Whiting are one of Australia's favourite fish to catch and eat. They're found right around the southern half of the country, they're easy to get to from the beach, the river flats or a small boat, and they're some of the best-eating fish in the sea. In Perth, the warmer months bring whiting up onto the shallow sand flats of the Swan River and into the bays, and that's when the fun starts.
This guide covers how to fish for whiting: the types of whiting you'll catch, when and where to find them, the best bait and hook size, how to tie a whiting rig, the best whiting rod and reel combos, whiting fishing lures, and how to catch whiting from the beach, the flats and a boat.
Know Your Whiting
"Whiting" covers a few different fish, and knowing which one you're chasing helps you fish in the right place with the right gear.
- Yellowfin whiting: the whiting of Perth's river flats, beaches and estuaries, found from Shark Bay south and across to South Australia. They're a warm-water, shallow-water fish, often feeding in water barely deep enough to cover their backs. Most are 25–30 cm, and anything over 35 cm is a good fish. In WA they're often called "sand whiting".
- King George whiting: the biggest and most prized whiting, with brown spots along the body. They live over broken weed and sand in the bays and inshore waters of southern Australia, from WA's mid-west coast around to Victoria. South Australia is their stronghold, and Cockburn Sound, Rottnest and Geographe Bay are well known in WA.
- Sand whiting: the east-coast whiting of Queensland, NSW and eastern Victoria, found on surf beaches, sandbars and estuary flats. They behave much like WA's yellowfin whiting.
- School and trumpeter whiting: smaller whiting caught over sand in deeper water. Great fun on light gear.
Whiting have small, downturned mouths made for picking food out of the sand. That single fact explains most of whiting fishing: small hooks, small baits, light line and a soft rod tip.
When to Catch Whiting
Season
In Perth, yellowfin whiting move up onto the shallow flats and beaches from about October, and fish best from December to March, when the water is warmest. King George whiting fish well in the metro from about December through to May, with late summer and autumn often the best of it. The south-west keeps producing KGs well into winter.
East-coast sand whiting follow the same pattern: they're called "summer whiting" for a reason. In South Australia and Victoria, KGs are caught all year, schooling inshore in the cooler months and spreading into deeper water in summer.
Tide
The rising tide is the classic whiting tide. As the water floods onto the flats, whiting push up into the shallows to feed on worms, nippers and small prawns that have been uncovered by the water. On the flats, the bottom half of the rising tide is often best.
Time of day
Whiting love warm water. On the flats, a hot, sunny day with a bit of ripple on the water is ideal, and early mornings and late afternoons after a hot day fish especially well. Unlike many fish, yellowfin whiting are happy to feed in the middle of a bright summer's day.
Where to Catch Whiting in Perth
Yellowfin whiting (flats, beaches and estuaries)
- Swan River flats: Point Walter, the Nedlands and Dalkeith foreshore (just down the road from our store), Pelican Point, and the Como and Applecross flats. Wade the sand on the rising tide.
- Peel-Harvey Estuary, Mandurah: one of the best yellowfin whiting fisheries in WA, with huge areas of sand flats around Dawesville and the estuary shores.
- Beaches: the gutters along metro beaches, and the calmer shallows at Rockingham, Safety Bay and Warnbro.
- Further afield: the Leschenault Estuary at Bunbury and the sand flats of Shark Bay.
King George whiting (bays and inshore)
- Cockburn Sound: the weed-and-sand banks and the seagrass edges.
- Owen Anchorage, Woodman Point and Coogee: shallow broken ground close to the ramps.
- Rottnest and Garden Island: the sheltered bays and sand patches.
- Geographe Bay, Busselton to Dunsborough: some of the best KG fishing in WA.
Whiting fishing around Australia
King George whiting anglers head for the South Australian gulfs, Port Phillip Bay and Western Port in Victoria. On the east coast, sand whiting are caught on almost every surf beach and estuary from Queensland to Victoria, with Moreton Bay, the NSW estuaries and the Sydney beaches all well known.
What Whiting Eat, and Where They Feed
Whiting forage along the bottom, digging in the sand for worms, nippers (bass yabbies), small crabs, shrimp, prawns and shellfish. You'll often see little puffs of sand where they've been feeding.
- Yellowfin and sand whiting feed over clean sand in 0.2–3 metres of water: sand flats, sandbar edges, the drains between banks, beach gutters, and the edges of seagrass.
- King George whiting prefer patchy ground: a mix of weed with sandy holes, usually in 2–20 metres. They feed in the sand between the weed clumps, and bigger fish often sit on the edge of the weed rather than out on open sand.
Best Bait for Whiting
Bait is the most reliable way to catch whiting. The golden rule is to keep it small. A whiting has a small mouth, so a bait about the size of your little fingernail, with the hook point showing, will catch far more fish than a big chunk.
- Squid: the best King George whiting bait, and great for all whiting. Cut it into thin, tapered strips about 2 cm long so it flutters in the current. It's tough, so it stays on the hook. Catch your own with our Squid Fishing Guide.
- Worms: blood worms, beach worms and sandworms are natural whiting food and hard to beat, especially on the flats and beaches.
- Nippers (bass yabbies): pumped from the sand flats at low tide, these are one of the best whiting baits there is.
- Prawns: fresh or peeled prawn threaded onto the hook. Easy to get and very effective.
- Shellfish: pipis, cockles and mussels all work well, especially for KGs.
- Fish strip: thin strips of mulie (pilchard) or blue sardine.
Berley helps. For King George whiting in a boat, a berley cage on the bottom (something like the HookEm Berley Cage) filled with pollard, a little sand and chopped bait keeps the fish feeding around you. Keep the berley on the bottom, because whiting feed down there, and surface berley mostly attracts herring and other small fish.
Whiting Fishing Rigs
There are two main whiting rigs: the running sinker rig and the paternoster rig. Both are easy to tie, and there are good pre-tied options if you'd rather not tie your own.
How to tie a whiting running sinker rig
This is the go-to rig for the river flats, beaches and anchored boats. Because the sinker slides, a whiting can pick up the bait and move off without feeling any weight.
- Thread a small ball sinker onto your main line. Use the lightest one that holds the bottom. On the shallow flats that's often just a tiny ball sinker, and in current you'll need something heavier.
- Tie on a small swivel with a uni knot or improved clinch knot. The sinker now slides freely above the swivel.
- Tie on a leader of 60–100 cm of 6–12 lb fluorocarbon to the other side of the swivel. Use a longer leader in clear, shallow water.
- Finish with a hook: a size 4–8 long-shank hook. The long shank makes it easy to unhook whiting and helps stop them swallowing the hook.
How to tie a whiting paternoster rig
The paternoster suits boat fishing, deeper water and surf beaches, where you want the baits held just off the bottom and the sinker anchored below them. It's the classic King George whiting rig in South Australia and Victoria.
- Cut about a metre of 10–15 lb leader.
- Tie two dropper loops about 30–40 cm apart, starting about 20 cm from the bottom end. Keep the loops short, about 5–8 cm.
- Attach the hooks. Either pass each loop through the eye of a long-shank hook and back over the hook, or cut each loop on one side and tie a hook to the single strand.
- Tie a snap or loop at the bottom for the sinker, and a swivel at the top to connect to your main line.
Pre-tied whiting rigs
Pre-tied rigs save time and are perfect for beginners or for re-rigging on the water. Try the Vexed KG Whiting Rig, the Vexed Sand Whiting Rig or the Vexed Whiting Paternoster Long Shank Rig. The Black Magic Whiting Snatcher is a paternoster with lumo beads and flash for attraction, which lifts the baits above the weed. Browse all rigs.
Hooks and sinkers
- Long-shank hooks in size 4 to 8 are the whiting standard. Try Gamakatsu Long Shank Red or Vexed Long Shank hooks.
- Circle hooks work very well on whiting if you don't strike: let the fish swim off and the hook sets itself in the corner of the mouth. The Vexed Long Shank Mutsu Circle combines a long shank with a circle point.
- Sinkers: small ball sinkers for running rigs, and bomb or star sinkers for paternosters in surf and current.
Browse all hooks and terminal tackle.
Best Whiting Rod and Reel Combo
Whiting fishing is light-tackle fishing. The ideal outfit is light enough to feel the tiny taps of a whiting bite and to cast small baits and lures, with a soft tip so the fish don't feel resistance and let go.
- Rod: 7' to 7'6", rated about 1–3 kg or 2–4 kg, with a soft, sensitive tip. Longer rods cast further on the flats and beaches.
- Reel: a 1000–2500 size spinning reel.
- Line: PE0.4–0.8 braid for lures and the flats, or 6–10 lb mono for bait fishing if you prefer.
- Leader: 6–12 lb fluorocarbon.
Entry-level whiting combos
A matched combo is an easy, great-value way to get into whiting fishing. These Shimano combos come ready to go in the right sizes:
- Shimano Nexave combo (7'6" 762SPL with a 2500 reel): the extra length is great for casting baits and small lures on the flats and beaches.
- Shimano Symetre combo (7' 702SPL with a 2500HG reel): a step up in smoothness.
- Shimano Sienna combo (7' 702S with a 2500 reel): a budget-friendly first whiting outfit.
Browse all rod and reel combos.
Step-up whiting outfits we'd put together
Once you're hooked on whiting, a lighter, more sensitive outfit makes a real difference. You'll cast small baits and surface lures further, feel more bites, and have more fun on the fish. These are the rod and reel pairings we use and recommend, from a great all-rounder up to the best light gear there is.
A great all-rounder
- Oceans Legacy Aurora Inshore ARA-S672UL (6'7", 2–6 lb) with a Shimano 25 Nasci FD 2500HG: a light, crisp outfit that handles bait, small plastics and surface lures on the flats.
- Yamaga Blanks Blue Current III 74 (7'4", up to 10 g) with a Shimano 25 Nasci FD 2500HG: a premium Japanese light-game rod that makes even small whiting feel big.
The serious flats outfit
- Oceans Legacy Aurora Flats Spec ARA-S732UL (7'3", 4–8 lb) with a Shimano 24 Vanford FA 2500HG: built for wading the flats, with a very light reel you'll appreciate after hours of casting.
- Yamaga Blanks Blue Current III 78 (7'8", up to 15 g) with a Shimano 23 Stradic FM 2500HG: long casts, a sensitive tip and a reliable, smooth reel.
The ultimate whiting outfit
- Oceans Legacy Quest Inshore Finesse QS-SF732UL (7'3", 2–8 lb) with a Shimano 23 Vanquish C2000S: the Quest was developed and tested popping for whiting on the Peel-Harvey, and paired with the featherweight Vanquish it's a dream to cast all day.
- Yamaga Blanks Blue Current TZ/Nano 73TZ Plug Seamless (made for working small lures) with a Shimano 22 Stella FK 2500HG: Yamaga's flagship light-game rod with Shimano's flagship reel. As good as it gets.
We carry Australia's largest range of Oceans Legacy and Yamaga Blanks, and a massive range of Shimano, so come in and we'll help you match the right rod and reel for the way you fish. For line and leader, see our braid and fluorocarbon leader.
Whiting Fishing Lures
Whiting might have small mouths, but they're aggressive predators, and catching them on lures is some of the most exciting light-tackle fishing in Australia.
Surface lures: summer on the flats
In summer, yellowfin and sand whiting chase fleeing prawns across the shallow flats, and they'll smash a small surface lure that imitates one. Watching a pack of whiting chase your lure across a sand flat in half a metre of water is some of the most fun you can have with a light rod.
Good whiting surface lures include the Bassday Sugapen 70F, a benchmark cupped-face walker, and the Daiwa Infeet Slippery Dog 65F, which rattles like a clicking prawn. The Bite Science Shift-R is another outstanding topwater whiting lure, and we have our own custom colours coming in both sizes this summer.
The key to surface whiting is to fish fast. Keep the lure skittering across the top without stopping, even when fish are chasing it, and don't strike at the splash. Wait until you feel the weight. It's best on hot days, over sand flats in less than a metre of water, on the bottom half of a rising tide. For the full rundown on lures, retrieves and hook tuning, see our guide to topwater whiting. Browse our stickbaits and fishing lures.
Soft plastics and small jigs
When the fish won't come up, fish down. Small soft plastics hopped slowly along the sand catch whiting well, especially worm and grub shapes.
- ZMan GrubZ 2" on a light 1/20–1/16 oz jig head.
- Berkley Gulp Sandworm: scented and shaped like the worms whiting eat, and almost as good as bait.
- Vexed Micro Meat: a small jig designed with whiting in mind, fished baited with a small strip of squid or fish, or cast and hopped on its own.
How to Fish for Whiting: Techniques That Work
How to catch whiting on the flats
Wade out on the rising tide, cast your running sinker rig up-current and let it settle. Every minute or so, slowly wind the bait in a metre or two, then let it sit again. A moving bait looks alive and covers more ground. Stand still between casts: in shallow water whiting feel you coming, so move slowly and cast ahead into water you haven't walked through.
How to catch whiting from a boat
- Anchor, don't drift, once you've found fish. KGs school and hold over patchy ground, and drifting over them scatters them. Anchor up, put a berley cage on the bottom, and let the fish come to you.
- Move a little. If you haven't had a bite in 15–20 minutes, pull the anchor and move 20–30 metres. KG ground is patchy, and a short move is often all it takes.
- Drifting with a paternoster over broken weed and sand is how many South Australian and Victorian anglers find schools. Once you get bites, anchor on them.
Hooking whiting
Whiting bites are a series of quick taps: tap, tap, tap. Don't strike on the taps. Lower the rod tip slightly, give the fish a moment to take the bait, then lift steadily when you feel weight. With circle hooks, don't strike at all: just wind and lift as the fish pulls away.
How to catch whiting from the beach
Whiting feed in the gutters, the deeper channels running along the beach inside the sandbars. Look for darker, calmer water between the breaking waves and cast a paternoster or running sinker rig into the gutter. The run-in tide and the first and last hours of daylight are best. For more on reading gutters, rigs and surf setups, see our beach fishing guide.
Wading Safety
- Wear dive boots or wading shoes. Shells, glass and sharp objects hide in the sand.
- Shuffle your feet. This warns stingrays before you step on them.
- Wear polarised sunglasses. You'll spot rays, drop-offs and feeding whiting.
- Watch the tide. On big flats, the water can come in behind you faster than you think.
Whiting on the Table
Whiting, and King George whiting especially, are some of the finest eating fish in Australia: sweet, delicate and white. Put them straight onto ice as soon as they're caught, because small fish spoil quickly in summer heat. Fillet them skin-on, dust lightly in seasoned flour, and pan-fry skin side down in butter for a minute or two. Keep it simple and let the fish shine.
Whiting Fishing FAQ
How do you catch whiting?
Fish small baits like squid strip, worms, nippers or prawn on a size 4–8 long-shank hook, using a running sinker rig or paternoster over sand on the rising tide. In summer, small surface lures worked fast across shallow sand flats are a great way to catch them too.
What is the best bait for whiting?
Squid strip is the best all-round bait, especially for King George whiting. Worms, nippers and prawns are excellent on the flats and beaches. Keep baits small.
What hook size is best for whiting?
A size 4 to 8 long-shank hook suits most whiting fishing. Use the smaller sizes for yellowfin and sand whiting on the flats, and a size 4 to 6 for King George whiting. Small circle hooks also work well.
What is the best whiting rig?
A running sinker rig with a 60–100 cm fluorocarbon leader and a long-shank hook for the flats and shallow water, or a two-hook paternoster for boats, surf beaches and deeper water.
What is the best rod and reel combo for whiting?
A 7'–7'6" light spinning rod (1–3 kg or 2–4 kg) with a soft tip, matched to a 1000–2500 size reel. Combos like the Shimano Nexave 762SPL with a 2500 reel are ready to fish.
Can you catch whiting on lures?
Yes. Small surface walkers and poppers like the Bassday Sugapen, Daiwa Slippery Dog and Bite Science Shift-R are deadly on yellowfin and sand whiting over the summer flats, and small soft plastics like worms and grubs hopped along the bottom also catch plenty.
What types of whiting are there in Australia?
The main ones anglers catch are yellowfin whiting (WA and SA flats and estuaries), King George whiting (southern bays and inshore weed), sand whiting (the east coast), and the smaller school and trumpeter whiting.
When is the best time to fish for whiting in Perth?
Yellowfin whiting from October to April, peaking December to March. King George whiting from about December to May in the metro. Fish the rising tide, and don't be afraid of hot, sunny days.
Get Set Up for Whiting
Whiting fishing is one of the best ways to spend a summer's day in Perth, whether you're wading the Swan River flats with a surface lure, soaking a bait off the beach with the kids, or anchored over the weed in Cockburn Sound. You can see all our whiting gear in one place on our whiting fishing gear page.
Or come and see us in store at Level 1/154 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, just up the road from some of the best whiting flats on the Swan. We fish for whiting ourselves and can set you up with the right rigs, baits and outfit for where you're fishing. Call us on (08) 9389 1337.
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