Trevally in the estuaries

Trevally are seen as a trophy species for offshore anglers throwing poppers and stickbaits at nervous schools of bait, but they can be a lot of fun at smaller sizes in our estuaries and sheltered waters too. They might not be the back-breaking 20kg+ monsters we see on social media, but they pull hard and on the right tackle can be incredibly fun. Best of all, kitting up for a bit of mini trevally action isn’t an expensive affair, and even the land-based crew have a shot at these little speedsters.

Finding trevally in the estuaries is where the challenge starts, and each system will have its own quirks as to where and when they show up looking for a feed. Chasing a highly mobile species like this can be difficult, but for a lot of people it’s this challenge that makes it fun. As a guide, you want to find areas where bait is being concentrated by current, often in areas where multiple currents converge. Early and late in the day are the prime times to be prospecting for marauding trevally,  but that’s not to say they can’t be caught when the sun is shining bright.

Whether chasing GTs up in northern waters or silver trevally in southern waters, or any of the many other trevally species that exist all up and down our east and west coasts, the same sort of gear should get you through.

Using a spin outfit you’d be comfortable throwing at mangrove jacks should see you landing most of the trevally you hook, but be warned, they are dirty fighters. To give you an idea, rods such as the NS Ones Fishing Rod S-662ML or Daiwa TD Black Fishing Rod Wicked Weaselwill be perfect for these brutish fighters, and paired with appropriate reels and braided line between 10-20lb make excellent weapons for other species too. Leaders around 15-20lb should be sufficient.

Trevally can be near suicidal and hit just about anything, but they can also sometimes be fixated on a certain type of bait. It makes sense to replicate whatever bait is in the area.

A couple of lures to always have on hand are Halco Twisties, Bassday Sugapen 70mm Floating Hard Body Lures, Halco Roosta Surface Popper 105mm and ZMan Swimmerz Soft Plastics. All of these lures can be worked quickly, which is just what these little terrors want.

Don’t discount small trevally as a sportfish! Just because they don’t need to be rested on your knees for a photo doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them! They’re are cunning enough to be a worthy challenge, and certain varieties such as silver and long-nose trevally are quite good eating as well!