Silver trevally are a beautiful fish to eat and great sport to catch….but while they provide sport they aren’t “ good sports” cos they fight real dirty!

Trevally hang around bays , reefs and estuary mouths. They like moving water , deep holes, snags and structure of all kinds. In years gone past one of my favourite trevally spots was the rock wall at Apollo bay, Victoria. Big silvers would patrol the rocks searching for crabs and small fish caught in the “suds” created by crashing waves. These fish were smart and would only touch natural looking bait but if you managed to hook one you were in for a fight. Like many deep, flat bodied fish they make good use of current and can create a hell of a lotta resistance…..they really punch above their weight.

The great thing about silver trevally, unlike some of the other trevally species is they love berley. Get a trail of pellets , oil and bait going and you can get more than your fair share of action.

The only down side when using berley is the small fish that come in first… so be prepared to rebait a few times before the real action starts.

As far as baits are concerned, this can be a little hit and miss. I’ve unexpectedly caught them on chicken and dough when chasing other species….and then got surprisingly little action when using quality pilchard and other super fresh baits. Having said that, baits like sand worm, prawn , pilchard and nippers are usually a good first choice

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If you like lure fishing then silvers will give you plenty of action. I’ve had most luck on the smaller metal and soft plastic types. They really like the worm style soft plastics and one session in the surf at Aireys inlet beach had them belting these as I slowly retrieved them in the white water.

Like most fishing it’s best to go as light as possible. Silver trevally grow to 5 to 6 kg but your most likely catch ranges from the 500gm mark up to 2 kg….anything over this is a real good fish.

Gear for trevally depends a little in the type of fishing you’re doing. A nice graphite rod, 2500 series reel and 2 kg line works for most situations unless you’re fishing reefs or structure. The fish will dive into any cover possible so you need heavier gear to control them.

 Trevally respond to the tide and once it gets close to its peak they start chasing food….and if top of the tide happens early morning or late evening then the action can be fierce.

If you fish towards the middle of the day then you have to be a little subtle in your approach. If it’s a sunny, windless day the fish will stay deep and look for cover. If you’re bait fishing you’ll have to get your bait close to structure and holes. If you’re lure fishing you’ll need to use deep divers or soft plastics heavy enough to reach the holding spots…then you have to act fast to get them out before they take you  into the snags.

As far as tempting the big fish is concerned…. they like what they’re already chasing! If there’s small bait fish, crabs or prawns in the area then present a bait or lure that looks the same. I’ve always found trevally a bit like trout. They seem to develop a real specific taste for what’s in the area and can ignore everything else… upsetting the angler just a little bit!

Trevally are a schooling fish so if you catch one there’ll probably be others about. If you get the berley working and create a bit of completion amongst the fish you might end up with a bag full.

Ignoring advice from experienced anglers, I don’t often carry a net with me ….and I’ve lost a few fish without one. Trevally have made up a good number of these . It’s pretty disappointing to play a big fish right up to the shallows and then have it throw the hook as you’ve tried to lift it out….if you target trevally you might just want to take a net.

Silver trevally are good fun and really get the heart pumping when they are running hot. You might not get a lot in a session but the few you manage to land make the whole trip worth while.