p
u
g
n
i
r
a
e
E
g G
For their size, whiting go
hard. Though the average
weight of a whiting is
around 500g, the initial
hook set will determine
whether or not you’ll land
it which is why it is vital
that the right hooks and
fishing rod are used.
Should you hook a whiting
and it throws the hook in
the first few seconds of the
fight, it will swim back to
the school spooking them,
leaving you fishing for the
next however long without
a bite. Then, you’ll have to
make a move or multiple
moves to re-locate the
school.
Rod choice is critical,
mainly because you need
something that will absorb
the short sharp runs
without the pressure being
on the hook and rig but
more so taken up by the
rod.
In Western Port, you can
either fish the shallow
mud flats for whiting in
2-5 meters of water using
1-2oz of weight to hold
20
bottom or head out to 15-
17m of water using 6-8oz
of weight to hold bottom.
You will need to have two
separate outfits; one for
the deep and one for the
shallow because a lighter
rod that is more suitable
for fishing shallow wont
be able to support a 6-8oz
sinker in the deep.
In Port Phillip Bay, most
of the common whiting
ground is only 2-5m deep
and the strength of the
tide is like that of fishing
around Western Port’s
shallow mud flats so you
can get away with the one
outfit.
In an ideal world,
combining one outfit to
cover all bases is not that
simple but then again it
can be. Due to the huge
difference in depth and
tide for whiting over both
waterways, the Wilson
Texalium RLFTX32 2-4kg
allows anglers to fish light
sinkers in the shallows
but can handle up to 8oz
sinkers in the deep so you
can get away with having
just one rod for all whiting
scenarios.
Matched to that, a 2000
or 2500 size reel which is
more than ample for the
fish you’re catching.
If you fish with overhead
reels a Wilson Texalium
RLFTX31 will fit the bill
mounted with a baitcast
reel as the rod is the
overhead version of the
RLFTX32.
Keeping your outfit light
will make the battles much
more enjoyable rather than
just skull dragging the fish
in.
Braid choice isn’t that
critical however, I would
keep braid strengths to a
minimum mainly for the
fine diameter. Thinner
lines reduce pressure on
the line and prevents the
current from taking out
more line into the water
than is needed. Preferably,
a thinner diameter braid
in 6lb or 8lb is more than
adequate.