Nippers - You may take up to 100 in total. They can be found on the sandflats in Crooked River with a bait pump. The best spot is just upstream of the car bridge.
Poddy Mullet - These small mullet are great live baits for Flathead over the summer period and you may take up to 20 provided they are under 15cms. Most people use a poddy mullet trap with some bread inside but they can also be caught by line with a tiny hook and some dough or fresh bread.
Whitebait - Keep an eye out for birds or fish pushing the bait up close to the waters edge. The whitebait pictured were collected off the sand at Gerroa last night after Tailor had pushed them up onto dry land just before dark. A bag limit of 50 applies to all bait fish - see fisheries for a full list.
Prawns - Both Werri Lagoon and Crooked River are a great source of prawns and they typically come on around October each year and tend to be hard to find after about March. The limit for prawns is 10 litres - which is a pretty good catch in this area! Great bream bait.
Beach worms - Seven Mile Beach is by far the best and about half way down at Berry Beach seems to be were they are the thickest. Beach worming is an art form but with plenty of practice (and patience) you will soon be good enough to catch a few. There are several club members who are quite proficient so just ask around and somebody will show you how to extract them! Bag limit is 20 and don't break them because they count each piece as one worm!
Cunjevoi - This is a great bait that can be collected at low tide from rock platforms but be very careful to keep an eye on the waves and make sure the kids are well back from the edge - preferably on dry rocks, on a falling tide or well away from the waters edge. There are areas that are safer than others so just use some common sense! Bag limit of 20 and great bait for Drummer. My favorite spot is North Werri.
Squid - These tasty little cephalopods can be caught by rod and reel using a squid jig. The bag limit is 20 and they are great bait for those chasing Jewfish or Kingfish. Boat Harbour is a great spot to start and they are more prolific around dusk and dawn. Great eating too.
Crabs - Crabs are great bait for Groper and many other species that can be caught from the beach and rocks. The bag limit is 10 and they are usually caught by hand - watch those claws! Once again, always use caution when on ocean rock platforms, they are rarely a good place for young children to be unless they are well supervised by somebody who know the area and conditions well.
Fresh bait will nearly always catch you more fish than buying frozen bait from the service station, especially if you keep it live (ie: prawns, nippers and poddy's).
Get out there and have some fun - if you catch a few fish, it's a bonus! For a full list of bag and size limits click here
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