Live baiting advice

[Underpants 1,543]

Folks,

 

May be lucky ( ) enough to head over to Lucky Bay (Cowell) in Feb for 4 days hard fishing the local area. Having been a few times over the years Ive sussed a few things out and would like to have a solid crack at live baiting  for Mulloway and possibly shark.

 

Ive never done any live baiting so am after some advice, hints, recommendations etc.

 

Basically I'm looking at my 2 surf outfits:

• Prevail 1202MH 8-12kg, 560 or 560L & 20lb mono or 30lb braid.
• Beach Basher, 850SSM & 30lb mono - considering dropping to 25/20lb for better casting & more capacity?

I was thinking a running rig:

• Ezy Rig on mainline with a 1-5oz snapper lead/bomb as needed.
• swivel on end of mainline to 60/80lb mono trace to 2x8/0 suicides, snelled say 10cm apart?
• Unsure how long the trace should be so it is long enough but doesn't become difficult to cast? Should i consider a single circle instead, say an 8/0?

If winds are offshore & cooperative (not likely tho) i'd consider ballooning out a livie but never really done this either! Not really after anything huge, small bronzie would be ideal (and yummy)

• Medium bean lead on mainline to swivel to hold livie down
• 2x8/0 suicides on wire trace (think Ive some 100lb coated stainless) from swivel
• balloon attached to loop of mainline via rubber band
• Again, how long for the trace? How far up the mainline should the balloon go? Worth considering a single circle, say even on 80lb mono??

 

I will be targeting a channel that is reachable from shore, so has some current. Given i'm looking at the (night) high tides, will be less an issue. It does not see much wave action but does get hit by the SWesterlies. There is a little rock, but generally runs out into seagrass, so is fairly clear.

 

Live bait shouldn't be a drama in the immediate area.  The s**ties are in plague proportions in the late summer and almost instantly on a small paternoster. Tommies should be achievable on small metals and yfw should be easy too.

 

I have a couple of keeper nets and mate has a 12v aerator if needed.

 

 

So am I in the right ball park, delusional or otherwise?

 

 

Undies

 

[Jimmy. 173]

for livies...

I usually have a balloon threaded onto my swivel (half through the rubber ring). swivel onto a wire trace depending on depth about 1-2m from bottom.

single hooks usually fine, bridle rigged where I can so the fish is okay to swim.

if you need to keep the fish off the bottom, rubber band/ tie it up and use a life saver as the breaker it dissolves and livie usually breaks it when its out a decent distance.