Estuary live bait tackle/techniques

[wacco_fozzy]

Just got myself a cast net and it's great to be able to snaffle a good number of poddy mullet in short order to go live baiting. My question relates to how to rig them.

For example I was fishing Currumbin Creek from the bank on an outgoing tide today with the mullet either pinned through the jaw or lightly through the back in front of the dorsal fin and the little buggers seemed to head straight for the rocks and I never got a touch all afternoon. Would I be better off in future with a sinker/swivel/short trace combination to keep them out of the cover and hopefully spend longer in the firing line, or is there some other method I should use?

The poddies I had were between 7 cm and 15 cm. What size and type of hook would you recommend? I was using a 1/0 Mustad wide gap and I also tried a Gamakatsu 5/0 live bait hook, but jeez they didn't do too much for the poor little mullet by the time I'd run that one through them.


Cheers, Dave

[skip2malou]

I hook mine through the eye socket... I control their swimming by trimming their tails off. If you trim the top part off they swim down, the bottom half they swim up. I you cutt off a bit from both halves they cant swim as well but still flick around.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Dan

[Jeremy]

you need to match the hook size to the bait size. For small baits you do need to use thinner hooks. I would not recommend that wide gape hooks as I do not believe these would have the strength to land a decent fish.

I have been using mustad big gun live bait hooks in 4/0 and also the SL12 game hooks in 2/0 to 4/0 for the size baits you mentioned.

Whatever hook you do use make sure it is not kirbed but straight or your bait will spin. I pin my mullet upwards through the front of the head just in front of the eyes. You can also pin them through behind the second dorsal fin. Really, whatever works to keep them alive and looking natural.

You can use a sinker to keep a bait where you want it, you can also try a float. For most estuary predators, the live bait will be more productive near the bottom most of the time.

Jeremy

[wacco_fozzy]

Thanks for the replies. I must admit my hook choice was determined by the fact that, after getting a leave pass from she who must be obeyed, I bolted without properly checking the contents of the tackle box.

I could have visited a local tackle shop, but ended up having fun pulling in small trevally on hardbody lures.

[billfisher]

I use a two hook rig. One through the nose and the other towards the tail. For the tail hook I use a chemically sharpened treble. Often the treble pins the fish especially with headshakers like flathead and fussy biters like school jew. I often use knotable steel trace to connect the two hooks in order to snare the large tailor which nearly always attack the tail.

[Jeremy]

Interesting comments Billfisher. I have used a treble as a stinger offshore, but not for estuary live baiting.

How do you find the knotable steel trace? I haven't heard much positive about it. What breaking strain steel trace are you using?

Jeremy

[billfisher]

I mainly use the 20 kg breaking strain. I have found it ideal in this application as it is not at all stiff so will not impede the swimming of the livies and can be tied just as quickly as mono. Large tailor can fray it a bit but I have not been bitten off.

[wacco_fozzy]

Billfisher, if I understand correctly, the main trace of wahtever material is connected to the front hook, and the steel trace is then run from this hook to the stinger, correct?

What sort of knot do you use to attach the steel trace to the front hook?

Cheers, Dave