live bait

[fisho999]

hey guys,
I was just wondering what would be the quickest, easiest and most affordable set-up to get live bait for pier fishing, I don't go to the salt regularly but would like to have a means of collecting bait. I am thinking of something that could keep some mullet alive for a fishing session.

what are some tips for collecting and finding mullet/ prawns etc
do I need a bait pump for yabbies or could I just bring a small shovel to dig them out?
would a bucket and air pump be enough to keep the bait alive?
what should I look for when gathering bait?

I know you cant legally use cast nets in VIC so what are some other means of getting bait fish? i tried a sabiki rig on my most recent trip and just left it hanging over the side of the peir for around 15 minutes and didn't catch anything, so was I doing something wrong or where their just no bait fish around, the sabiki rig has size 8 hooks on them.

is their some kind of fish trap I could chuck out? i was out at night and I saw some gar fish and tried to get them with the sabiki but I didn't get any.

what time of day is best for bait collection?
i have heared of people catching the gar fish on a float rig, how would I set it up?
what other live baits are there that I might not know of?

could I go to bunnings and just buy a bucket with a lid and then have a pump on that?

thanks,
fisho999

[DougieK]

What are you live baiting for?

A live yakka / slimey / pike / squid is ideal for kingfishing, but i'm not sure what else you'd be targetting except maybe a jewie with a mullet.

Yakka - berley the hell out of it and put a tiny bit of fish flesh on an unweighted hook and whip it into the berley trail. Bait jigs can work but they are inconsistent. Big yakkas will take small plastics and slugs.

Slimey - 45 mins before first light berley like hell, cast bait jigs with a 25g gillies glow slug on the bottom. Use a paddle pool with an aerator to keep them alive until necessary.

Squid - Jig, double snell rig them under a float and don't cast them because they will die instantly or break your shiny new PE 6 Saltist hyper cos you saw a shadow in the water and tried to cast a 500g whole live squid at what you were sure was a kingfish.

Pike - catch a pike and put a hook in it.

[fisho999]

thanks for the detailed response dougiek, i target flathead, salmon, basically anything that would be around piers.

[fisho999]

how would I go about berlying? i burlyed with a can of tuna when I was there, didn't seem to do much.

[Sebb]

how would I go about berlying? i burlyed with a can of tuna when I was there, didn't seem to do much.

Breadcrumbs and tuna oil.
Mashed up old pilchards works too.
Or just buy a bucket froma tackle shop.
Depends where you fish and what you target. Flathead is generally bottom feeder and will eat anything on the bottom, no need for live bait.

In PPB, the most common on live bait be for mulloway. When the bait is dead, it becomes fresh bait and snapper will hit it for sure.

[fisho999]

good point, i would also like this for ''fresh bait''. what size hook should I use for yakka

[Sebb]

good point, i would also like this for ''fresh bait''. what size hook should I use for yakka

No idea.
Never tried to hunt for yakka specifically.
I did for mullet, when I was into mulloway fishing.

[fisho999]

i will probebly just get the smallest hook I can at anaconda, put it on my ultralight and then chuck it into the berly trail.

[fishnut]

Seems like yakkas everywhere in ppb,nuisance when whiting fishing, been getting them a metre off the bottom and behind the burley bag

[fisho999]

so how would I go about presenting the burly? would I put it in a sock with some small holes in it and then let it sit near me in the water? or chuck a hand full out every 5 minutes or so?