon, Lake Botsford, and again Penstock Lagoon.
If you are having luck or would like to share a picture, send it to readerspics@fishtas.com
THE ARRIVAL OF KING GEORGE TO TASMANIA INDICATES THAT SPECIES ARE ON THE MOVE AND SOME OF THE SPECIMENS I AND OTHERS HAVE CAUGHT ARE BORDERING ON UNBELIEVABLE,
Carl writes for Fishing /Boating World (22 Countries). Carl makes by hand, the brand Hueys Lures Tasmania.