The silver trevally or Pseudocaranx dentex has to be my most favourite and cherished light tackle species in Tasmania. They are just an awesome little fish to catch, especially if you manage to hook one over that magical fifty centimetre mark! Personally, I began targeting the species many years ago on a variety of baits and artificial lures from a small stretch of beach in Georges Bay.
At the time, they were the ultimate sports fish, the very thought of hooking up to one of these fish was enough to keep me saving up for more packets of soft plastics. One of the aspects I really enjoy about targeting trevally is their simplicity to catch. Over the years, I have discovered many trevally holding locations scattered along our coastlines, even up around Burnie! With their awesome fighting abilities and overall beauty, I can understand why the silver trevally is one of the most popular species Tasmania has to offer.
Silver Trevally The species are predominately a coastal fish that prefer inshore reefs, beaches, bays, estuaries and structure around large current flows. This member of the trevally family is generally grey with a hint of either blue or green depending on their current habitat. The species are also commonly known as white trevally, trevally, blurter, skipjack trevally and silver bream. They usually inhabit the waters south of Brisbane and right round the coast to Geraldton in Western Australia.
Fishing from the shore just adds another element to catching these species, and in some cases, it is more enjoyable than fishing from a boat! Locations Finding trevally from the shore is easier than some people may believe, all you really need to find is some good water flow and structure.
Silver trevally love structure, especially reefs and rocky points lying adjacent to fast flowing water. Having said this, I have also often caught trevally in still water with very little structure. Weed edges, rock walls, river mouths, wrecks and basically anywhere with some broken bottom all make perfect trevally habitat. These fish are pretty opportunistic predators and will feed on a vast range of small fish, crustaceans and invertebrates.
