Sand whiting (summer whiting)

A slim, sandy-silver fish with a long, pointed snout, a small mouth, two dorsal fins and a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin. No spots or bars on the body.

8–14 in.

About 20 in and 3 lb (1.4 kg).

Worms, yabbies (nippers), small crabs and shrimp dug out of the sand.

Schools over clean sand in the surf zone, on estuary flats and in channels, feeding on the bottom with its pointed snout. Spooky in clear, shallow water.

Found from Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef and South-East Australia & Tasmania. Ocean beaches, estuary sand flats and channels from north Queensland to eastern Victoria.

Ocean beaches, estuary sand flats and channels from north Queensland to eastern Victoria.

1–20 ft.

1–10 ft in gutters and on flats.

Spring and summer (September to March), when big schools move into the shallows.

Dusk and into the night, and the first light of morning.

The rising tide and the top of the tide, when gutters and holes along the beach fill with water.

Calm, warm weather; a light onshore breeze is fine.

Live beachworms, bloodworms, yabbies (nippers), soldier crabs and pipis.

Small surface poppers and stickbaits ("whiting on surface" in summer) and tiny soft-plastic worms.

7–9 ft light spinning rod; 10–12 ft light surf rod on the beach.

Long-shank size 4–1 hooks, often with a red bead above.

4–8 lb braid or mono.

6–10 lb fluorocarbon, long (3–6 ft) and with a light running sinker.

Fish a running sinker rig in beach gutters or on estuary flats with live worms or yabbies, and slowly wind the bait back. In summer, skip small poppers fast over sand flats.

Fresh, live bait catches far more whiting than frozen; pump your own yabbies on the flats at low tide.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

One of Australia's best-eating fish: sweet and delicate. Lightly crumb or batter and fry; best eaten fresh.

Mostly harmless; watch for stingrays on the flats (shuffle your feet) and bluebottles on the beach.

Minimum sizes (around 23–27 cm) and bag limits in Queensland and NSW. Check current rules. Each Australian state sets its own rules: NSW and Victoria require a recreational fishing licence in fresh and salt water, Western Australia needs a licence for boat fishing and freshwater angling, Tasmania for inland waters, and Queensland only for stocked impoundments; the Northern Territory needs none. Bag limits, size limits, closed seasons and marine park zones apply everywhere.

Keep only what you'll eat and release the big breeders; wet your hands, support the fish's belly and get it back in the water fast.