Whiting, Still addictive, still a learning curve!
I returned again to Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast for a few days fishing for whiting on poppers in early March. I must say I was excited to get on the water after having so much success last year at this location. I knew from the start it would be different this time as the region had continued over a long period of time to receive torrential rain and in the week before my arrival they had received more than three hundred millimeters of rain in one day. So I expected the water clarity to be less than clear.
My timing for the trip was to pick a week close to the full moon and a week of very large tides like I had done last year. The high tide mark was late morning each day and this allowed me still to have a holiday meaning I could sleep in yet get some good fishing in. My plan was to get on the water each morning and use the tide to my advantage, allowing it to carry me up to my spot each day, wait for the tide to turn and then fish for a few hours and then make my way home, again with the tide but outgoing this time.
I found that a day that was less than perfect was ideal for the whiting this year meaning a day where there is light to moderate winds and if it was more on the moderate side even better. My thinking was that if the water conditions were perfect like near flat, the fish had more time to make there minds up whether to hit the lure as they could see it better. Where as on a day where there was a lot more wind/swell and sometimes more boat traffic, the fish had to decide almost instantly whether it should hit the lure passing by as it was less distinguishable. I could be wrong but that's what thought this time. For instance the first day I went out was a Sunday, it was a regular weekend on the coast, Mum and Dad and the kids were out on the water in their boats, Jet Ski's were everywhere and there was a moderate breeze all day, There was considerable constant wave action in the area I was fishing and I was catching Whiting, yet the next day there was me and thee other boats in the area I was fishing all day and the winds were very light, yet I caught very few fish.
The lure that worked for me last year was a Jaz Zappa, it is a walk the dog style lure and I have it in just about every color they make now but this year they were not my go to lure, strange the whiting seem to be off them and were favoring a more traditional cup faced lure. The lure that worked the best for me this year was an Atomic Hardz Pop 50 in Muddy Prawn color.
I found the fishing much tougher this year and I think it was mainly because of the water clarity and the abundance of sea grass floating on the surface both caused from too much rain in the estuary. In fact each night I was staying there, Caloundra received some constant heavy showers and storms coming in from the ocean so that was not helping the water condition's either. I was making at least three to four hundred casts per session to catch roughly five fish a day, like I said it was tough but rewarding especially when you catch a fish on the surface. I dropped lots of fish, especially the larger ones as they know all the tricks in the book, some go aerial, others twist and turn and then swim straight towards you, give them any slack line and they will be gone.
Again I found the best places to fish were areas that were close to sea grass beds and broken sand in between these spots, sometimes the water I was fishing was less than a foot deep. This year I also found that I caught the larger fish of the day in areas wider of these locations. I also caught a bream as they love to hit a surface lure and I caught a massive Flathead on a Popper over the top of a weed bed. At fish I thought it was a large bream as it just gently sucked the lure from the surface, I sure was surprised when I had it in the net. I did want to release it but on taking the lure from its jaws the lure slipped further down its mouth and straight through its gills, so it was game over, a shame really as I do like to release large Flathead, but I can say it tasted great on the plate. On all days except for the first day I practiced catch and release.
Anyway that's what I found this year, here is some pictures of my fishing sessions.
My timing for the trip was to pick a week close to the full moon and a week of very large tides like I had done last year. The high tide mark was late morning each day and this allowed me still to have a holiday meaning I could sleep in yet get some good fishing in. My plan was to get on the water each morning and use the tide to my advantage, allowing it to carry me up to my spot each day, wait for the tide to turn and then fish for a few hours and then make my way home, again with the tide but outgoing this time.
I found that a day that was less than perfect was ideal for the whiting this year meaning a day where there is light to moderate winds and if it was more on the moderate side even better. My thinking was that if the water conditions were perfect like near flat, the fish had more time to make there minds up whether to hit the lure as they could see it better. Where as on a day where there was a lot more wind/swell and sometimes more boat traffic, the fish had to decide almost instantly whether it should hit the lure passing by as it was less distinguishable. I could be wrong but that's what thought this time. For instance the first day I went out was a Sunday, it was a regular weekend on the coast, Mum and Dad and the kids were out on the water in their boats, Jet Ski's were everywhere and there was a moderate breeze all day, There was considerable constant wave action in the area I was fishing and I was catching Whiting, yet the next day there was me and thee other boats in the area I was fishing all day and the winds were very light, yet I caught very few fish.
The lure that worked for me last year was a Jaz Zappa, it is a walk the dog style lure and I have it in just about every color they make now but this year they were not my go to lure, strange the whiting seem to be off them and were favoring a more traditional cup faced lure. The lure that worked the best for me this year was an Atomic Hardz Pop 50 in Muddy Prawn color.
I found the fishing much tougher this year and I think it was mainly because of the water clarity and the abundance of sea grass floating on the surface both caused from too much rain in the estuary. In fact each night I was staying there, Caloundra received some constant heavy showers and storms coming in from the ocean so that was not helping the water condition's either. I was making at least three to four hundred casts per session to catch roughly five fish a day, like I said it was tough but rewarding especially when you catch a fish on the surface. I dropped lots of fish, especially the larger ones as they know all the tricks in the book, some go aerial, others twist and turn and then swim straight towards you, give them any slack line and they will be gone.
Again I found the best places to fish were areas that were close to sea grass beds and broken sand in between these spots, sometimes the water I was fishing was less than a foot deep. This year I also found that I caught the larger fish of the day in areas wider of these locations. I also caught a bream as they love to hit a surface lure and I caught a massive Flathead on a Popper over the top of a weed bed. At fish I thought it was a large bream as it just gently sucked the lure from the surface, I sure was surprised when I had it in the net. I did want to release it but on taking the lure from its jaws the lure slipped further down its mouth and straight through its gills, so it was game over, a shame really as I do like to release large Flathead, but I can say it tasted great on the plate. On all days except for the first day I practiced catch and release.
Anyway that's what I found this year, here is some pictures of my fishing sessions.
