SURFACE LURES, LIGHT RODS, KG RIGS & BAIT GEAR
Whiting: Flats to Boat
Whiting in Perth is two completely different fisheries, and this page covers both. On the flats, yellowfin whiting push into water so shallow their backs are out, chasing prawns, and they'll chase down a surface lure retrieved at full speed. From the boat, King George whiting sit on the sand and weed patches in Cockburn Sound, Warnbro and off Rottnest, and a strip of squid on a light paternoster over berley catches the best eating fish in the state.
Compleat Angler Nedlands stocks the Sugapens and small poppers for the surface bite, the light rods and reels that suit both jobs, Vexed's full range of KG whiting rigs and Micro Meats, long shank hooks, sinkers, berley cages and the bait jigs to catch your own squid on the way out. Browse by category below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I catch whiting on surface lures?
Fish the flats at Point Walter, Como, Pelican Point or the Peel on a warm morning, in less than half a metre of water. Cast a Bassday Sugapen 70 or Zipbaits Skinny Pop Jnr and retrieve it fast and constant, a tailor retrieve, not a whiting retrieve. Yellowfin whiting think it's a fleeing prawn and hunt it down. They'll miss, follow and miss again; keep winding until they connect.
What's the best bait and rig for King George whiting?
A thin tapered strip of fresh squid on a size 4 to 6 long shank, fished on a light two-dropper paternoster or a Vexed KG Whiting Rig with a small snapper lead. Anchor over the sand and weed patches in 5 to 20m, get a berley cage on the bottom, and don't strike on the tap-tap-tap. Lower the rod, let them take, lift steady.
What is a Vexed Micro Meat?
A small hybrid jig head from 3.5g up, with assist hooks under a lumo skirt, built for whiting, bream and flathead. Bait it with a squid strip and drop it to the bottom off the boat, or fish it bare as a micro jig on the flats. It's the whiting version of the Bottom Meat that made Vexed famous.
Which rod for whiting?
One light rod does both jobs. A 7' 1–3kg or 2–4kg spin rod with a quick tip, a 1000 to 3000 reel, PE0.4–0.6 braid and 6 to 8lb fluoro. For the boat you can go a little longer and softer, a 7'6" Raider or Jewel in the light class, so the whiting don't pull the hook on the way up.
When is whiting season in Perth?
Yellowfin whiting fire on the flats through the warm months, October to April, when the prawns are running. King George whiting are caught year-round, with the metro grounds fishing best from late spring through summer and Geographe Bay holding fish all year.