Catching Live Bait

[deano336]

Hi Everyone,

I have been going through the forums to find a topics that explains techniques for catching all different types of live/ fresh baits. I couldnt really find one that looks at techniques/ rigs/ places to find good live baits.

I had dabbled recently mainly with sp with great success (for flatties, bream etc), but am wanting to chase some of the more prestigious Sydney species (jewies and kingies). I am interested in techniques that would help me to be more successful in catching these kinds of baits.

So far, I have caught the VERY odd squid, probably only 2 or 3. I know that members on the forums really rate the yo-zuri jigs. I would like to know the best kinds of techniques and retrievals, or even just spark up some kind of discussion about techniques that have provided success to people in the past.

Any other bait captures would also be handy (Yakkas???)

My (very limited) contribution:

Squid - I agree that every squid has been caught at night time on bright yo-zuri jigs (put a small piece of squid on the barbs for scent). I have only caught them visually i.e. I have seen the squid near the wharf and hovered the jig around them. Good places where I see them is Spit Bridge, Clifton gardens and anywhere where light hits the water at night.

[sleek3]

i have caught squid on even my cheapest jigs...because i keep losing my more expensive ones...errr....but i am just using a few cheapo jigs and i seem to still catch the same as a mate who squids with nothing but yozuri jigs...i dont know everyone to their own....i use cheap tataki and yamashita jigs....they work for me....its about style aswell....the way you use the jig will determine results aswell

[mattyv86]

As far as squidding goes The Spit is a great spot and for yakkas i use size 2 hooks on sum 6lb line with sum squid on them and berley up with breads crumbs around jeffrey street wharf in the harbour for yakkas , can also b a good spot for squid.Goodluck mate

[bennoz]

for squid - get a hand line and a squid spike under a float. Basically you skewer a whole pillie head 1st (so the nose is next to the barbs) and just send it out under a float. Leaves you with an extra bait in the water and your hands free to work the lure jig.

Edited April 20, 2011 by bennoz

[ifonly]

I am still a novice to squid fishing however for the yellowtail buy yourself a bait jig im not sure if this is what they are called they are about 5 bucks and have between 4 and 8 hooks generally. they are called a fishskin or something like that and the have a little celophane on the hooks once you get the yellowtail going nuts over ur burley jig this up and down in the centre of the burley this way you can usually get mulitple fish on at once and get loads more so you can quickly get out to ur king spot.

ifonly

Edited April 22, 2011 by ifonly

[benny81]

Yakkas...

to help a bit on the bait jigs, can i suggest you make them a bit more user friendly as 6 hooks with multiple fish kicking around can get a bit nasty.

First, cut them in half. you have three hooks on each. i have used the other half "upside down" with no less fish hooked (maybe more). tie an extra swivel on the top of the bottom half, and put a sinker on the bottom of the top half.

To make this easy, a good way to attach small weights is to crimp them onto the end of the line. its easy to use split shot, or with small sinkers, double the line back thru and crimp hard. i also tend to squash the eye of the swivel that comes at the bottom of the baitjig pack, thread it into a sinker and crimp a sinker to this. easy.

then, think about tying this jig under a float if you are landbased or lose one or two to the bottom, and if the yakka are not playing, burley up and sweeten the hooks with bit of fish, chicken, and i have found that fish liver from a just caught fish goes ok too.

good luck mate.

[t187]

+1 for yakkas, burley is essential otherwise its a waste of time. depends on if your boat or land based, i always take any old bread i find and throw it into the burley basher, thats all thats needed i find, just bash it a little to get a small trail goin n when theyre near throw the jig(i find the jap ones much more successful, cost bout 8 ea but worth it).

im interested to see what others can tell us about squid, thats one species i have had zero luck with!

[JET01]

If anyone could give me a heads up on where to get some squid in Botany Bay, i'd love a heads up.... Going to try and get a Kingie from the yak on the weekend.

[wannabefisho]

+`1 for live yakkas and taylor (sorry I just dont think squid are that great a bait- I rather catch some live fish baits ans Ive fished for a long time both from the beaches and in estuaries with nothing ever caught on fresh squid except pesky undersized bream)

I use the WIlson branded sibiki jigs and cut off the plastics stuff on them (I hate it dont catch anything never has over last 4 years I beenj using them) then I throw on strips of pillie and squid tentacles. I cut every 2nd one off so the gap between the hooks is doubled and you get less tangles as yakkas and bream will maike short work of them in real hurry unless they go straight into a live well or tank.

bycatch could be flatties to 60cm, big taylor, bream and whiting. Even caught a big blue swimmer crab after NY this year on one

Good luck mate

Anthony

[Penguin]

If anyone could give me a heads up on where to get some squid in Botany Bay, i'd love a heads up.... Going to try and get a Kingie from the yak on the weekend.

From a boat or yak try Watts reef near Kurnell or on the Northern side try the kelp

beds in front of Browns Rock, or the kelp at the beginning of Prince Of Wales Drive, thats

the western end of Yarra Bay where the breakwall starts. I have got a few around Bare Is

from a boat but been only a few.

cheers and good luck

[PRED-ATOR]

for squid - get a hand line and a squid spike under a float. Basically you skewer a whole pillie head 1st (so the nose is next to the barbs) and just send it out under a float. Leaves you with an extra bait in the water and your hands free to work the lure jig.

This is a gun tactic, use this method

I always use this while working another squid jig, if you find you can only get huge squid spikes just cut the large ones. With squid berley always helps, this is the same for yakkas. I use a bait jig with 2 hooks on it, they have feather/tinsl type material on them and sometmies i put a small peice of pilchard on them also. Make sure you dont use too many hooks as this is illegal, check fisheries for how many you can have. I use a range of squid jigs including some from grrrrrrrr, ive found the smaller ones to work better.

Just remember limit your catch not catch your limit : )

Cheers, Predator