[I:0:G]Australias premier table fish, "King George Whiting" was first officially scientifically named "Sillago Punctata" based on an individual taken from King George Sound in Western Australia. The species have a few commonly used names including "Spotted Whiting" in reference to its bars of brown spots. Other names are used in markets, mostly outside of Australia.



The King George whiting is the largest in its group and is quite easy to destinguish. It has an elongated, slightly compressed body with a tapered head and a terminal mouth to assist with bottom feeding.

Of the several whiting species found, King George Whiting is the largest and most renown. It would have to be considered as one of the best table fish around, and South Australia is most fortunate to have the densest concentration of King George Whiting, in Australia.

The continued removal of seagrass meadows during the dredging of shell-sand poses a continuing threat to king george stocks. Realistically, though, probably the biggest threat to the species stems from recreational fishing effort, given that the legal catch size is well below the breeding size.

Whitings are prized for their sweet, delicate flavour. They are versatile fishes that can be prepared in a number of ways including steaming, baking, barbecuing and grilling, with frying the most common. Careful handling is required because of their soft and delicate texture.

There are a number of locations around the coastline where whiting may be caught from beaches. The beaches facing the ocean frequently produce fish weighing in at better than two to the kilogram. When fishing for whiting from the beach, baits do need to be secure. While firm baits like squid may survive a powerful cast, softer baits like craytail, pipi, and the flesh of other bivalve molluscs may fly off the hook. For this reason it is wise to use hosiery elastic, sold in leading fishing tackle outlets as Bait Mate, to bind the bait to the hook so it does not fly off.

In deeper water it's possible to find coral formations which hold big whiting. If you locate one, take note of where it is because you're likely to find fish there again.

bait: Bass Yabbies (nippers), Beach worm, Crab, Mussel, Octopus, Pilchard, Pippi, Prawn, Sand worm, Squid, Squirt worm Other: Juvenile whiting, those less than say four to the kilogram, feed on worms, shrimp, small crabs and other crustaceans. However, preferred baits include mussel, cockle and the flesh of other bivalve molluscs which they take readily. Other effective baits less commonly used for whiting include craytail, yabby, and peeled prawn, Adolescent and adult whiting are more adventurous in regard to food preferences and will certainly feed on small fish, tiny octopus and squid. This gives anglers the opportunity to fish more selectively for the larger fish with strips of squid and the fillets taken from bait fish like pilchards.