Welcome to the Whiting Fishing Guide Victoria. Whiting known locally as Tings or KG’s are long, slender, and slimy fish with small mouths. These top table fish with fun fighting qualities make them one of the most popular fish species targeted in Victoria. They come in a few different forms but the most common is King George Whiting. They are found in good numbers in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port in shallow weedy areas. You will also find them in estuary systems. They’re a great bread-and butter-species to target by boat, kayak, or land. Whiting is an all-year-round prospect and can be caught at any time of the day, however, they are more commonly caught in Summer and Autumn and during high tide.
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Whiting Facts & Catch Limits
- Scientific name – Sillaginidae/Odacidae.
- The local legal size limit for whiting is 27cm
- The maximum daily bag limit for whiting is 20 per person.
- Whiting are great to catch on bait, soft plastics, and lures
- Whiting can grow over 60cm in size however most whiting caught in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port will generally be between 25 and 40 cm.
- Whiting is a prime table fish and is considered to be one of the best-tasting fish locally.
- It takes a while to learn how to fillet them quickly, but it’s well worth the effort.
Best time to catch Whiting ( Seasons )
In Victoria, Whiting is an all-year prospect however they are more active in Summer and Autumn. They are often best targeted at Dawn/Dusk and on tide changes.
How to catch Whiting
You can catch whiting in a variety of ways, bait being the most common but they will also happily take soft plastics and even topwater lures. It’s important to fish the right areas and whiting will generally be found in thick weedy areas with a mix of sandy patch clearings. When fishing on a boat or kayak we often fish in the weedy areas ideally trying to get our baits in the sandy clearings amongst the heavy weed. We will fish that area for 20 minutes and if no bites move on and repeat that process until we find them active.
Whiting responds well to Berley and you can easily make your own with chicken pellets, Tuna oil, and pilchards mixed together. Whiting has small mouths so use smaller size hooks. When bait fishing a simple running rig with a small sinker to swivel, then 40cm of 4-pound leader to a small baitholder long shank hook, or a paternoster rig with 2 hooks and a size sinker depending on your conditions.
We would highly recommend watching our whiting fishing masterclass below which details how to catch whiting. Including whiting characteristics, where to find whiting, berley techniques, fishing rod reel and tackle selection, rig setup, bait options, and more. We then hit the water and bag out on a good feed of whiting followed by running you through some easy filleting techniques.
Rod & Reel Setup for King George Whiting ( Gear Guide )
Whiting Fishing requires finesse so fish as light as possible. There are many rod combos on the market and the budget on these does vary greatly depending on your experience and requirements. When it comes to selecting a rod and reel suitable we recommend
Whiting fishing with lures and soft plastics | Light spin rod around 7 feet in length in 1-3, 1-4 or 2-4 kilo class. Paired with a 1000, 2000, or 2500 size reel spooled with 4-8 pound line and equivalent fluorocarbon leader.
Whiting fishing with bait | Spin rod around 7 feet in length in a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo class. Coupled with a 1000, 2000, or 2500 size reel spooled with 4-8 pound braid and an equivalent fluorocarbon leader.
Best Baits to Catch Whiting
Our best bait recommendations include pipis, small strips of squid, prawns, and sandworms. The are several ways to present baits for whiting. Either a running sinker rig or single dropper rig with a 1/0 circle hook ( there are many hooks designed specifically for whiting such as the Black Magic KL 1/0 ). Paternoster rigs are also a popular choice. Remember whiting have small mouths so don’t use hooks that are too large. 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.
Remember to berley often and fish an area for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re not getting catches then lift the anchor and move onto a new spot. It’s often a case of several moves before finding them.
- Pipis
- Squid Strips or Squid Candles ( tentacles )
- Peeled prawn
- Yabbies
- Sandworm
- Mussels
- Pilchards
- Raw chicken
- Whitebait
- Earth/scrub worms
Watch this video to learn how to make your own DIY Whiting Rigs
Best Soft Plastics to Catch Whiting
Surprisingly soft plastics are great choices for targeting whiting. Ideally worm, crab, and minnow imitation plastics such as gulp turtleback worms. Worked slowly and the whiting hits will really surprise you as these small slender fish can pack a punch. The use of stinger hooks can be important to increase catch rates as you may find your plastic nibbled on with low strike rates.
- Berkley gulp turtleback worm 4 inch in pumpkinseed
- Berkley Crabby
- Munores 4-inch curltail in caramel eclair
- Berkely fat hollow sandworm
- Zman Grub
- Munroes 2.75 inch paddle tail in glass monkey
Learn how to catch whiting with soft plastics by watching this detailed instructional guide by FishingMad
Best Lures to Catch Whiting
Whiting responds well to small surface poppers and pencil lures in shallow areas. ideally around sandy flats.
- Bassday SugaPenn 70mm
- Daiwa Slippery Dog
- OSP Bent Minnows
- Storm Gomoku popper
Best locations to catch Whiting
Whiting can be caught throughout Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Some known hotspots include
- Port Phillip Bay
- Western port
- Corio Bay
- Beaumaris Pier
- Mornington Pier
- Barwon Heads
- Kerferd road pier
- Kirks Point
- Queenscliff Pier
- Wedge Spit
- Clifton Springs
- Avalon
- Middle Spit
- Williamstown
- Sandringham Breakwall
- Portland
- Werribee
- Mordialloc Pier
- Flinders Pier
- Geelong Grammar lagoon
- Cunningham Pier
- St Helens
- Anderson inlet
- St Leonards
- Portarlington Jetty
- Mount Martha Rocks
- Sorrento Pier
- Dromana Pier
- Portsea Pier
- Blairgowrie Pier
- Rye Pier
You can obtain a free Victorian recreational fishing guide from the Victorian Fisheries Authorities
Thank you for reading our Whiting Fishing Guide Victoria. If you feel this 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
