Live Bait

[merseybluenose]

Am looking at fishing with live baits over the upcoming holidays, haven't done a lot of this before. Getting myself a sabiki bait rod and looks like yellow tail and slimeys are the bait of choice for most species. Would anyone be able to PM a spot they know holds these types of baits in moreton bay? I fish out of a 4m tinnie from manly, c/land etc so outside marks no good.....cheers.

[Horse]

I would not worry about a specialist Sabiki rod and reel. Mine sits at home. They are hard to handle and can be less effective especially when bait is holding close to structure. A normal spin outfit works a lot better. If you want to keep your jigs for the next trip just wrap them around a bit of foam and drop them in a plastic container. Rinse and dry at home. I don't bother.
Livies are a bit tricky around the areas you mentioned. Slimies and Yakkas are hard to find until you start to hit the shipping channel markers. Herring and Mullet are available in closer but a cast net works better for them. Don't discount the old Diver Whiting. They are often the bait of choice in the areas you mentioned. A 1/2 Sabiki rig sweetened with Squid or Prawn works well for them. Yellow Tail pike are available on the shallow reef and rocky areas. They will make short work of your rig but make great baits for Cod and Cobia as well as XOS Snapper

[wags on the water]

Also agree - Don't buy the rod as you just don't need it. Just tie the bait jigs to your outfits, then wrap them around a stubby cooler or Styrofoam when done. I'd be starting off with a size 8 and also use size 6 bait jigs.

[Giffo65]

I also bought one of those Sabiki bait jig rods,looked good in theory,don't work that well.They take many goes to wind the jig back in.

[Gimme5]

I've got a sabiki rod and the good thing about it is that it's permanently on my boat ready to use whenever I see a bait school on the sounder. It is very quick and hassle free to deploy and put away safely. The only downside is that it takes up rod space on the boat. It's a specialized piece of gear that's not absolutely necessary but nice to have and I certainly recommend it.

I'm no expert as far as local knowledge is concerned but I think someone recently wrote that Measured Mile Beacon consistently produces the bait you're after so it's worth a go.