A guide to catching Mulloway around the rocks
BY TOMMY HAY
For as long as I can remember, My Pop and Dad have been telling me stories of all the big Mulloway they used to catch around the rocks, Both on lures and live bait. This always inspired me to want to chase the illusive fish around the rocks, more so than by boat. Over the last 2 years I have had a hardcore addiction to chasing mulloway in all scenarios, Whether that be by boat, from the rocks, from the beach, or fishing landbased estuaries around bridges and lights at night. There’s no doubt that my favourite way to chase mulloway is on lures around the rocks.
The first thing to look at when chasing mulloway around the rocks is conditions. Time of day, Wind, Rain, Tide, Moon, Barometric pressure, Swell etc. I could write endless pages going into depth about conditions for mulloway but I’ll try to keep it simple. I have kept a diary over the last few years, Documented all my mulloway catches as well as the conditions, Gear used and location. For me, i have caught the most amount of jewys on a midday high tide change. Ideally when I look at conditions I am looking for a light onshore seabreeze, about a metre and a half swell, cloud cover and a moving barometer, whether it be rising or dropping, As long as it’s moving. Most die hard Mulloway fishos are passionate about their favourite moon phase, but personally when I go through my diary I have caught a pretty equal amount of jew around every moon phase except the full moon. Try not to overthink the conditions too much and definitely don’t let it stop you from chasing them, as long as your lures in the water. You are a chance.
When it comes to gear it’s super important to get it right. To light and you’ll lose to many fish, To heavy and you won’t get the bite and when it comes to quality you need a rod and reel that can handle constant abuse. Fishing the rocks for jewys takes a toll on gear, getting sprayed constantly, getting bashed on the rocks, fighting big fish and constantly casting, hour after hour, day after day, chasing that one bite. For me I found my perfect set up to be a PENN prevail II 962 10-15kg paired up with a PENN authority 5500. This combo is tough as nails yet light enough to spin all day without tired arms. 30 pound braid seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to line, Light enough to get a long cast and heavy enough to handle larger fish running into structure.
Finding areas to fish around the rocks is quite simple. Any deep hole or gutter with wash over it is a prime jew spot. I find holes that have shallow sand banks outside them fish the best, especially on a run in tide. Keeping an eye out for bait schools like mullet or tailor can help point you in the direction of mulloway. I always find the days when the big tailor are around, the jew are not far. To find these spots, Google maps is your best mate. Look for washy holes around the headlands. Finding the best zones takes time and effort, just because the fish are not there one day, doesn’t mean they won’t be there another.
Now that you are geared up, you are in the right zone and the conditions have lined up, get out there and have a crack. It won’t come easy but once you land your first Mulloway from the rocks you’ll be hooked for life. My best piece of advice is never give up and never feel disheartened. When chasing Jewys sometimes it feels as if they don’t exist, But if you persist you will soon realise they bloody well do and are by far the coolest fish to catch from the rocks. And that’s what makes them so special. It takes confidence, skills, knowledge, persistence and passion to consistently hook and land Mulloway from the rocks.
