Mulloway, kingfish, snapper and mangrove jack all eat live bait more reliably than anything else you can present. The hard part is not the fishing — it is gathering and keeping bait alive.
This guide covers the four baits worth the effort in Australian waters, how to keep them healthy, and the rigs that let them swim naturally.
The four baits worth gathering
Yellowtail scad hold up brilliantly in a tank and are the standard livie for kingfish and mulloway. Berley a wharf or bommie with bread and chicken pellets and take them on sabiki jigs.
Mullet are the premium mulloway and barramundi bait. Cast net them over shallow sand at first light, and handle them with wet hands only.
Live prawns and squid round out the list. Prawns are dynamite on bream, jack and flathead; a live squid on a two-hook rig is arguably the best big-snapper bait in the country.
Keeping bait alive
Water volume and aeration matter more than anything else. A round tub circulates better than a square esky, and a twelve-volt aerator with a fine ceramic stone will keep a dozen yellowtail alive all day.
Change the water regularly and keep the tank shaded. Warm water holds less oxygen, and a tank that sits in the sun kills bait faster than overcrowding.
Never handle live bait with dry hands. Removing the slime coat kills the bait within an hour and makes it swim poorly in the meantime.
Rigs that let bait swim
For a free-swimming livie, use a single circle hook through the nose or through the shoulder just behind the dorsal. Nose-hooked baits swim forward and away; shoulder-hooked baits swim down.
Add a running sinker above a swivel only when current demands it, and keep the leader long — a metre or more — so the bait can move naturally.
Circle hooks are worth committing to. Let the fish load the rod rather than striking, and you will hook far more fish in the corner of the jaw for a clean release.
Key takeaways
- ▸Yellowtail, mullet, prawns and squid cover almost every target.
- ▸Aeration, shade and water changes keep bait frisky.
- ▸Handle bait with wet hands only.
- ▸Nose or shoulder hook on a circle hook, long leader, minimal weight.
This guide is general information only. Fishing regulations differ by state and change regularly — confirm current rules with your fisheries authority before you fish.