FISHING FOR WHITING AROUND SARINA

Golden Lined Whiting | Northern Whiting | Feeding Habits of Whiting | Best Bait

Whiting Tackle | Fishing Sarina Inlet | Fishing Armstrong Beach | Fishing Llewellyn Bay

Fishing Boundary Creek

The term Whiting refers to several species and locally in the tropics there are three main species caught, plus a couple of uncommon ones. Whiting are termed Bread and Butter fish, as they are usually plentiful and require no special skills or gear to catch a feed. Some skills acquired can result in better catches of the more sort after larger fish.

The most widely known and probably the best eating of all the whiting is the Australian Sand Whiting (Sillago ciliato-Cuver-1829) which is also known as the Blue Nose Whiting, Bull Nose Whiting, Beach Whiting, Silver Whiting, Summer Whiting and Winter Whiting. Bit confusing ? Unfortunately as the centre of all learning in Queensland is thought to be in the South East Corner of the State, we in the North have to learn to use their terms. However in summer, from November to March in the tropics, there is the very great possibly that the Wet season will be in full swing and the feeding grounds for all the whiting will be washed away. The water in all the bays and estuaries is dirty and fresh for weeks at a time and the whiting leave and then return as the water clears and the feed improves. Major spawning of big sand whiting occurs in August and September over the full moon. Most of the Sand Whiting are therefore caught in the winter months, hence the local name Winter Whiting which is not to be confused with the Winter or Trumpeter Whiting of South East Queensland.

The Sand Whiting is mostly silver in colour with an olive green to light brown back (in our waters) and there is a conspicuous black dot at the base of the pectoral fin although sometimes the black dot is not visible until after the fish dies. The ventral and anal fins are light yellow. Sand whiting grow to a length of 50 cm. approx. and a weight in excess of one kilo, however most are caught at much lesser weights. The minimum legal length is 23 cm. and there is no bag limit at the moment

The Golden-Lined Whiting is caught in great numbers during the winter months when the water is crystal clear at places like Armstrong Beach. The Australian Golden Lined Whiting (Sillago analis-Whitley-1943) is also known as Tin Can Bay Whiting, Rough Scaled Whiting and Yellow Finned Whiting. The scales are rough to the touch. It is targeted by the light gear fishing clubs from Moreton Bay north and individual catches of 200 plus are common, which really demonstrates their mentality towards conservation, although some local clubs only weigh fish of 24cm. or better. The Golden Lined Whiting is silvery below, olive green on the back with a faint yellow stripe along the lateral line and the ventral and anal fins are bright yellow. The flesh is sweet and although slightly softer in texture than the Sand Whiting, is equal to it for eating quality. GLs spawn over the full moon. Maximum length is approx. 40cm. and the minimum legal length is 23cm. however there is no bag limit.

Another whiting of the tropics is the Northern Whiting (Sillago sihama-Forsskal-1775) also known as Spinner Whiting, King Whiting or just King, it is common in some creek systems. Mature fish prefer the deeper waters and are often caught over a mud bottom. A school can be brought in under the boat by jigging. The Northern Whiting is a slender whiting, silvery gold to purple in colour, the anal fin is conspicuous in that it appears to extend from the vent to the tail and is translucent edged with white, the inside of the mouth and gill covers is golden. It grows to a length of approx. 30cm. and appears to spawn over both the full and black moons. When filleting, the flesh is noticeably softer than the Sand and Golden Lined Whiting however a feed of Northern Whiting is still far superior to many other estuary fish. This whiting is not regulated so there is no legal length or bag limit to worry about and for that reason it is often used as live bait for salmon and barramundi by those in the know. The distributation of the Northern Whiting is extensive as the map indicates and is a valuable food source in India and China.

Trumpeter whiting (Sillago maculata-Quoy & Gaimard-1824) also called winter whiting, spotted whiting and diver whiting, is a small species, silver grey above, pale below and has a silver stripe along the side of the body. There is a black spot on the pectoral fin base and large dark blotches on the body. The Trumpeter Whiting grows to 30cm in length and is caught in great numbers in Moreton Bay during winter. Inhabits muddy weed beds feeding on worms and small shellfish. Easily scaled using a garden hose jet.

It is endemic to (only found in) Australia, occurring in tropical and warm temperate marine waters from northern Queensland (Lizard Island) to southern New South Wales (Narooma).

Whiting generally forage for crustaceans and worms in waters from a few centimetres deep to the deepest hole in a creek system and one sure way to identify the feeding area is to examine the stomach contents of any captures. Favorite food seems to be yabbies, crabs, solder crabs, mussels of many different sorts, worms and prawn, in particular jelly prawn. Whiting will bit readily on any of the afore but will also take a variety of wet flies and small lures, however the best bait is that which is freshly gathered and live.

Whiting feed in areas where the tide current helps them burrow for food and likely spots are working sand ripples, tailing sand banks, shallow and deep weed beds, over yabby beds, over sand flats where soldier crabs are found and even up under the mangrove roots (seeking small mussels) where fishing is impossible. Any beach front for the whole of the rising tide is a profitable area although if the water is dirty don't expect too much. Use the tide current or a slow wind to keep the bait moving so there is no chance of catching troublesome stingrays or shovel nosed sharks. If fishing from a boat, anchor in shallow water and move often to follow the rising tide over the shallows. Drifting is another option providing there is not too much wind. Another method is to wade the shallow banks and gutters when the tide is ebbing because as the water drains down so too must the fish. A word of caution for this area, if you follow the ebb tide out, watch for the early flood tide and be sure you can walk ashore as the water rises.... unsuspecting fishermen have had to swim for it before. In this area the tide can rise over 6 metres during the spring tides and even a rise of 2 metres over the neap tides can cover a lot of beach flat in a short time so TAKE CARE.

Much is said about tackle, mostly by armchair fishermen and television commentators who quote the rod, it's pattern number, taper, wall thickness, weight, colour and the manufacturer, naturally. My whiting rods are pretty old hollow fibreglass ones (heaven forbid  no graphite??!!) and an unknown brand, about 8 ft. long and they have been rebuilt many times over. My whiting reels are 4 inch side cast with the rings cut off and loaded with line from 2kg.(4lb.) to 4kg.(8lb.) depending on what is on special when I need a new line. In all the years I have fished for and caught thousands of whiting, I have never felt rejected by those fish for not having the latest hotshot gear. The only hook I use for whiting is a short shank number 2 and I use the lightest lead possible for the conditions. A piece of red plastic tube or a red plastic bead above the hook sometimes completes the rig although when whiting bite freely it is unnecessary. In the tropics whiting usually bite well so any light gear you are comfortable with will do the job, but whiting have no teeth so leave out the wire trace!!

There are two methods of fishing for whiting, by boat and by wading, or a combination of both so first acquire some bait. The best option is to drive round to Armstrong Beach or up to Alligator Creek and pump yabbies there. Some fishermen dig worms from Sarina Beach adjacent to the rocks but this is pretty hard work and the yabby option is better. From the launching ramp, motor carefully to a position opposite the headland to the west and commence fishing from there drifting on a flood tide into the bay to the south which will take you over good whiting grounds of sand and patches of weed. Another alternative is to motor carefully west of the headland and fish the rising tide towards either Butlers Gulley or upstream into Plane Creek where there are extensive sand banks. There is a good yabby bed in Butlers Gulley and the fishing over it is good providing you keep a moving bait to avoid the large brown stingrays that also feed there.

The little bay to the SW has some good structure for whiting and there is a small creek which flows into this area from the north west but it is not seen until you are right into the back of the bay and there is a shallow entrance which is another good sand bank for whiting.

A really good way to fish for whiting is during the last half of the ebb tide, motor to the entrance to Plane Creek opposite Pumpkin Point and pump yabbies there. Anchor the boat well out and then wade the north side of the gutter opposite Pumpkin Point, the tide will probable leave your boat stranded but do not worry, the early flood tide is well worth the wait.

Wading other areas towards low tide has plenty of advantages as there is no boat to clean up and usually a better catch because you can follow a school of whiting in the shallows and pick them off at will. Polaroid sunglasses are a must for this sort of fishing to give you a better chance to see the schools of fish, but also so you can see the tails of buried stingrays and so avoid standing on one of these fish. Here are a couple of good spots, drive to Armstrong Beach and pump yabbies, then take Miran Kahn Drive towards Freshwater Point and then take Ocean View Crescent. Park at the end and walk out to the point of rocks directly north of you, once there you will find good whiting fishing to the west along the sand bank during the last hour of the ebb and the early flood but you will have to cross a small muddy gulley. Locals call this area the Bream Hole for obvious reasons. Sarina Inlet is a good fishing area in the winter with the Sand Whiting being the main species caught and some bonus fish are also taken comprising Bream (2 species), Flathead (3 species), Tarwhine, big Sole and Garfish (3 species). There are also mud crabs and it is one of the few areas where there are sand crabs.

For a family fishing outing this beach takes a bit of beating and in the winter time when the seas are calm and the water is crystal clear, there are loads of both Sand Whiting and Golden-Lined Whiting to be caught right at the waters edge. About 3 hours before high water is a good time to pump yabbies or collect soldier crabs, the best way to catch these little crabs is to approach them quickly so they panic and cluster together and then simply scoop them up using Mums dustpan and broom. There are several access roads and tracks to the beach from Miran Kahn Drive if you want to be away from the populated area, however the beach in front of the settlement is just as good for fishing. With a 4-wheel drive vehicle the full length of the beach north to Bungs Gulley is accessible providing you stay up high on the hard sand. After collecting bait, watch for the tide to start moving in and walk out to the edge and fish in the slight gutters as the water rises. Do not be surprised to see large blue spotted stingrays working around in water so shallow that their backs are out of the water. As the tide reaches the edge of the beach proper it often pays to cast parallel to the edge and use a slow retrieve as casting far out will not be rewarding, because the whiting will be feeding in close. Once the tide reaches high and begins to ebb, the water will turn cloudy and this is the time to give it away as the whiting will depart immediately.

Boating from Armstrong Beach to fish around Llewellyn Bay for whiting is very worthwhile as all three species common to the area can be caught. Even with a two wheel drive car, launch with care from the beach 3 hours before high water and pump yabbies just 50 metres to the north, even though there are yabbies where the boats are launched, DON'T PUMP THERE !! This results in cars and trailers becoming bogged in the soft sand and that is no joke on a rising tide!! Options abound, zip round Allom Point and fish the beach either from the boat or by wading to the east of Dawson Creek. There are droves of Sand Whiting and Golden-Lined Whiting here. There is a yabby bed in the mouth of Dawson Creek. Remember if you want to recover the boat, be back at Armstrong Beach before 3 hours after high water.

At the mouth of Sandfly Creek there is a conspicuous white shaley bank and the sand bank that runs to the north is a good whiting spot on either the early flood or the last of the ebb tides. There is a small narrow channel behind the shaley bank and this is often worth a try on the early flood. The mouth of Sandfly Creek is usually loaded with "yankee whiting" more correctly called silver teraglin. The eastern bank of Rocky Dam Creek is another good area for whiting on a rising tide, but be careful, as the water is shallow until the tide makes a bit. To the west on the other side of the creek, which is Rocky Dam Creek, there is a gutter called King Gulley and this is good for prawn. During the last hour of the ebb tide fishing from the sand bank here is another option as big Sand Whiting love a live prawn or even a piece of one.

In the middle of Llewellyn Bay there is a high sand bank and this is a good area for Golden-Lined Whiting and a few Northern Whiting during the rising tide and around the top of the tide but be careful as the waves sometimes break here.

Boundary Creek flows into Llewellyn Bay and the area of sand banks here is excellent for Sand Whiting and Northern Whiting especially during the flood tide. There is an extensive yabby bed in the middle of the creek and it is accessible for most of the tide and good big Sand Whiting and the biggest Northern Whiting are caught on the west end of this bank especially during the first of the ebb tide. Any of the deeper parts of the creek produce Northern Whiting. There are lots of distractions in Boundary Creek as it is a good area for Barra, Fingermark, Bream, Grunter and King Salmon.