Coral trout can be caught on coral reefs near drop-offs or bommies. A good place to look for them is north of Fraser Island and some nice fish can also be caught off Mooloolaba.

When we’re fishing for coral trout we use a nice heavy rod with 40-60lb mono or braid with an overhead reel. Usually we rig up with a 3 hook gang and an 8 ball sinker. For livies like yakkas and slimies you should use a stinger rig.

Coral trout like to sit near a snag or in little underwater caves. So when you’re fishing for coral trout you must always keep tension on the line to prevent snagging or being taken straight to the bottom.

Once you have got the fish on board you should cut the pectoral fin off because that is the law. Then you should put it in a nice saltwater slush. The salty slush is necessary because it keeps the fish nice and fresh if you don’t feel like filleting it straight away.

Coral trout can be caught in many different ways but lures, bait and livies are the most common. The best baits that we have used for coral trout are pilly, squid and iodine bream.

When fishing for coral trout you can catch other species like redthroat sweetlip, jack, Moses perch, cod, red emperor and stripies.

When you catch coral trout it’s always good to bleed them to get the extra blood out and keep their flesh white. Coral trout are excellent table fish, they are a very flaky fish and their pieces are thick.

Until next time, good luck fishing.