Long Live the King — Janet Lambert

LONG LIVE THE KING

Janet Lambert shares some thoughts on a passion passed down from her father.

Janet Lambert with a small Tamar River King George Whiting.

Ihave fished for as long as I can remember, it’s a passion that was instilled in me by my late father David Locke, a wool classer by trade and avid trout fisherman.

To me, fishing is more than just catching a feed for dinner, it’s the experience of getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and experiencing nature in its rawest beauty.

Along with my husband Todd, many hours have been spent on the water as a family and I have been fortunate enough to catch many different species over the years.

From tuna through to trout, targeting and being rewarded for one’s efforts holds its own addiction but I must admit, of late, there is one particular species that has me getting up at unsociable hours early of a morning in pursuit of success — King George Whiting.

Whiting are truly a fish for everyone and along with flathead, if there ever was a relatively easy to catch high quality table fish surely this is it.

King George Whiting’s distribution around Tasmania is probably far wider than people realise, fond of cooler waters they can be targeted anywhere around the state, from the North West Coast through to the Tamar River in the North and St Helens on our East Coast. I am unsure what is available in the south of our state but would be surprised if there was an absence of availability in that region as well.

Tasmanian King George Whiting can often grow well in excess of 50 cm, my husband has actually caught one 65 cm to the fork of the tail.

They truly appear to be in a different size class compared to that of their mainland counterparts.

Where to find them

The edges of weed beds, sand and mud banks are perfect locations, they are comfortable in the shallows with many of our fish landed in less than 2 metres of water. They love sandworms and these are often found spewing out of their mouths when landed.

Whiting love fresh squid and if you can source some beforehand this will definitely improve your chances. I like to cut the squid into very small strips and thread it onto a pre-made rig especially designed for whiting and readily available at your local tackle store.

Two high quality brands are Hayabusa whiting rigs and Whiting Whacker rigs from Black Magic, they have circle hooks tied onto them that encourage the fish to hook themselves. Prematurely striking when you get a bite will often only succeed in pulling the hooks out of the fishes mouth. Avoid the temptation and place the rod in the holder, the hook up will take care of itself.

An early start is an advantage.

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The gear needed

Todd likes quality gear, but it does not need to be expensive. A 7-foot graphite rod rated 2 to 4 kg and a 2500 reel spooled with 6-pound braid is all that is needed, basically it’s a trout set up. I like the Fireline brand of braid but at the end of the day it’s all personal preference really.

I like to fish with at least 3 rods in the water and space them around the boat, sometimes schools can be very localised and once located, continued casting to that area produces success when the other baits remain untouched.

When the current is strong, consider tying your bait below the sinker and fish a long leader.

Whiting will take soft plastics including grubs and fish tails; we have caught many on the Berkley green pumpkin brand whilst pursuing trevally at St Helens.

Best times to fish

This is a very hard question to answer actually, many will swear that the turn of the tide is the best time to target this species, whilst others say during bright sunlight and the first 2 hours of the run in.

We believe all fishing is best at both dusk and dawn and since this has worked for us consistently, will continue to subscribe to that theory.

Whatever time you choose to head out on the water, rest assured, should you find them and be successful, you will be rewarded with a fight that defies their size. But be aware there is a stringent bag limit placed on this species of 5 fish per person per day. When a ‘whiting bite’ is on it can be fast and furious.

With the warmer weather on its way and with King George Whiting coming into our bays and estuaries in ever increasing numbers, why not plan a trip to specifically target this species and try your luck soon? You could well be rewarded with a feed or two of one of the best tasting fish our state has to offer. Janet Lambert

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