Offshore Mandurah Whiting
Quick report.
Decided to head offshore yesterday. Willyweather had <1m swell and <10knot wind. Sounded good for a bash but decided against heading further offshore as it was just wrong. Deckie (other half) gets green under the gills with slop and it was sloppy but still OK for a couple of nautical miles off. Whiting pretty much anywhere off the cut adjacent to reef on sand I was told. Was surprised by 2 things. Caught a couple of red herring (goatfish) which I know in Victoria is prised by some Italians as a prize fish. Do they occur in numbers here, as I have never caught one here? Fighting another day they are.
And the Deckie caught a sand whiting 42cm on the brag mat. I thought originally it had to be a yellowfin but it certainly wasn't. I have caught plenty of sandies but didn't expect one that size. What is the sizes that one see. Never realy targeted offshore whiting as I would have gone further wide chasing demersals in the past and mostly have fished further offshore up Karratha way with the "new" Mrs/Deckie.
We only needed a feed so got our 30 easily and gently steamed back dragging the scaling bag which does make a huge difference. Finished with a kilo off fillets which is more than enough for a fresh fish feed.
Had pics on GoPro but as it is a new hero4 I stuffed the recording up :-(.
Hoping someone can answer the questions as I am fairly new to targeting whiting down south from a boat, but have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. Took out a berley bomb but they were on the bite from go to whoa so didn't even use it. Some other models of sandies were typical "chippy" size, but a few were also thumpers, but nothing like the big model.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
eziliving
Posts: 865
Date Joined: 30/12/09
Cransy I've got an area down
Cransy I've got an area down towards the bouvards which I normally do alright on. Can't say I've ever got a 42cm model but around the 35cm is not uncommon. Best tasting whiting IMO.
Get busy living, or get busy dying!
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Well we are sort off in the same area
"out from the Cut" means a large area. And I live in Bouvard.
I have to admit it was a whopper and just wondered if that is common. Sounds not.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
lame
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 20/01/10
Bunbury get them up to 45cm
Bunbury get them up to 45cm ,southern school whiting ,that's what I muck around with if I'm on my own and get a dhuie but haven't got my fishing fix , also good fun for when the bans on too , plenty of small flatties generally on the same ground with the odd flounder a nice surprise , bloody gurnards still as well
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Spot on
Got a few tiny flatties, one must have just fallen out of the egg!!! It was about the size of my thumb. I thought 42 was good, but wow an almost half meter sand (school) whiting.
Did I get the species wrong. Thought in WA 3 species - Sand, YF and KG?
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
sea-kem
Posts: 14857
Date Joined: 30/11/09
You know the story Neals, no
You know the story Neals, no photos it didn't happen
Love the West!
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
I know
but not bragging or claiming it as it was the Deckie who caught it.
As for the 30kg Dhu I got - well now that's a story ;-0 LOL!!!
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
piston broke
Posts: 776
Date Joined: 05/11/08
I would like
to see a 450mm sand whiting, that would be amazing.
Chinbald
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 21/02/09
Anything over 300mm is a good Sandy.
We fished off Mandurah north 32m on Sat for 60 whiting, biggest 290mm, my 30 fish fillets went 1.515kg, last 1000 odd sandys off my boat biggest around 330mm, love to see any brag mat pics of sand whiting as stated above.Can anyone inform me of where all the juvenile flathead go when they mature. I personally would have released 40/50 fish on Saturday which is pretty frustrating. Most drops resulting in 1 or 2, 200-250mm flatties. Whiting couldn't beet them to the baits.
The Saint
Posts: 456
Date Joined: 30/01/13
Crasny,I had never caught a
Crasny,
I had never caught a goat fish in nearly 30 years fishing out of Rockingham, but in the last couple of years have caught about 6, including one Sunday before last.
Odd that they have just seemed to appear. You are right about the Italians over east, they absolutely love them.
Because I'd heard that, we kept one to try, (it went a tad over 40CM) it was not bad but I doubt I'd keep another, there are tastier fish in the sea.
And that was a cracker of a whiting, the sandies I get go nowhere near it.
lame
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 20/01/10
photo
I can't post photos via my phone I'll see if the Mrs can or I'll do it when home in a week
They suffer from baratroma but beautiful fillets