Wading for whiting tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Thompson

Sand spits where merging waters meet is a top target spot for whiting.

Wading for whiting tips

WHILE springtime is associated with flotillas of boats chasing flathead in and around the southern Moreton Bay islands and Broadwater, much less attention is given to chasing fish such as flathead and whiting on foot in spring.

Even when it comes to fishing charter operators – with a couple of exceptions such as fellow scribes Clint Ansell and Ross McCubbin – few offer charter clients shore-based options, at least in southeast Queensland.

This is a shame, becasue I think the challenge of targeting fish wading the flats on foot is that bit more special.

When wading, your senses are heightened – feeling the subtle temperature changes on your legs, seeing and hearing any slight movements or variation in bottom structure up close – and, of course, it is damn relaxing!

Alvey reels and long light whippy rods are perfect for whiting on the flats.

Springtime targets

Flathead aren’t the only likely target on the flats of southeast Queensland over spring.

Summer whiting, bream, trevally, grunter, flounder and even species associated more with reef fishing such as cod, grunter and snapper are possible, if your flats are located near a ledge or nearby reef structure.

The two main ways I successfully target the flats are by using soft plastics and bait.

This month, I will focus on wading the flats with bait – whiting being the main target species.

Bait fishing the flats

There are two types of bait that are first-class to fish the flats with – and I wouldn’t fish without them.

These can be categorised into live worms and yabbies.

When it comes to live worms, these can be anything from squirt worms to rock wrigglers to blood or beachworms.

Each works well, with blood and squirt worms generally doing better the further up an estuary you might go, as they are a more natural bait.

For me, two of the easiest bait to gather are beachworms and yabbies. So I tend to take both because at times fish might have a preference for one over the other.

If you don’t have one, invest in a stainless-steel yabby pump.

It will pay for itself many times over with fresh live bait.

Likewise, if you can’t catch beachworms, check out the series of videos on my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook page – a few are on there showing how to catch beachworms.

Learn to catch beachworms because for bait on the flats, they are one of the best.

Best times

A key thing to remember on the flats is the general rule – the more run, the more fun with whiting.

Generally, this means whiting bite best during the bigger spring tide periods associated with the four days or so leading up to and after full and new moons.

It also means there is more water movement and with it, whiting following the tide during the mid-stages when there is a faster run.

Refer to what I call ‘the rule of twelfths’ in some of my previous articles online or on my Facebook page.

On the other hand, the hour either side of a low tide can be very slow.

The action also slows a little on a high tide – except this top of the tide period often provides fish with yabbies and worms, particularly around mangroves that they can’t access on the lower stage of the tide.

So don’t be afraid to fish through this period, particularly around bigger spring tides.

The author’s brother Ron with a snodger whiting caught on the flats fishing a drain.

Target areas

One of the key things to remember when targeting the flats is to think like a fish – and think would they be here?

As an example, you want to avoid those flat white hard sandy areas that are devoid of bait and changes in structure.

Look instead for subtle differences in water colour by using quality polaroid sunglasses.

These might include slightly deeper channels and drains that fill over the flats, the edge of sand spits and higher sandbanks into deeper water, areas of soft darker sand littered with melon holes and areas where the running water meets as it runs over the flats.

These last spots are evident by mini waves and rippled water that stir up bait and attract fish at the same time.

You also want to be following the tide in or out as it moves.

Don’t sit and wait, expecting the whiting to come back to a spot you caught them from early in a run-in, when the tide is nearly peaking on the shoreline.

Some of the better fish from a good session on the flats of K’gari.

Techniques

Whatever you do, don’t stomp into the water and cast.

Always have a few casts from dry land first and slowly retrieve your bait to the shore to find fish.

If there are no fish, you can either move sideways or, if the area in front of you looks productive, wade in slightly and cast.

Once you are in the water though, be sure to keep your movements slow and subtle to avoid spooking the fish.

Another thing you can do when wading, particularly on a rising tide, is to stir up the mud or sand around you with your feet.

This acts as berley and will bring fish to the spot as the tide rises and you slowly retreat backwards to it.

Also, once you find fish, you can cast back closer to the spot where you caught them.

Again, use minimal sinker size – nothing more than a size 2 ball sinker or you will spook the fish in shallow water, as the splash and the weight will feel unnatural to the fish in shallow water.

You can even go unweighted, using the technique that Clint Ansell from Brad Smith Fishing Charters uses, provided the wind is in your favour.

Look for subtle variations in water colour for depth changes on the flats.

Tackle and rigs

A perfect whiting rig for the slow retrieve technique is made up of an 80-90cm trace of fluorocarbon line, a No. 4 Tru-Turn Aberdeen finesse hook and, depending on wind, a No. 1 or 2 bean sinker.

If you are using an Alvey for bait fishing, be sure to run the sinker between another 25cm trace and two swivels to help prevent line twist.

Above the hook, I prefer to use three to four pieces – rather than one single piece – of 1cm long red tubing, with a bead sitting on top of them.

This red tubing acts as an attractant to the fish. If using a worm, make sure you thread the worm up and over the eye of the hook onto the line, so it sits naturally on the hook.

I also make a few spare rigs and wrap them around a piece of pool noodle. There is nothing worse than your friends being on a hot bite and there you are making up a new rig!

When wading, I place it inside a medium snaplock bag and inside my Alvey wading bag side pocket or in my Alvey dry pack, so the saltwater doesn’t get to the hooks and swivels.

When it comes to fishing reels while wading the flats for whiting, there is no comparison to an Alvey reel.

They are tough as nails and you can drop them in the water while you get your fish off and even wind back on them when you get a bite. If you don’t have one, be sure to grab one before the pending closure.

Observing the flats at low tide will tell you where the fish will be on the rising tide.

In terms of rods, I prefer to use something around 10’6” for distance casting, but light enough to fish all day with. I also favour a flexible tip, so the fish can pick up the bait and pull the rod down gradually, and not a stiff unforgiving tip that will create resistance and mean losing fish.

My rods are generally about 2-4kg. With plenty of choices out there, my advice is to buy the best you can afford.

Quality will last!

I hope you got something out of this article – whether you are an experienced or relatively new angler. Until next month, as usual keep an eye out for more tips, reports and videos on my Facebook, Insta and You- Tube pages – Ontour Fishing Australia.