Yellowtail Scad
Yellowtail scad — yakkas to most Australian anglers — are a small schooling fish that punch well above their weight in the fishery.
From southern Queensland to Western Australia's northwest, they're the go-to live bait for kingfish, snapper and tuna, but plenty of people target them on light gear just for the fun of it.
Easy to find around structure, easy to catch, and genuinely useful once you have them.
Scientific Name: Trachurus novaezelandiae
Also known as Yakka, Yellowtail, Yellowtail Horse Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Bung, Chow, Yellowtail Mackerel, Scad
- Silvery body with an olive-green to golden-green back, fading to white on the belly — the yellow tail is the quickest ID feature.
- A distinct dark spot sits on the upper rear edge of the gill cover; enlarged bony scutes run the full length of the lateral line.
- Pectoral fins are sickle-shaped; the tail is strongly forked on a very shallow caudal peduncle — built for open-water speed.
- Common size is 20–35 cm; maximum around 50 cm, though most fish caught from wharves and jetties run 15–25 cm.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to Australian waters; distributed from Wide Bay in southern Queensland, south and west to North West Cape in Western Australia.
- A schooling pelagic species found from the surface down to around 150 m, though most angler encounters happen in the top 30 m over inshore reefs and in estuaries.
- Common in harbours, bays, around headlands, jetties, moorings and inshore reef — anywhere current concentrates small prey in the water column.
- Also taken commercially off NSW and Victoria by purse seine, and line-caught in South Australia.
Key Locations
- Sydney Harbour and Manly — jetties, moorings and reef edges hold reliable schools year-round; Fairy Bower is a well-known spot.
- Southeast Queensland harbours and bays — present but less consistently than in NSW; herring and mullet are more commonly used as live bait in this region.
- NSW and Victorian inshore reefs — the commercial purse-seine fishery targets them here, and recreational anglers find them around headlands and harbour structure.
- South Australian waters — line-caught commercially, and accessible to recreational anglers around inshore reefs and jetties.
Specific Spots
- Jetty and wharf pylons concentrate yakkas because the structure creates current breaks and attracts the small crustaceans and plankton they feed on — fish mid-water, not on the bottom.
- Mooring buoys and marker buoys in harbours hold schools for the same reason; look for birds working the surface above them at dawn and dusk.
- Reef edges and drop-offs where current pushes food through — schools sit on the up-current side and intercept drifting prey.
- Under lights at night, whether from jetty lamps or boat lights — yakkas rise toward the surface and feed hard when light draws in plankton.
Yellowtail Scad FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Yellowtail Scad?
Sabiki-style multi-hook rigs are the go-to, small feathered or tinsel hooks on a single trace, dropped to the school's depth and jigged slowly. Tipping hooks with tiny pieces of prawn, squid or pilchard helps on fussy days.
When is the best time to fish for Yellowtail Scad?
Available year-round across most of their range, with schools most reliably found around structure in autumn and winter when baitfish concentrate inshore. Spring (September–November) is the spawning peak in southeastern Australia, fish are abundant and active in inshore waters during this period.
How do you catch Yellowtail Scad?
Most anglers target yakkas from jetties, wharves or anchored boats using sabiki rigs or small jigs on light spin gear, fishing mid-water over structure or reef.
What do Yellowtail Scad eat?
Yakkas feed on small prawns, tiny baitfish, plankton and other drifting invertebrates in the water column, which is why small sabiki-style rigs tipped with a sliver of prawn or squid are so effective; they imitate exactly what the school is already eating.
Where do Yellowtail Scad live?
Native to Australian waters; distributed from Wide Bay in southern Queensland, south and west to North West Cape in Western Australia. A schooling pelagic species found from the surface down to around 150 m, though most angler encounters happen in the top 30 m over inshore reefs and in estuaries.
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