Planning a K’gari Fraser trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Thompson

Main pic: A graphite rod and reel along with a bibless lure for tailor spinning.

A nice low-tide whiting gutter. K’GARI – meaning ‘paradise’ and previously known as Fraser Island – is rightfully known as a beach-fishing mecca.

Though it is so much more than that.

The sand-flats fishing on the western side, and at times the fishing at Sandy Cape, is very hard to beat for quantity and quality of a variety of fish year-round.

Add to that the natural beauty of the place and the freedom to drive along much of this beach and it truly is a very special place for anglers.

It is for these reasons and more that my friends, brothers and I have been fishing the island for 26 years now.

We have learnt plenty about the island’s fishing in that time and for the past decade have reported on our trips and tips through my Facebook page ‘Ontour Fishing Australia’, as well as through this magazine.

So, this month I thought I’d share some tips on what you can catch and when, what to take, and how and where to fish when you are there. Time of year

While K’Gari fishes well year around, there are definitely a couple of seasons that are better than others, depending on the fish you’re chasing.

For the dedicated beach angler, tailor fishing is at its best from late July through to early October.

A nice low-tide whiting gutter.

The timing of the schools varies a little year to year, though smaller schools can arrive as early as late May at the southern end of the beach from North Point through to around Yidney Rocks.

Though June and certainly July are better months if you’re keen to chase them and can’t make the peak times.

Tailor schools tend to thin out later in the season, however the quality improves into September particularly, into October and even November.

For those chasing whiting off the main beach, whiting fishing is best around May to June.

You can pick up some thumpers during this time.

Bream and tarwhine as well as the mighty mulloway are also best targeted in cooler months, with June to September ideal.

Dart – for those who don’t mind chasing them – are available year-round but can be a pest to anglers chasing whiting during the middle of the day in tailor season.

For rock anglers – given the main rock-fishing destinations of Indian Head (also known as Tukkee) and Waddy Point are off limits due to tailor spawning in August and September October can see some great albeit rather crowded fishing, as anglers chase bigger tailor, the occasional pelagic and the usual rock species.

I’ve also had great mixed-bag fishing of drummer, bream, dart and even a few tailor in January off the rocks at Indian Head too.

For sand-flats anglers, whiting reach their peak in August September on the western side and far southern – Hook Point – and northern – Sandy Cape – ends of the island.

Some whiting and Alvey tailor rigs.

Flathead have a slightly longer peak season, coinciding with cooler water from late June to September. Beach formations to look for

While K’Gari can offer exceptional fishing, anglers shouldn’t turn up expecting to catch fish anywhere.

For tailor anglers, look for nice deep green water in a gutter, a shallow sandbank at the back within casting distance and preferably an entry and exit point to the north and south.

A steeply shelving beach into water is another good sign of deep water.

Deep holes are also a good option – ideal particularly to set up for jewfish after dark.

A great idea – taught to me by Drew Gardiner from Gardiner’s Fisheries at Rainbow Beach – is to fish neap high tides in gutters with a steep bank close to shore to target fish that come onto the sandbanks during the day.

In the big high tides, you can’t reach them.

Throwing 40-65g lures is a great option here.

For those chasing whiting off the main beach, K’gari whiting are best targeted an hour before and after low tide.

Ideally, you want a light southeasterly breeze to put a little ripple on the water.

The best gutters are shallow with a shore dump, a blind corner, which closes up to the beach at one end, and a back sandbank at 45 degrees to the shore or blind corner.

Great spots to send out the drone or a slide bait are around rocks, such as a South Ngkala Rocks, Poyungan Rocks, Indian Head or Waddy – outside of the closure from August to September.

A beautiful flathead caught on a small soft plastic lure prior to release.

Other spots are simply deep drains or channels with big entry points to the sea or where nearby reef is located offshore.

On the western side, fish the drains and melon holes for whiting along sand flats and around creek mouths.

You can fish whiting as the tide makes its way in or out – movement in the tide is best, rather than the tidal change – add a change of light such as dusk and, if you use live bait, the action can be hot!

Cloudy days will also fish better than bright sunny days in the shallows.

Fishing around mangroves in the couple of hours before high tide for whiting and bream can also be a great option.

For those chasing flathead and other fish on plastics, fish the last couple of hours of a runout tide and first two hours of a run-in around creek mouths, drains, the edge of drop-offs or sand patches between weed. What to take Rods and reels

When it comes to beach fishing – especially on open beaches such as those on K’gari where waves can pound in to you on the shore – the Alvey reel stands without peers.

A 6-6.5” Alvey 600650 series filled with 20lb line is a good choice for tailor fishing.

This is best matched to a 13’6” composite rod, with a low mount to suit your Alvey reel.

A chopper tailor caught on the author’s preferred choice of Tru Turn gang hooks.

A low mount simply means your reel is positioned lower or closer to the butt of the rod, which allows for longer casts and makes it much more comfortable to fish with.

On long trips, I also take a cheap back-up rod in case one of the rods break during a long sortie.

One of the spare rods has absolutely delivered in times of emergency, even landing a couple of mulloway.

If you want to throw lures for tailor, a light graphite rod of 9-11’ and a matching light 2500-sized reel are perfect.

I fill the reel with 15lb Platypus braid and 20lb fluorocarbon leader.

My friends and I have been using the 10’6” Lox Iridium Surf rods in 6-10kg for a few years now – they cast a mile and are an absolute pleasure to fish with.

For light-line fishing, use a 10’6” whippy or ‘slow action’ rod for chasing whiting and bream.

A 500 or 5” series Alvey is the perfect combo for it.

No more than 6lb line is necessary off the beach for whiting and bream.

My favourite mono line for whiting is the Platypus Super 100 series, due to its very fine diameter of 0.19mm, compared to others that are up to 0.25mm.

The author’s friend Chris with a nice sand whiting.