Where and when to catch Mulloway in New South Wales: the NSW season, the spots in our guide that hold them, and where to find NSW's current size and bag limits.
Called Mulloway (Jewfish) on our Western Australian guide.
In New South Wales, mulloway are simply "jew", and they're the fish that gets a lot of people out of bed at 2am on purpose. They're caught year-round, with plenty of anglers rating the cooler months, from the big estuaries, such as the Hawkesbury, Brisbane Water, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter, to the ocean beaches, breakwalls and headlands either side. Most are school fish that get released, because NSW has a big minimum length and a tiny bag. Stocks have been under pressure for a long time, so a legal fish is a real one and the release of the rest matters.
NSW Size & Bag Limits
NSW limits for Mulloway are set by NSW DPIRD and change from time to time, so we link them rather than copy them.
Check NSW DPIRD's limits before you fish.
Western Australian limits don't apply in New South Wales.
Where to Catch Mulloway in NSW
Mulloway are listed at over 40 NSW spots. The best are the deep holes, bridges and rock walls of the big estuaries, the breakwalls at river and lake entrances, and the deep gutters of ocean beaches such as Stockton Bight and the Port Stephens beaches.
Live mullet, live herring or yellowtail, whole or half squid, fresh mullet, tailor or salmon fillet, fresh pilchards, beach worms
Lures
Large soft plastics (5–7 inch paddle-tails and jerkshads), vibes, deep-diving hard-bodies for estuaries
Rigs
A running sinker rig with a 25–35 kg leader and a 6/0–8/0 hook, or a pair of snelled hooks for a fillet or live bait, with just enough lead to hold bottom in the current. Circle hooks set themselves and release well. For lures, a 3/8–1 oz jig head matched to the depth and current.
Technique
Fish after dark where current flows past structure or bait gathers, and be patient. Put a fresh or live bait into the deepest water in reach, set the drag, and leave it alone; mulloway often pick up a bait and swim off slowly before they run. On plastics, work them slowly along the bottom with long pauses. Big tides, a run-in or run-out into the dark, and murky water after rain are all worth chasing. It's a waiting game, but when one bites, you'll know.
Best Time
After dark and around dawn and dusk, on a moving tide and especially the change. Overcast nights and the days after a fresh are classic. Many anglers rate the days around the full and new moon. The best months differ by coast and estuary, so check the local season.
NSW has a large minimum length, a very small personal bag and a boat limit for mulloway. Check NSW DPIRD's saltwater table, and measure every fish before deciding.
Fish you release survive best if they're kept in the water, unhooked quickly and supported upright until they swim off.
Identification
Also known asJewfish, jew, jewie, soapie (small fish), schoolie
Long, thickset and silver to bronze, with a big mouth, a slightly concave forehead on bigger fish, and a lateral line that runs right to the tip of a squared-off to slightly pointed tail, never deeply forked. Fresh fish show a coppery sheen and a row of pearly spots along the lateral line, there's a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin, and the inside of the mouth and gill covers is orange. Mulloway and jewfish are the same fish. Size-class names vary, but "soapies" are small fish and "schoolies" are mid-sized ones that still travel in groups.
Size & Growth
Most land-based mulloway are 50–80 cm and 2–5 kg. A metre-long fish of 10–15 kg is a great capture from the shore, and anything past 20 kg is the fish people talk about for years. The species can pass 2 m and nearly 60 kg, but those are very old fish. Growth is quick for the first few years and then slows, and they take several years to mature, so plenty of the fish caught are juveniles. Be realistic about the odds; most nights produce nothing, and the fish you do land will usually be a soapie or a schoolie.
Diet & Habitat
Mulloway hunt mullet, herring, tailor, whiting, salmon, squid, prawns and crabs, mostly after dark, using current lines to ambush prey swept past structure. Small juveniles live in estuaries; bigger fish hold in deep holes and channels, beside bridges and rock walls, at river and lake mouths, along surf-beach gutters and around headlands. They feed in surprisingly shallow water at night, and a flush of fresh water after heavy rain moves fish and bait to the mouths of rivers and creeks. They have unusually large ear bones, and most mulloway anglers swear they spook at noise, which is a decent argument for not clomping about the jetty.
Eating Quality
One of the best table fish there is, when it's the right size. The flesh is firm, white, large-flaked and mild, and it holds together on the grill, in the pan or in a curry. Bleed and ice on capture; unbled jewfish go soft. The modest fish eat cleaner than the big breeders, which can be coarse and watery through the thickest part of the fillet. Pan-fry, bake, crumb or cut thick cutlets for the barbecue. It's very good raw when it's fresh, and it freezes better than most if skinned, portioned and vac-sealed.