# Artificials or pooftastinkbaits?



## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Personally I'm happy to use what ever works on the day. My preference is artificial (clean and easy) and I was having great success catching snapper on hardbodies. Bidded, lipless and blades all worked fine, then they stopped working. Tried trip after trip without getting a touch. So I went back to the old reliable softplastics, bit more successful, but still wasnt getting many hits. So what do you do? persevere or go old school? I got out the old castnet and went to some sheltered waters picked up a handful of live bait, drove back to the yak launch spot and paddled out, put a liviey on a hook dangled it in the water, basically hoping for anything not really expecting any snapper, thinking they all moved out, and low and behold my first snapper in about 6 weeks.  . So since then I've been getting way more fish on either live bait or dead bait, which is better than nuffin.

What I've noticed is a few anal retentive fisher people(tongue in cheek  ) who thumb there nose at the bait fishing. There may have been a couple who watched as I filleted my last snapper that I caught on a whole smelly pilly, making it out as a less of a catch because of the way it was caught.

So what do you think are you willing to try different stuff to catch a fish or do you perceiver on what worked last month but doesn't now? Do you just use bait and cant be bothered spending your money on lures? Are you only in it for the challenge of trying to trick the fish into believing that a piece of plastic is something worth attacking?....etc.

Whats your opinion? :lol:


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Im having a dilemna at the moment. For about 20 hours on the yak Ive caught a couple of flatties and a few bream. I lost a packet of my favourite tails on the chatters and only got a few hits and no hookups after many hours. Then I went to the lagoon and got busted up by some big tailor, then I got a huge sweetlip yak side, lost at the gaff, then I got reefed by a big mangrove jack after he got close to the yak. 2x SX60, 1x sx40, 1x Nilsmaster spearhead, 2 x TTjigheads etc all gone in one session and no fish. So after the collateral damage I guess I might go back to Sps for a while, they dont hurt so much when a big fish decides he would like to keep your tournament lure for his own. I might even give bait a try, I have some good pillys and yakkas that Ive bought home from livebaiting. Actually the bait jig has been working well for me lately .... (nothing else has). 
Oh did I mention getting a good hookup on a livey and towed for a couple of hundred yards, hoping it was a big kingy but he bit me off, thanks sharky.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Ill change to whatever if my methods arent working.
In the estuaries i only ever use lures, surface lures mainly.
Offshore, i have only been out a few times but generally take bait and SP's and see what works on the day.
Landbased, usually on the beach if im stuck on the shore, i only ever use bait.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

haven't fished with bait dead or alive for ages...but will be getting the cast net and bait tube out to chase some hard to get barra (saltwater) live bait has always worked for me especially on the barra. i just like the cleanness of lure fishing...especially that i still have nearly 300 sps to go.....

also the currents here often make it hard to bait fish

in my old yak when i lived beach side i used to head out on the mudflats dragging the yak, pump yabbies and fish for whiting. when the incoming tide reached me would hop in yak and continue fishing using caught whiting (legal) for a livie and would more often then not hook a big trevor or queenie

haven't done that years and now that i have thought of it will try when this f#@^&*% bloody weather settles down......


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## granpop (Mar 23, 2007)

Haven't fished bait in aaages - love the ease of fishing without bait - no bait gathering, or time lost looking for poddy mullet that wont trap etc. Kids have grown up, so I dont have to take them bait gathering (they loved that), but I need to educated the grandkids soon 

Cheers

Dave


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

I prefer to work hard body lures when fishing for fun. If I actually catch a fish, I see it as a bonus.

Extra-ordinary claims have been made about soft plastics and how they will outfish bait. I am yet to be convinced aout this. Particularly quality, well presented live bait.

When I go chasing a couple for the table and all else fails, I have absolutely no hesitation in casting an unweighted livy at structure or even pulling up on a sand back somewhere and setting a couple of lines out with a live yabby for a bream or whiting. ( while I indulge in the odd adult beverage) 8)

My pet hate is people bait fishing for bass. In particular meat fishing for bass with bait.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

A slightly different take.

I won't buy bait because I think the professional bait gatherers do too much damage to the local marine environment. However I have no issue with collecting bait for a session and using it. My only problem is that I'm crap at it. So I mostly use lures and finding much more success with sps than with hbs


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

similar to others..

I can't usually be arsed going to buy dead bait (prawns/pillies) but I'll happily try and catch my own (mainly yabbies/poddy mullet, yakkas or pilchards).

However 9 times out of 10 I'll stick with trolling hard bodies and casting/drifting with soft plastics..


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Results from today, 

Trolled HBs all over the place for zip.

*poofta stink baits* (mullet gut till the tide went out far enough)










When the tide went out got these, 










Then got these, plus a bunch of undersize whiting. 










Got my Easter Feed, went back to my beloved Sx 40s and got these. (first time for me) 



















Plus an undersize lizard, a flounder at 25cms and lost my beloved bluegill to something much bigger.

I have to say I enjoyed the artificial fishing more than bait but to day bait got the results for me.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

nice work mick.. a productive morning!


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## Baldy (Oct 1, 2007)

I like it all and my usual setup is a floating bibbed lure out the back for when I move, baitrod for drifting with anything up to a 6/0 circle hook and a SP on the 3rd rod for casting at anything that looks fishy. Not unusual to have all 3 in the water at once, if the wind/current is playing ball teh HB out the back just floats and looks after itself, the bait is down doing its thing and I'll be casting the sp around.

Ive got alot of respect for the guys n gals that stick to one type and attempt to "master the art" but its just not for me, Im as happy fishing a 18# caenid imitation on Penstock lagoon as I am trolling for tuna off the coast, I dont know alot about any one type of fishing but that doesnt stop any of the fun!

The only thing that annoys me slightly is the idea some people have that the guy out bottom bouncing for flathead and the guy stalking wild brown trout in some far flung lake cant be enjoying themselves as much as each other. Well I say bulldust, they can and they are.

Cheers
Baldy


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Good ol' mullet gut, havent used it for years, but I still reckon its the best bream bate ever......and yabbies, great fun rounding up a few with the kids and beaut whiting bait. What about blood worms?? I guess its not environmentally sound these days, but I remember digging down to my arm pits in soft mud for a few big fat worms......does it get better than that. :roll: :lol: . Some time gathering your own bait can be as involved as fishing.

Looks like there's a few keen, use nothing else but lure fisherpeople, but I like to keep my options open especially when fishing for a feed.


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

One of my favourite baits hasnt had a mention so here it is CUNJEVOI
The old cunji is very reliable for bream, sweetlip, trevally and more.
Ive even had a bite myself


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## BENM (Jul 4, 2007)

I don't miss the smell of chicken gut thats for sure!!! It took weeks to get the smell of that S*#$! off your hands!!!

Only artificals for me these days.

Ben


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

I can't go past the ever faithful yabbie.... haven't used the gulps for AGES and perservere with sps and hbs.... have been getting the old whitebait lately cos the kids can put them on themselves and i don't have to do it. Cant go past the old standby stale bread either!


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## buddahbelly (Mar 18, 2008)

Tend to use SP and hardbodies in the yak, don't want to lose a bit of squid\pillie whatever in the yak and have it stink.

will use whatever works on the rocks\beach\bank


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## fishinswing (May 15, 2006)

You can't beat a good old live bait for any kind of fishing, from whiting to marlin. I will try to source live bait first, but if unsuccessful, I will resort to sp's.


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

I like the physical action of using lures - casting and retrieving plastics - varying the action on the retrieve, Also trolling a stickbait behind at the same time or letting it waft in the swell behind you. If the fish are down deep then get the jig out and send it down to them - watch it on the sounder entering the school then start the crazy retrieve - very physical and erratic - that gets the fish to strike. Its a bit like occys words really - it feels more like 'sporting' fishing - as your enticing the fish into action by replicating its quarry!!!! I think with a bait - you kind of let it down the line and sit there and wait - which for me it doesnt really equate to 'my' kind of yak fishing. I like to be on the move - finding out the schoolls - casting to them - trying different retrieves. I think you have to possibly put a bit more effort in - but i think you also learn a little bit more about the species your chasing. One other point that I think hasnt been mentioned as yet - fish that take a lure tend to be way more aggresive on the take than when they chew a bait !!!! They attack the lure and try and take it down!!!

I do think that one of the best baits ever though is the humble pilchard......... but they do come apart quite easy especially if your using sections not whole - and they make your fingers stinko !!!!

Live baiting is pretty much the top of the ladder for best results I would say - but sometimes I think that it pushes the obsesssion of fishing to the limits if you have to get up 3 hours before your 4.30 am start to go fishing to catch livies !!!!! Each to his own !!!!


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Went out in the stinker yesterday live baiting for barries. While we had the livies out we bait fished and used Sps and chatterbaits. The dead pillies picked up squire while the sps and chatters accounted for a red rock harry each. Then we went to the 32 fathom mark and had bait and gulps rigged on the patternoster rigs, one with the gulp on the bottom and one with the gulp on top. The gulps didnt get touched and the dead pillies accounted for several large sand flathead, pearl perch and a parrot fish, along with the mandatory red harries. The skirts and large hb's and tremblers didnt get a touch that we trolled while we travelled.
Over 10 hours on the water and overall very quiet, no spanish, the bait outdid the artificlals and gulps by a long way. We got a report that the pros only picked up 1 barrie between them.


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## weapon (Dec 9, 2007)

A recent good snapper I got was with removing the gulp from the jighead that produced no hits and putting on a piece of slimy mackeral bait on the jighead. First cast with the bait produced the snapper. I think if there are yellowtail/mackeral around it is worth catching them and using them, for a SP/bait combo with 2 rods. I have found leaving the SP rod in the rodholder, as you bob up and down on the swell, enough to attract fish to hit it.

I have found fresh white bread to be a really good bait for the bigger bream, rolled into a small dollop teardrop-shaped, covering a smallish No.1 or 2 size baitkeeper hook with only its point just showing, and it does not smell.


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## alpha (Aug 18, 2006)

I have to confess the lures catch me.If I like the profile/colour and the assumed action fits a profile applicable to a favoured senario, I want to fish it "fishy" enough to catch fish on em. 
I get caught by thinking that that could be The lure to loosen any (of the fishes)inhibitions.
But yeh.. I do like the challenge of seeking the fish & covering more ground with lures.
I find it more involved, engaging,the fish directly responding to your determination.
What it boils down to is my love/obsession :? of catching fish and bringing home a feed, on lures or bait.
Maybe I get more satisfaction catching on lures cause it justifies the outlay of my lure collection :shock: and justifies buying the next one.That would explain why the more fish I catch the bigger my collection gets  
Box me but I cant bring myself to fishing gulps..which bring me to a question:
pooftastinkbaits(as refered to in the title of this thread)..is that a new range of gulps?... do they come in nuclear chicken?.. and ..can you feed them to your cat?


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