Catching whitebait/livies port macquarie

[phill81]

Hi Raiders,

Just got a boat and am new to Port Macquarie. I am looking to catch live bait rather than using frozen stuff. Nippers are the only thing I can get easily at this point.  The other day I saw bait balls in the river that looked like whitebait. Is there any way of catching these for livies? I know that you cant use cast nets in nsw and they seem to small even for my bait jig. Anyone had any success at catching these for bait or know of where I can find yakkas etc.

regards

[Berleyguts]

I once scooped up a heap of whitebait in Sydney Harbour with a bucket. There was a huge school herded up by salmon, tailor, bonito and kings. It would have been the size of a football field. We just leaned over the side and scooped them up. Used some for bait but I made a whitebait fritter. Yum!

Gotta be yakkas there somewhere... and there’s always poddy mullet. I honeymooned in Port Macquarie 28 years ago and caught a few in a creek near where we stayed. Koolonbong Creek, I think it’s called.

[phill81]

thanks heaps for the advice Baz. 

I wish my wife would have let me bring a fishing rod on my honeymoon  

[recurve]

We caught a heap at a boat ramp once.  Big long pool net was very effective. 

[kingie chaser]

just pick yourself up a live bait trap, they are cheap as chips & all you need is some sliced bread.

Just make sure the trap follows the nsw dpi guidelines.

You will probably get poddy mullet most of the time, probably even better that whitebait!

We usually put the trap out while pumping for nippers in the shallows.

 

[dirvin21]

When it gets warmer herring are a good option you catch them on a bait jig along rockwalls, bridges etc... smaller creeks berley up mullet with bread and catch them on small hooks baited with bread under a float and in summer you can also get garfish via the same method

[phill81]

Thanks heaps for all the advice. Will have a go at getting some poddis while out next time.

[SickWolf]

Rather than buying those traps, using old clear juice bottles and stuffing them with bread can work just as well or even better. I find that when the mullet are being skittish they tend not to go for the big, bulky, coloured traps and i have more success with natural looking traps. As for yakkas well using small hooks with small baits are easier to manage than tangling sabikis which tend to be a one time use only. Cant help with whitebait though 

[Berleyguts]

18 minutes ago, SickWolf said:

Rather than buying those traps, using old clear juice bottles and stuffing them with bread can work just as well or even better. I find that when the mullet are being skittish they tend not to go for the big, bulky, coloured traps and i have more success with natural looking traps. As for yakkas well using small hooks with small baits are easier to manage than tangling sabikis which tend to be a one time use only. Cant help with whitebait though 

I’ll second that on the poddy mullet traps. Big clear juice bottles are the way to go. Cut a cross in one side (which will become the top) and fold the triangles in. ?