How to Catch Mulloway on the Beach with Soft Plastics

By Saxon Lette 

The aboriginal word mulloway means the "greatest one" and this fish is a trophy species for many anglers on the coast of Australia. The sheer size that this spectacular fish can reach is what keeps us heading out at ridiculous hours trying to tangle with such a beast. 

Throwing soft plastics along our beaches produces great results and I'm going to share a little bit of my experience in what works for me.

Mulloway spend a great deal of time hunting along our washy shorelines. First and last light are key times as with many predatory fish. They will come in from deeper surrounding reefs at these times to patrol beach gutters looking for baitfish that hold up there. Tides also play a key factor in targeting these fish, and a high tide seems to work best as the more water that pushes in makes their target, the baitfish, move closer to the shore looking for cover.

The cover the baitfish look for are the shallowest sandbanks that are covered by whitewash. If you think about most of our beaches, they are typically featureless sand bottomed deserts, any sort of structure like a shallow sandbank is what both predator and prey will be seeking. 

Walking the beach throwing soft plastics is a great way to cover ground and search for these locations and in turn the predators.

The Bait Junkie 6.2” Minnow has quickly become my go-to lure choice, paired with a 1oz jighead (heavier depending on conditions) you can either slow roll or hop the lure down along the sand bank edges. I have been using the Overthere range of rods as they are extremely light in weight and the extra length allows for longer casts and gets your line further above the waves. I will generally use the Saltist MQ in around the 6000 size range, 30lb J-Braid paired with 30lb fluorocarbon leader. 

This method of fishing is a great way to get out exploring and doesn't keep you confined to a single spot like bait fishing. It is also a great way to prospect beaches and increasing your chances of crossing paths with ‘The Greatest One’.