There are two prominent Jewfish species in Australia, one being the Black Jew, a more northern species. The other is the Mulloway (or silver jewfish) in southern waters. Both are hard-fighting large fish that are great for eating.
The black jewfish, scientifically known as Protonibea diacanthus, is found around the Indo-Pacific.
These fish can grow over 120 cm long and weigh over 70 pounds, making them a considerable challenge on light gear.
The main distinguishing feature between the black and silver jew is not necessarily colour except in death. The silver remains silver, whereas the black jew goes considerably darker upon death.
In addition, mulloway has faint spots along the lateral line and a dark patch at the base of the dorsal fin.
Generally, if you’re fishing in northern Australia, the jew you catch will be a black jewfish.
Black Jewfish have come under considerable management restrictions of late due to the high value of their swim bladder.
In this blog, we’ll talk all about black jewfish fishing – and why experienced Barra fishermen are already equipped with the right skills and gear to catch jewfish.
Whether you’re a pro at catching jewfish or just starting, come along with us as we share the secrets of black jewfish fishing and help you become a better angler.
Black Jewfish and Barramundi – Shared Habitats, Shared Tactics
Black jewfish are occasionally found in similar habitats, and in those instances, they can be caught using similar fishing techniques as barramundi.
They are likely to be found together in coastal waters, estuaries, and river mouths in northern Australia.
Both species inhabit these inshore environments, especially around structures like submerged logs or rocky outcrops.
Fishing techniques used for barramundis, such as live baiting, lure casting, and trolling lures or baits, are also effective methods for targeting black jewfish. The two species will often strike the same types of live or dead baits, like mullet, prawns, and herring.
At the Humpty Doo Barramundi farm in the Northern Territory, they are trialling farming black jewfish alongside their barramundi operations.
This suggests the two species have similar environmental requirements that allow them to be raised together in aquaculture settings.
So in summary, black jewfish frequently share the same inshore habitats as barramundi in northern Australia and are commonly caught using very similar angling techniques, baits and lures.
Jewfish Fishing in Port Clinton
On a recent fishing expedition in Port Clinton, we found ourselves in a familiar scenario. While targeting barramundi, we unexpectedly hooked into some impressive black jewfish.
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This experience proves that these two species share not only similar habitats but also respond to comparable fishing techniques.
Similarities in Jewfish Fishing and Catching Barramundi
1. Lure Selection
When it comes to lures, both jewfish and barramundi are drawn to prey that looks and acts like a wounded or fleeing baitfish.
As we mentioned, they are occasionally found together. As with Barra, you’ll need to use the technique and timing that suits that situation. More info on barra strategies is here in our free barramundi strategies workshop.
Most important for jewfish, however, is a lure that reaches the bottom, as jewfish don’t respond to surface feeding like barramundi do. So when they are in their deeper habitats, using vibes, paddle-tails (Keitech swing impact fat), prawn imitations, and sinking stick baits like our Pillager is ideal.
Pillager accounted for two lovely jews off Island Head Creek a few days before outfishing live bait!
For the full run down of all our equipment (rods, reels, braid, lures and electronics) grab a PDF copy of our gear and tackle cheat sheet.
Don’t forget about retrieve speed! A slow retrieve with occasional pauses and twitches can trigger reaction strikes from these ambush predators.
2. Bait preferences when fishing for jewsfish
Live or dead baits like mullet, prawns, and herring are excellent options when bait fishing for jewfish and barramundi.
Remember, both species are opportunistic feeders. A well-presented live bait offering is hard for them to resist.
For all Ryan’s secrets to catching livies in 20 minutes flat (or less) even at high tide, check out our Locating Livies course.
Presentation is key when it comes to rigging live bait. Ensure the bait is not spinning with careful hook placement.
Differences in Jewfish Fishing vs. Barramundi Fishing
1. Black Jewfish have a higher tolerance for deeper waters compared to Barramundi and can be caught in 20+ metre depths.
This very thing happened during a recent trip to Port Clinton. Maxy and I engaged in a live bait versus lure challenge where we ended up catching two big black jew fish.
2. However, there are limitations to catching Black Jewfish in shallower water or in dirty water lines. It’s more likely to catch Barramundi in these conditions due to their preference for dirty water.
3. Interestingly, Jewfish tend to bite more frequently when it’s windy, while Barramundi, on the other hand, is less active during windy conditions. This point was clearly proven in our recent fishing expedition, highlighting the different behaviours of these two types of fish in response to the weather.
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