Bait catching methods

[WestOzDesertFisher]

Have always had good success with livies in the past although have always found it hard catching them or even finding them. I'm talking about scad, yakka, slimies etc... What are your methods in extracting these awesome baits? Do you prefer the artificial bait jigs or bait? Has anyone tried tiny metals? Just trying to avoid catching bream etc... Would love to know more from those more experienced.

Cheers all.

[Pretzil]

usually just sound them out then jig em with the 6 hook bait jigs, but if im somewhere on a reef and cant sound em ile try burleying them up then jigging, but on the other hand if you after livies at night and you hang lights over the side they usually come up to that then i just put on either a small plastic or gang two small hooks and put on a whitebait. so yer hope this helps and good luck fishing over the weekend mate

[Mac1952]

I couldn't have asked the question any better!
Hope the pro's take mercy on us.

[tailorboi99]

Hey WestOz,

in the past I have had good success using the bait jigs, both without and with bait, usually a piece of peeled Prawn or something similar to attract them. Could always burley up using products which contain starch such as Potato peelings, make sure you're where the fish hold such as pylons and the likes.

Cheers Tom

[WestOzDesertFisher]

usually just sound them out then jig em with the 6 hook bait jigs, but if im somewhere on a reef and cant sound em ile try burleying them up then jigging, but on the other hand if you after livies at night and you hang lights over the side they usually come up to that then i just put on either a small plastic or gang two small hooks and put on a whitebait. so yer hope this helps and good luck fishing over the weekend mate

Cheers mate. Don't know if I'll be doing much this weekend, apart from footy due to this sh!t weather.

Hey WestOz,

in the past I have had good success using the bait jigs, both without and with bait, usually a piece of peeled Prawn or something similar to attract them. Could always burley up using products which contain starch such as Potato peelings, make sure you're where the fish hold such as pylons and the likes.

Cheers Tom

Thanks Tom. Yeah we're chasing these around our local jetty and some offshore wrecks.

What brand of bait jigs seem to be the best and what size hook? They all seem to have something different about them.

Cheers.

[tailorboi99]

I use the Wilson Fish Skin jigs with a size 10 hook, no drama's as of yet. Use quite a heavy sinker and drop it to the bottom and slowly jig it back up and down or wherever the fish are holding.

Thanks Tom

[WestOzDesertFisher]

Thanks again Tom.

Anyone else got something?

[Smithy]

Mostly the GH Signature brand multi hook bait jigs. Sometimes Jervis Walker Sabiki brand or Wilson brand. The Sabikis I have in 1/0-2/0 size for Slimeys when you are getting bitten off by tailor, bonito, school mackerel etc, getting bitten off by dolphins or you are getting bunches of grapes on the smaller jigs when the slimeys swim upwards and beat you. I always use an eggbeater with braid for the feel and always put a snapper lead on the bottom. You need the weight to get down and to minimise tangling when you get a full house. I don't get greedy and as soon as you feel a bait on wind up. Some people like to get multiples but you can run into tangling problems when schools of slimey hit you and swim upwards leading to a bunch of grapes. Crank the drag right up and bring them in quick to avoid predators hitting the easy prey. Off Port Stephens to avoid the marlin, leatherjackets and dolphins, bait jiggers down there use Alvey snapper winches or Toriums/Torsas etc. to get the bait up as quick as possible in waters out to 100 fathoms. You can get slimeys there to jelly bean mack tuna size and you will appreciat using the 2/0 hooks and 30lb line they are tied on, on the bigger bait jigs then. Other times you need to come down to the tiny Wilson rigs and tiny hooks for little yakkas. If you can see them on the sounder and they are finniky you may need to seed your hooks. Little bits of squid tentacle or bits of fish flesh 5mmx15mm or so help. It can be a pain tough if you start getting full strings of lancers and rainbow whiptails.

As for spots, if you are out of Mooloolaba, look where the pros are getting their bait but give them plenty of room to do their things. Keep adding spots to your plotter every time you find a school and a pattern will emerge. The more GPS points the better. Some days you might need to visit 20 spots to find bait but it is worth the effort. They are more often than not on rubble and gravel than hard reef. Bait seems to come back to the same spots year after year. Ask around tackle shops or fishing clubs and search the net for GPS marks for common bait grounds. It is sometimes where you stumble over it too. A properly setup depth sounder that reads on the plane is worth it's weight in gold.

[Goldfinch]

$3 bait jigs from BCF, size 10, snapper sinker on the bottom, cheap rod, cheap reel, drive over bait ball, drop immediately from back of boat to the bottom or where the bait is showing and jig up and down. If no result I move and find another bait ball til I get the desired bait. If I am out wide I will sometimes put small bits of pillies or squid on the little hooks to bring em on. Catch some weird stuff on bait hooks. Great fun when a big mac tuna or 4 or 5 bonito smash it at once. Sometimes we just don't get anything so it's back to the pillies and soft plastics / lures.