Category Archives: Live Bait
Finding new fishing spots reconnaissance
Finding new fishing spots is my favourite pastime. For land-based and inshore anglers, the best time to do reconnaissance is low tide. I know that sounds self-evident, but few people actually do this. I rarely go fishing without sussing out an area first. Be it in my boat with a sounder for offshore trips. Or…
Catching fingermark offshore at night
Fingermark have a predatory and foraging habit and their movements can be predicted. Catching Fingermark offshore at night, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is not as hard as it seems. I love fingermark! (also known as Golden Snapper) They are a top grade food fish and impressive sports fish. In the barramundi closed season…
Catch and rig live squid for Fingermark Golden Snapper
Live squid as bait is one of the best ways to catch fingermark (Golden Snapper) but can be a little tricky to rig up. In this post we use a squid jig to catch some live squid as bait for our fingermark session. A cast net or scoop net can also be used when…
Easy hook removal
It can be difficult removing fish hooks from fish. A handy tool I never go fishing without is a set of bent nose pliers. It makes removing fish hooks really easy. They are brilliant for removing fish hooks out of fish. Especially in throat hooked fish when the fish hooks are deeply embedded. I find…
Burley Bombs – the clean way to consistently catch reef fish
Using burley is a well established method to attract reef fish to your boat. Typically, bait is chopped up on the spot and thrown randomly overboard, or is placed in a chum tube and manually minced at intervals to disperse the bits and pieces of burley. The problem is, that without a constant steady stream,…
Keeping live bait without a pump
After going to all the trouble of catching your live bait, you don’t want it dying due to lack of oxygen or dirty water. The best way to look after your live bait is to keep it in a naturally plumbed tank built into your boat. By creating a sealed section in your boat you…
Big black jew on kids rod and reel combo
Check out this gorgeous Black Jew Fish we landed using a kids rod and reel combo. And while you don’t necessarily need top of the range gear to catch good fish (these kids rod and reel combo’s retail for under a hundred bucks), it does help if you add a little skill to the…
Anchoring your boat with the twin anchor technique
Anchoring your boat with the twin anchor technique has many advantages and I have been doing it this way for many years. Twin anchors allow you to anchor sideways in the current thus maximizing your fishing area. It keeps the boat steady and your baits in the right place, and reduces the effect of wind…
Accepting change, Live baiting isn’t cheating!
Guest writer and Ryan Moody Fishing Ambassador Ben Weston (Westo) has some sage advice on being an all rounder fishing for barra, by downing lures on occasion and using live bait. Accepting Change, Live Baiting isn’t cheating The bitterest pill I had to swallow after completing the Barra Basics (BB) course, was accepting that…
Cast nets for catching bait
I have been using cast nets for catching bait for over 30 years now and they’re a quick and easy way to fill your live bait tank with livies. Most people use the standard bottom pocket net and for sure, that’s my net of choice for most applications in north Queensland. Shallow habitats such…