How to catch mulloway off the rocks

By Bob Thornton

Rock fishing a serious sport with many challenges, whenever and wherever one may choose to do it. Learning how to catch mulloway from coastal headlands, ledges and man-made breakwalls is perhaps one of the most challenging learning curves within rock fishing.

Chasing these fish in the turbulent waters where rock meets sea is not something you take up casually. This style of fishing for mulloway is not only difficult and time-consuming, but also quite dangerous at times, and requires very specific considerations if you want to be able to do it safely and successfully.

Inshore rocky washes can produce especially large mulloway at times, but to have a chance of reaping these rewards it is essential to set yourself up properly, and to think carefully about your chosen location. If you want to know how to catch mulloway off the rocks, you need to go all in!

In this blog we’ll chat to a veteran to the game, Joey Urqhart, who has caught more big jewies off the bank around northern NSW than he cares to admit. I’ve already chatted to Joey about catching big mulloway from the beach for another blog, however in this blog we will chat specifically about the rocks.

You’re my rock

Most mulloway don’t spend all their time around the ocean rocks and breakwalls. In fact, they are most common in sheltered waters like rivers, harbours, bays and estuaries for the first years of their life. These fast-growing fish will then migrate to offshore reefs and wrecks after 5-8 years, usually when they are around a metre or so in length. 

Big mulloway spend most of their time offshore or in very deep river holes and bays. With that said, certain environmental phenomena that can bring them in close to shore and have them feeding near to the surface. Naturally, Joey is well in tune with the habits of these big animals.

He says there are two main things that bring them in close to shore: bait and turbulent conditions. Either of these factors are sufficient for big mulloway, however if both occur simultaneously, even better!

“Through the winter months I’ll chase big fellas at night,” he says, “you don’t need much in the way of swell or wash, because there’s plenty of big mullet around for them to eat.”

This annual run of sea mullet that happens along much of the East Coast in winter, where spawning fish school along beaches, headlands and around estuary mouths. The South Coast experiences a similar migration through autumn, with the South West Coast of WA also hosting schools of spawning mullet through winter.

When there is lots of bait around, Joey likes to fish in the evenings around the tide changes, with either the high change or low change worth fishing. As for which tide, moon phase or time of day is best, no two anglers can ever seem to agree on exactly the same set of variables. It seems each location has its own nuances.

When the mullet aren’t running, Joey wait for when conditions are, in his words, “absolute rubbish.”

“In December, January and February we get big river floods and big seas where I live,” Joey says, “during a big flood bait from the rivers is getting pushed out to sea, and the big mulloway love hunting in the brown water and turbulence.”

Even if there is no river flood, though, Joey will still head out for a session if the swell is up and there’s plenty of white water. Lots of turbulence and white water around ocean rocks and breakwalls is often enough to draw in big mulloway from nearby reefs, wrecks and deep surf gutters, as the wave action against the rocks provides ample opportunity to ambush disorientated prey.

“One bonus of going out during big seas is there’s usually no one else out there!” Joey laughs, “and I find that if its rough or you’ve got floodwater, you can catch them day and night.”

Something else worth clearing up is the belief that mulloway only like deep water, however this isn’t true at all, especially around the rocks.

“Everyone thinks you need to find deepest water, but I’ve caught so many fish with my shallow-divers hitting bottom,” he explains, “I’ll even fish away from the main hole or channel if it’s super rough.”

Lures for the rocks

Jewies hunting around the washes are generally there for one reason: food! It’s for this reason that many anglers like using large lures. A big old mulloway that has just swam inshore from a nearby reef is after a meal and not a snack, according to Joey.

He sticks with just two main lure types for his land-based jewie fishing, and with these two lures he’s able to cover all columns of the water and imitate a range of common prey items.

“The first is big shallow-diving hardbodies,” he says, “and I usually like something about 190-200mm long that dives to that 2-5-foot mark.”

Big hardbodies are ideal for imitating migratory mullet during winter, with most land-based mulloway diehards (including Joey) preferring to employ a slow and steady retrieve. Working them slowly so they wobble just below the surface is a proven method, especially when the mullet are running, during a flood or when large swells are battering the rocks.

“Hardbodies seem to get the bigger bites,” Joey adds, “even when it’s flat”.

When conditions aren’t so conducive and Joey wants to give himself a chance of landing whatever mulloway are in the area, he changes his tactics.

“The other lure I like to have is big soft plastics,” he explains, “and the Bait Junkie 6.2” Minnows are great for working the entire water column, especially when conditions aren’t so rough.”

Other soft plastics suitable for the task include the new 5.5” Wave Minnow and 10” Gar, which are great to have in the tackle box at any time. With these three soft plastics, an angler can imitate anything from prawns, garfish, longtom, smaller mullet, squid and just about anything else a hungry mulloway might want.

Tackle for the rocks

Chasing big fish in such a dynamic and sometimes dangerous environment demands specific tackle, and while there is some conjecture about what is best, Joey is pretty firmly set on a few favourites.

“The Sensor Surf in the 12ft heavy 10-20kg model is the best all-round rod I’ve used for this,” Joey explains, “and I pair it with either a 14000 BG MQ or 14000 Maverick.”

Long and sturdy graphite rods are not only good for fighting big powerful fish around jagged terrain, but also for punching long cast after long cast with heavy lures. To help with his casting, Joey opts for a braid-to-leader set-up, rather than running straight monofilament – often still preferred by traditionalists.

“I run 50lb J-braid Expedition on both my reels,” he says, “I’ve found if you go too heavy with the braid you won’t get the casting distance.”

“For my leader I like to use 60lb Saltiga Fluoro, and I like this stuff because it’s super tough, which is ideal around the rocks.”

Tips and safety

As I’ve mentioned, land-based mulloway fishing isn’t without its dangers, and the utmost caution and vigilance should be practised wherever you may be fishing. With big fish that require as much concentration as mulloway, it’s so important not to become oblivious to the elements, especially if you’re fishing during big seas. You can read my blog on rock fishing safety here.

Another consideration is landing big fish, which for Joey and most other land-based jewie hunters means using a long, strong gaff. With XOS mulloway being such a good table fish, most caught from the rocks are kept. Gentle landings are near impossible in some places, and also risk exposing the person landing the fish to dangerous waves on the lower ledges. A quick shot with a long-handled gaff can help avoid such a catastrophe and is a far easier and safer way to secure your trophy mulloway.

While Joey often fishes by himself, newcomers are strongly encouraged to fish with at least one other person. Another set of eyes and hands is good to have in general, but particularly useful when fighting and landing a big fish on the rocks.

As far as the fishing is concerned, Joey’s best advice is to never give up!

“The person that catches the most is the person that goes the most,” he laughs, “I have plenty of fishless trips, but I don’t mind that, because it teaches me what I need to change.”

“Something else to keep in mind is that really big mulloway often travel in pairs,” he goes on, “My personal best of 136cm came when I was just about to pack up and go home.”

“A guy fishing across the river had just gaffed one about 17kg, and I could see that there was no one else around.”

“I then launched a cast in his general direction and hooked up immediately,” he explains, “I’ve had that happen a few times now!”

Hard as rock

It may seem strange to want to target such an elusive fish in this uncomfortable and dangerous environment, especially when there’s absolutely no guarantee of consistent success! If you ask Joey though, this is part of the fun.

“It’s pure adrenalin when you get a big one,” he says, “I might go for 10 trips without a bite, and suddenly get 10 bites in one trip!”

The ocean rocks and big river breakwalls are a challenging environment to fish at the best of times, let alone during big swells or a major river flood – chasing fish up to and over 30kg no less! But this is what anglers like Joey love, and it really drives the point home that great things don’t come easy and are worth putting in the effort for.

Good luck!