Appearance & Identification
Elongate, slender body with a pointed snout and a slightly lunate caudal (tail) fin. They are silver with a bluish-brown back, and are immediately distinguished from mulloway by the brilliant yellow-to-pinkish lining inside their mouth and gill covers. Commonly caught between 40cm and 70cm, growing up to 1m and weighing over 10kg.
Habitat & Movements
Restricted to offshore rocky reefs and deep gravel beds along the eastern coast of Australia, from Brisbane in Queensland south to Montague Island in southern New South Wales. They reside close to the ocean floor during the day, rising into the water column to feed at night. They are never found in estuaries or on beaches.
Tactical Loadout
- Rods Medium-heavy spinning or overhead rod of 2.1m to 2.4m, rated for 10kg to 15kg line classes, offering a strong backbone to lift fish in deep water.
- Reels Robust 6000 to 8000 size spinning reel or a strong overhead reel with a smooth, powerful drag system capable of delivering at least 8kg of drag.
- Line & Leader 10kg to 15kg braided main line with a 2m leader of 40lb to 50lb monofilament or fluorocarbon to resist reef friction.
Best Lures & Baits
- Artificials Rarely targeted with artificials. However, they can occasionally be caught on vertical metal jigs or heavy soft plastics worked slowly directly off deep reef bases.
- Live & Cut Baits Fresh whole squid, pilchards, or fillet strips of oily fish (such as yellowtail scad or mackerel). Present baits on a two-hook paternoster rig with 5/0 to 6/0 octopus or circle hooks.
Field Tactics
- Trolling NOT APPLICABLE
- Drifting & Jigging Drifting over deep offshore rocky reef pinnacles and drop-offs at night, keeping your bait positioned 2m to 5m off the bottom where they actively school to feed.
- Fly Fishing NOT APPLICABLE
State Legal Limits
NSW: Minimum legal size is 38cm. Daily bag limit of 5 per person.
QLD: Minimum legal size is 38cm. Daily bag limit of 5 per person.
VIC/TAS/SA/WA/NT: Not present / no specific regulations apply.
Final Logistics & Table Quality
- Field Notes Teraglin are highly structure-associated. Use your sounder to locate steep, deep-water reef drops and current breaks, and target them during warm summer nights when spawning schools aggregate.
- Eating Qualities Notable eating fish with exceptionally sweet, dry, and white meat. Best prepared fresh as pan-fried or baked fillets. Always bleed immediately upon capture and ice down.
