Level up with livies BUNDABERG
Luke Truant
Fishing with live bait takes a bit more effort than fishing with dead bait. So why go to the trouble of catching livies? The answer is twofold: you’re going to catch more fish, and bigger fish. Not 100% of the time, of course – there are some days when dead bait works better – but
line with a series of small, chemically-sharpened hooks along it. You put a sinker on one end of the rig, tie the other end to your main line, and send it down to where the baitfish are holding. Hook sizes generally range from around 12-4, and each hook has a bit of sparkle flash and often a glow bead as well, to maximise attraction. They’re irresistible to small fish like yellowtail scad, slimy mackerel, garfish, small
rig up inside the rod at the end of the session. This allows you to potentially get several trips out of one rig (each rig costs around $4-$6). When the sabiki rig is fully inside the tube of the rod, the hooks are all covered so there’s only the sinker exposed at one end, ready to drop, and no hooks that can catch on anything. I have a handy tip with sabiki rods. I’ve found that the swivels on your jigs get caught in the lower ceramic guide near the reel, so I get a screw driver and snap the rectangular ceramic eyelet off. This makes the opening wider which allows the jig to go all the way into the rod without the swivel catching. It doesn’t seem to affect the braid touching the rod, as the braid actually touches the edge of the tubular blank with or without the guide. The alternative to a sabiki rod is, as you may
A honker tuskfish caught on a live bait. finger a few times and then re-tie it – if you haven’t got it caught in the carpet or side pocket. As you might guess, I’m not a fan! When it comes to the
about getting the baitfish to bite – you want to prevent them from swimming around each other in circles. When they swim in circles, they tangle the jig.
Cod are suckers for a well-presented livie. in the long run your catch rates will improve. That’s why the most mad-keen anglers often fish with live baits for both pelagics and bottom fish. It’s well worth spending that bit of extra time and effort. SABIKI RIGS AND RODS Catching baitfish typically involves a sabiki rig, which is a length of
trevally and more. While you don’t need a proper hollow sabiki rod, it will save you money in the long run because you won’t go through as many jigs. Sabiki rods aren’t too expensive; all the ones I’ve seen have been under $100. These rods have a trumpetshaped opening at the top, and you can wind your entire
With two people working as a team – one on the rod, one unhooking fish – you’ll soon fill your livewell. know, a short length of pool noodle. To use it, you wrap the rig around the pool noodle, stab yourself in the
Top: running sinker down to a snelled 8/0 live bait hook and stinger, for targeting trout. Bottom: wire trace and treble stinger, for targeting mackerel. 8
JULY 2022
jigs themselves, I don’t have a favourite brand but I do buy jigs with heavier mono and really small hooks. In my experience, using small hooks seems to give you more hook-ups. If you’re using the larger size jigs and the baitfish are pilchardsized, it will take you a lot longer to get your live baits in the morning. And the reason I like heavier mono is because every now and then you’ll hook up to a bonito or other larger fish and you can land them without losing hooks. Lastly, if you spool your reel with mono rather than braid, you may find you’ll land more livies. This is because mono line stretches, acting as a shock-absorber, so the hooks are less likely to tear out of the baitfish’s soft mouth. Now let’s look at how to work your sabiki rigs. LINE AND LEADER When it comes to jigging for live bait, it’s not just
to the bottom you should start winding with a slow to medium retrieve. If you feel one fish on, you might feel the temptation to pause your retrieve in hopes of hooking a second. Don’t do it – they’ll swim around and tangle the rig, and you’ve just thrown $5 in the bin. Once you feel a fish on, always keep winding. Other fish will get on there as the jig rises to the surface. When you get the fish up to the boat, it’s best to have someone ready to help you. The goal is to minimise the amount of time the livies spend dangling out of the water, struggling to breathe and sometimes falling on the deck. The person using the jig rod can lift the jig up and hold onto the sinker, while the other person takes the fish off. Then the baitfish can go into the livewell as quickly as possible. LIVEWELL Your livewell needs as much flow as possible, so
If you’re tired of tangled rigs and stabbed fingers, get a sabiki rod. It will soon pay for itself. To address this issue I use a heavier sinker on the bottom, at least 4oz. If you’re getting really large yellowtail scad or other big livies, you’ll want an 8oz at the bottom to help stop the fish swimming around each other and tying up the jig. Once you’ve dropped down, as soon as you get
you may want increase your pump capacity. You’d be surprised at how many fish you can pack in when you have a lot of flow. Many tanks that have a multi-point system where the water comes in through a series of small holes. I’ve never noticed a difference between that and a single
