Tide changes are important when fishing for mulloway on a beach especially fishing a high tide, the best times are 2 hours either side of the peak, this allows the maximum amount of water in the gutter and the mulloway are able to stay undercover to prey on small bait fish.If a high tide coincides with dawn or dusk and 2-3 days before and after a new or full moon, this is a recipe for success.
Where-
Gutters and deep holes along a stretch of surf beach, these deep water spots create a place where the currents push all forms of food into, allowing the mulloway to feed on easy prey.
To find a gutter you need to look for the calmer water in the surf zone, a good pair of polarized sun glasses makes the job alot easier as they minimize the glare on the waters surface. This allows you to spot the deeper darker areas. The gutters will normally run parallel to the beach with a wave crashing on the back edge of the gutter then 'smoothing out' over the deep water in the gutter, then the waves reform and will crash onto the beach. If the gutter has a good entry and exit point over the sandbar and into the deep water this will be your best spot to try.
What to use-Bait-
Mulloway are an ambush opportunistic predator and will feed on most fish,Prawns and squid.
yellow tail,tailor,mullet,mulies,whiting,and salmon trout being some of the best baits for mulloway and are normally easy to obtain.Fresh is best and live is better, remember if you decide to use tailor or salmon trout as mulloway bait you must still adhere to the size limits, 30 cm is the legal minimum size, i would recommend dispatching tailor and salmon trout and using a fresh fillet as a 30 cm+ fish is difficult to cast.
-Gear
There are several options when it comes to beach fishing for mulloway, either a 6-8000 size spinning reel or a 20-50 size over head reel spooled with at least 200m of 20-30lb main line, i prefer to use braid lines as it allows a much better casting distance and with little to no stretch you feel every bite. for beach rods a 10-13' rod is perfect for casting the distances required and graphite is the better option, graphite is much lighter then fiberglass rods so your arms don't get tired when casting and retrieving baits all night. match a rod to the line class you are using and a rod with the ability to cast at least 150 grams which will equal a 4 oz sinker and a bait.
hooks and trace line are important when fishing for mulloway as they can be very timid at times, the smaller and lighter the better, i fish two 5/0's snelled on 60lb trace set about 6 cm apart.
when fishing in heavy surf conditions or there are several people fishing close together to stop your bait from sending up 200m down the beach i recommend using an impact sinker.these sinkers are available at all leading tackle shops, the idea with an impact sinker is you hook the small piece of wire on the sinker onto your bottom hook thus allowing your bait and sinker to travel as one, increasing your casting distance tremendously, when the sinker and bait hit the water they separate and the sinker sets its 4 prongs into the sand anchoring you bait in place. allowing your bait to float around waiting for a mulloway to engulf it.
impact sinkerBlack magic bait buddy is a beach fisherman's best friend, this white roll of cotton can be the difference between catching fish or going home empty handed. the cotton is wrapped around your bait and hooks stopping your bait from flying off while casting, mulies are the worst for that, bait buddy also helps to combat pickers.
black magic bait buddyfor fresh and live bait. Activity creates activity as the smaller fish are feeding on the burley this will get the attention of any larger predator fish, leading them to your bait.
if you use some or all of these tips you will soon find your catch rate increasing!
catch ya next time
corey
Great Info. Many thanks
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