Fishing around Geelong - Whiting

The King George Whiting is regarded by many as the finest eating fish found in our region and may grow to a maximum length of nearly 70cm and a weight of up to 4kg. 

King George Whiting are an attractive fish with a slender, rounded body and a tapering head. There body is light to dark brown above changing to silver below, with many small dark spots on the sides, often in rows.

The dorsal fin consists of two almost completely separated sections, the first of which contains rather weak spines. The second section is longer and contains soft rays. The mouth is small and has a single row of teeth. The caudal or tail fin usually has a yellowish tinge.

Juvenile King George Whiting are most often found in bays, inlets and other shallow, sheltered coastal waters - usually in close proximity to seagrass beds. Adult fish can also be found in Corio and Port Philip Bays 

Young whiting which remain in or near seagrass beds for the first few years of life eat mainly small crustaceans - particularly bass yabbies - and marine worms. Larger fish feed almost exclusively on marine worms and crustaceans in deeper waters, but will also eat soft-shelled or shell-less molluscs in shallower vegetated areas. 

Catches are highest during late autumn and early winter, but catches are taken throughout the year. 

In Victoria a minimum legal total length of 27cm and a bag limit of 20 fish per person per day applies to King George Whiting. The bag limit was introduced recently partly to assist in the conservation of the Whiting population.