Silver trevally are a hard-fighting inshore fish that turn up from bays and estuaries to reefs and headlands. They are popular because they scrap well on light gear, school up in good numbers, and will eat both bait and lures when they are switched on.
In Australia they are common right along the southern half of the country, from inshore bays and estuary mouths to shallow coastal reefs and offshore rubble. You will often find them around channels, broken reef, weed edges, jetties and wash zones, usually from shallow water out to moderate reef depths.
Silver trevally eat small baitfish, prawns, crabs, worms and other little bottom-dwelling critters. They cruise in schools and pick food off the bottom or mid-water, but they will also move up in the water column when bait is active. When they fire, they can be quite aggressive, especially around current lines and reef edges.
Tide matters a lot, with the better bites usually around moving water, especially the run-in or run-out through channels, reef pressure points and harbour entrances. Low light helps, so dawn, dusk and overcast periods often fish better than the middle of a bright, flat day. Light to moderate wind can improve the bite by adding chop and cover, but strong wind makes it harder to hold position and present baits properly. Smaller to moderate swell can stir up food around reefs and wash zones, while big swell can dirty the water too much and push fish off the shallows.
A light to medium spin outfit with 6–12 lb line and a simple running sinker, paternoster or unweighted bait rig works well depending on depth and current. Fresh squid, pipis, prawns, bluebait and small fish strips are reliable, and small soft plastics, metal slugs and micro jigs will also get eaten. Keep hooks fairly small and baits neat, because trevally can be fussy when the water is clear.
Silver trevally often look bright chrome in the water, but out of the drink they can flash blue-green and gold along the shoulders.