Pillies

[sambo]

hi raiders

im a fresh member on this forum and i would like to know if it is possible to catch pillies in sydney eg sydney harbour/port hacking/pittwater etc as im usually reading comments of people catching pillchards and more reports of frog mouth pillies.

is the term pillies used as bait fish or what and what is a frogmouth pillie?

cheers

sami

[PPSGT]

Frog Mouths = Anchovies

The Frogmouth Pilchard is also known as Frogmouth and Australian Anchovy. The upper body is bluish green there is a broad silver band that runs the length of the mid section with belly area semi transparent. Frogmouth Pilchards during winter form dense schools that are pushed into a large bait ball by larger predators such as Dolphins and Sharks and the feeding frenzy that follows is spectacular to watch. Frogmouth Pilchards can grow to 15cm.

WA Pilchards = Sardines

The Australian pilchard is also known as the Blue Pilchard, Pilly, Sardine, Bluebait Western Australian Pilchard and Mulies. Australian Pilchards are blue on the back with the sides and belly area being silvery white. The flanks have a series of dark spots along the center. The Australian Pilchard can grow to over 20cm long

Both are great baits the frogmouths are the smaller of the two. They would be illegal to catch as you

would have to use a net.

Pillies are available as IQF ( individually quick frozen ) which are the best quality or frozen into 2.5kg blocks

They are usually rigged on frozen or half frozen as once defrosted they are very mushy and hard bait up with. If they have been refrozen they are useless as bait as they turn to mush

- which commonly happens with servo pillies and thats why so many people makes jokes about using

servo bought pillies.

Frogmouths are usually bought in 200g weight frozen packets and are much smaller average size to pillies.

Jason

Edited March 13, 2007 by PPSGT

[KingsRule]

PPGST

, although it is illegal to net them, frog mouth pillies go nuts for a bait jig (the smaller the better)

A few years back a school of mullies were holding at balmoral and we caught a few on bait jigs: )

Edited March 13, 2007 by KingsRule

[the_lure]

Both are great baits the frogmouths are the smaller of the two. They would be illegal to catch as you

would have to use a net.

You dont need a net to catch pillies and it certainly isn't illegal

Edited March 13, 2007 by the_lure

[Guest IFishSick.]

A net is illegal, but catching them sure isn't.

[sambo]

are frog mouths the ones that are fater nearly look like a mullet, and so u can catch frog mouth pillis in sydney i will have to get out and try, and also is their a special ingredent for the berly like dose it have to be special

Edited March 13, 2007 by sambo1

[PPSGT]

Both pillies and frogmouths are primarily filter feeders.

So from time to time if your lucky you might get them on hooks/bait jigs - but to target enough

for bait would take a long time! A block contains about 50 fish, and a block doesnt last taht long when fishing

And if you are lucky enough to get a live pilchard/frogmouth

it would be a top livie as just about anything that swam past would grab it.

I've caught frogmouths on hooks before - when I've hooked salmon and the've been that full of

frogmouths they spat them out onto the boat floor.

To catch enough for bait you would need to ring net them with a perseine net which is what the pro's do, but that is illegal for a rec fisher. And if you got caught doing that you would be in a lot of trouble.

The alternative is towait to the sharks push them hard up against the beach and run in with a dab net - I've

seen it on the news and these crazy guys caught a lot of pilchards - but bronzies have sharp teeth!

And unless there snap frozen they are useless as frozen bait

Jason

[the_lure]

You can quite easily get a 20 litre drum of fresh pilchards in under an hour (legally) in Sydney on a bait jig.

they dont stay alive that well but it can be done.

[sambo]

You can quite easily get a 20 litre drum of fresh pilchards in under an hour (legally) in Sydney on a bait jig.

they dont stay alive that well but it can be done.

20litre drum!! well that what im fishing for next time, any ideas on where abouts and what bait jig i asume the smallest one i can get my hands