When heading out on the water, many anglers are happy to hook any fish that takes a liking to their offerings. But others will target certain species, and these are usually the individuals who attract a gathering of admirers at the boat ramp at the end of the day. And the inevitable question is posed: "What were you using for bait?"
If only life were so simple. With the holiday season in full swing, it is timely to have a look at how we can use specific baits to target special fish.
Off the wharf: This is a great country for taking youngsters down to the local wharf or bridge and dropping a line. A good approach is to take one of the packets of sabiki jig flies, tie the swivel on one end to the line and unwind the trace with its multiple tiny hooks. But these hooks are super sharp and are easily snagged in unsuspecting fingers, so cutting off every second trace will make life a lot easier. Attach a small sinker to the bottom, add a fragment of bait to each hook and drop it over the side until it hits the bottom. Baits can be bits of pilchard or any other fish bait, squid, or even balls of bread dough crushed and moulded. If a little cotton wool is added, it will stick on the hook better. When the rod bends, it is better to teach the budding angler to just wind steadily, rather than heaving back on the rod.
Snapper: Our most user-friendly and the easiest fish to catch because it is so widespread and will scavenge any food available. Snapper will eat commercially available baits such as bonito, pilchards and squid and also mussels, pipis, fresh fish such as mullet, kahawai and mackerel and sprats and pakete. They love crayfish, but will also snack on boiled potatoes and peas. They are also susceptible to jigs and soft baits.
Trevally: Will eat pilchards and bonito presented in small cubes but prefer metal jigs, soft baits and particularly shellfish such as tuatuas, which should be secured with bait elastic.
