Welcome to the Trevally Fishing Guide Victoria. Trevally pound for pound is one of the best fighting fish in all of Australia. In the top parts of Australia surface popping for big Trevally is one of the bucket list fishing experiences that you must tick off. Trevally are very strong and even the smaller ones will give you a run for your money on light spinning gear. They are stunning fish that shine in the sunlight. They come in a range of types and sizes from Silver, Diamond, Golden, Bigeye, and Giant ( An awesome sports fish that can grow in excess of 40 kilos and feel like a freight train on the end of your line ). However, in Victoria, you will mainly be catching the smaller silver trevally.
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Trevally Facts & Catch Limits
- With the scientific name Pseudocaranx spp
- Trevally has Legal-size trevally is 20 cm
- daily bag limit of 20 legal sizes per person.
- Trevally does vary in size however in Victoria you’re mainly targeting the smaller ones with estuary systems
- In the top end of Australia is where you will find the Giant Trevally GT.
- They come in a range of types and sizes from Silver, Diamond, Giant, Golden, and Bigeye. However, in Victoria, you will mainly be catching the smaller silver trevally.
- They make great bait for gummy sharks and mulloway.
Best time to catch Trevally ( Seasons )
In Victoria, Trevally can be caught all year round however they are most active in Spring. They are often best targeted at Dawn/Dusk.
How to catch trevally
Watch the video below of Trevally chaos in Portland on the Kayak before setting our targets on Kingfish
Silver Trevally is frequently found in estuaries and entrances of the bay and ocean. They love clear water and locally they will reside in areas with structures like boat wharves, bridge pylons, and rock walls. You will also find them in sandy flats, shallow reefs, and along the edge of dropoffs. In the estuary systems, you can catch many small Trevally. Silver trevally might not be the biggest fish but gee they fight hard. Pound for pound one of the best fish in the bay and estuaries.
We love catching silver trevally bt they are often welcome bycatch when targeting bream, snapper, whiting, and other local species. If you are heading North then go on a charter that specializes in chasing Trevally. They will provide you with the adequate rods and jigs required to target these magnificent species. They will also know how and where to target them. Often looking for known reefs. In Victoria, your mainly come across the smaller silver trevally which will likely be between 20 to 40cm. For this a 2-5 kilo rod that’s 7 feet in length is perfect. Coupled with a 2500-size reel spooled with an 8-pound braid and leader. If your game you can try with lighter gear. Fishing offshore in areas like Portland they can grow bigger and you may need to up the rod class and line leader strength.
If you are traveling north and targeting the big Trevally then a decent game outfit will be required. You are most likely to be going out with a charter and they will provide adequate gear for you. Trevally is an all-year-round prospect that can generally be caught at any time of the day
Best Baits to Catch Trevally
Our best bait recommendations include pilchards, small strips of squid, and other small pieces of flesh bait. The are several ways to present baits for trevally. Either a running sinker rig, dropper rig, and paternoster rigs are also popular choices. The rig choice will be dependent on where you are fishing and the conditions such as tidal strength. Where possible fish with as little weight. When land-based you may need a heavy sinker to cast out as far as you can.
- prawns
- sandworms
- maggots
- scrub worms
- Blue bait
- whitebait
- raw chicken
- pilchards
- Pippies
- squid
- mussels
Our rig recommendations when bait fishing would include a running sinker rig or paternoster rig as shown in the images below. Please note we have detailed step-by-step video guides in our member’s area on how to create these rigs.
Simple running sinker
Thread a small running sinker through the mainline shown in blue. Tie a small barrel swivel to the end allowing the sinker to run up the mainline freely. On the other end of the swivel add 50cm of fluorocarbon leader ( shown in grey ). Finished with a small long shank hook.
Paternoster Rig
Tie your mainline to a barrel swivel. Create 2 loop knots and thread a hook over each loop knot allowing you to run multiple baits. At the end attach a sinker again threaded on via a loop knot.
Best Soft Plastics and lures to Catch Trevally
Trevally will happily take a range of soft plastics and shallow diving lures. Our favorite plastics include worm and minnow imitations. Our favorites include worm imitations, grubs, curl tails, paddle tails, and minnow imitations. For jig head selection it’s a good idea to have multiple weights and sizes with you. This way you can adjust based on the current strength and weather conditions. We generally would have a 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, and & 1/12 jig head in a 2/0 and 3/0 size. Take your time when rigging and make sure the plastic is on straight, this improves the plastic action.
- Berkley 4-inch turtleback worm ( camo )
- Munroes 3.75-inch paddle tail ( UV F
- Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 inch grub
- Berkley gulp turtleback worm
- Damiki rippers
- Squidgy wriggles
- Berkley powerbait grub
- Zman 2.5 inch grub
- Dawia Bait Junkie paddle tail minnow
- Squidges biotough grub
- small surface poppers
- berkley 3 inch minnows
- small metal spoons
When soft plastics fishing for flatties we use 2 simple techniques. The good thing about both these techniques is that there easy to learn and master. You will see after some practice that they are simple yet very effective.
The Hopping technique – Simply cast your plastic or lure and wait a few seconds for it to hit the bottom, then do several quick erratic lifts wind in the slack and let the plastic sink back down to the bottom. wait 5-10 seconds then repeat this process until your plastic or lure is back where you are fishing. The idea behind this technique is that your imitating a wounded baitfish, and when it sinks back to the bottom is when you get most of your catches.
The slow roll – Simply cast your plastic or lure and wait a few seconds for it to hit the bottom, then simply do a slow continuous retrieve of your fishing reel. This basic technique is known as the slow roll. This works great with curl tails, and paddle tail plastics as the natural action of the soft plastics do all the work. Keeping the plastic or lure a foot or two above the bottom is a dynamite way to catch them.
Best locations to catch Trevally in Victoria ( Hot Spots )
- Portsea Pier
- Blairgowrie Pier
- Rosebud Pier
- Frankston Pier
- Mordialloc Pier
- Werribee River
- Cunningham Pier
- Portarlington Pier
- Queenscliff Pier
- Anderson inlet
- Barwon Heads
- Bemm River
- Corinella pier
- Flinders Pier
- Hastings Pier
- Kerferd road pier
- Lake Tyers
- Lorne
- Maribyrnong River
- Mordialloc creek
- Mornington Pier
- Sorrento Pier
You can obtain a free Victorian recreational fishing guide from the Victorian Fisheries Authorities weblink
If you feel this Trevally Fishing Guide Victoria fish species guide is missing key information or needs any corrections. Then please let us know by emailing our team at enquiries@fishingmad.com.au with specific details in the email. Thank you