Garfish are slim, silver speedsters that are great fun on light gear and top value on the table. Plenty of Aussie anglers chase them because they school up well, bite cleanly, and keep things interesting when bigger fish are quiet.
In Australian waters, they’re common along the southern coast, especially around bays, inshore reefs, jetties, harbours and sheltered weed beds. You’ll usually find them in calm, shallow water from the surface down to a few metres, often over seagrass or broken sand patches.
They mainly pick at tiny crustaceans, weed bits and other small morsels in the top half of the water column. Garfish are visual feeders, so they do most of their work when they can see well, cruising in schools and sipping food rather than smashing it.
Tide changes often switch them on, especially the early run of the flood or ebb when food starts moving but the water still stays clean. Good light helps because they feed by sight, though low light around dawn and dusk can be excellent if the water is clear. Light winds are best, as too much chop makes float fishing harder and can scatter surface-feeding schools. Low to moderate swell suits them in protected areas, while big swell usually dirties the water and slows the bite right down.
A light estuary outfit is ideal — a 2–4 kg rod, small reel, fine line and tiny long-shank hooks under a pencil float or bobby cork. Berley with breadcrumb or bran keeps them close, and baits like silverfish strips, prawn, dough or small pieces of squid all work well if you keep them neat and small.
Their green bones can look odd the first time you see them, but it’s completely normal and they’re still excellent eating.