How To Catch Baitfish

[Jace]

Hey, im very much new to this forum and ive had a quick search but didnt find exactly what ive been looking for.

Im after some advice on catching baitfish for fish in sydney.

I normally pump for yabbies, catch crabs or use lures and try to steer away from dead & frozen bait.

Im keen on finding out how to catch pillies and yellow tail and poddy mullet etc.

And what types of nets would i need?

Im from the Northern beaches, Sydney if anyone wants to share a few spots.

Regards Jace.

[camb1988]

I recently purchased a bait jig that works a treat on the yackas. Can get them down at fish outta water near manly vale for 3 bucks or so. With a little berley most rocky points have yackas about.

Best of luck

[g.t.]

camb1988 is spot on with catching yakkas. Burley is key and bait jigs/ sabiki jigs are cheap and effective.

If you do a search on this site for catching poddies, there's plenty of info in previous posts, but here's a quick summary of what works for me...

I've used both the expanding mesh net type of trap and the clear plastic cylindrical type and both types work. I mainly use the clear plastic type as all my mesh net types have failed in the zippers after a few months. The homemade traps are also effective. In terms of spots, most sand flats seem to hold poddy mullet as do areas around boat ramps for some reason. Burley up with some bread first to assess whether you've found a good spot. If you don't have a school of poddies fighting over you're burley, move on to another spot.

Place about half a slice of bread in your trap and then place your trap in the shallows. Thoroughly wet the other half of the slice and mush it into a milk slush. Sprinkle the milky bread around your trap as burley. Some people will tell you to put it 30cm or so under the surface. I'd disagree... In my experience you catch more when the opening of the trap is just under the surface. I find I get far more, far sooner this way. My observation is that they generally swim in the top 15cm of the water column and they're reluctant to swim into a trap any deeper than this.

Good luck ! The poddies are dynamite on flatties!

Edited April 14, 2010 by g.t.

[mushtaka]

Hey Jace,

there are heaps of spots on the northern beaches to catch bait. Narrabeen lake is great for Poddy Mullet; most wharfs in pitt water will hold squid and Yakkas.

I dont use the bait jigs. I use a size 12 long shank on light line and burly up with bread.

For squid i use a 2.5g jig. I find its best to go for squid at night or early morning.

In saying all that some days the bait fish/squid just aren't there. but thats fishing!

Mushtaka

[TheDon]

I don't think it is legal to use nets to catch bait fish in NSW.

You don't really need them anyway. Just get a single small long shank hook with a very small clamp on sinker about 15 cm above the hook on a hand line.

Burley up with either a few slices of white bread or mash up a couple of pilchards.

Put a tiny bit of pilchard on the hook and throw it in amoungst the burley. As soon as they bite give it a yank to hook them and pull them up.

Anywhere around wharfs you should find them.

Cheers

[Moro Mou]

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/regulations/sw/traps-nets#Bait-trap

Hope this helps re nets/traps

[Jace]

Cheers guys, going to gather some bait soon i hope

Got some materials today to build my own bait trap

Cheers!

[bergo]

gday mate brickman and I tried goin for poddies and bullies this arvo. the little buggers are very painful to get. we didnt get any using bread the big bullies come up and looked and didnt even give a nudge.

[tan the fisherman]

gday mate brickman and I tried goin for poddies and bullies this arvo. the little buggers are very painful to get. we didnt get any using bread the big bullies come up and looked and didnt even give a nudge.

try mince meat or chicken for the bullies

[mushtaka]

gday mate brickman and I tried goin for poddies and bullies this arvo. the little buggers are very painful to get. we didnt get any using bread the big bullies come up and looked and didnt even give a nudge.

In my experience the bullies are always hard to get. THey always turn their noses up at anything i throw at them. I find it more productive going for the larger Poddies (15cm). I have heard that live maggots get the bullies going.

To get the Poddies i always spend time walking up and down the lake locating them and then burly up. The key i find, is small amount of burly in the water and small piece of bread (just to cover the tip) on the hook. (12 long shank) float, no sinker, light line.

Slowly retrieve the bait and they will give chase and get hooked.

It is a really fun way to spend the afternoon!

Mushtaka

[Krispy !]

Mate just buy a sabiki rig from the local tackle shop. The best ones are japanese made and are around $7. they have 6 small hooks and just put a small bit of pilchard on each one, burley up and drop it between the baitfish and you'll have them by the dozens in no time.

Cheers,

SL,