Mulloway Mealtime by Jamie Robley

Casting big hard or soft lures has become a popular way to target jewfish over the past five years or so. While there's certainly no doubt that lures catch jewfish, I still believe that natural bait can be more effective in many situations.

Unlike bream, flathead or tailor that take a wide variety of baits even if they aren't always fresh, jewfish are a bit more picky. They prefer big baits that are alive, very fresh or have been promptly frozen after capture.

Sure, there's a chance of catching jewfish on pilchards or other types of bait that may be purchased from a bait shop but the fact is if you really want to catch jewfish, you first have to catch your own bait.

THE FULL SQUID

Squid is a popular jewfish bait but there's squid and then there's real squid. Southern calamari squid is the real deal and is at the top of the list of jewfish baits.

Southern calamari are larger and rounder in shape than the arrow squid which are common in some estuary systems. Calamari do enter bays and estuaries but are more abundant along the ocean rocks and inshore reefs. They prefer areas with kelp growth and clear water that doesn't get too stirred up by tidal flow or wave action.

By far the best way of catching southern calamari is by casting and slowly working a good-quality squid jig over a patch of kelp-laden reef. The best sizes are 2.5, 3 and 3.5, although bigger jigs like a 4 often attract bigger calamari.

You can catch them at any time of day but, like most marine life, they are generally more active early in the morning or late evening.

Remember to wear old clothes when squidding because these beasties squirt heaps of black ink which stains everything. Store them in a cool place and use them within a couple of hours or chuck them in the freezer as soon as you get home.

Don't clean them up as if you were going to eat them, jewfish really like all that dirty black ink. White, washed-out calamari will catch jewfish but the messy black stuff is better.

There is a great article the CATCH annual by Craig McGill on catching jewfish on southern calamari. No one with an interest in jewfish should miss out on that article, which I regard as nothing less than pure jewfish gospel.

THE CHOPPER

It's hard to nominate the second-best jewfish bait but, if pushed, I would have to say live or fresh tailor.

If you've caught a few tailor in the morning they can be stored in the fridge and used later the same day but what we call 'fresh' will expire after about 12 hours. Once past 12 hours or after being frozen, tailor is no longer a valid jewfish bait.

Smaller tailor can be used whole and bigger tailor can be cut up. An average tailor of 700g will make three jewfish baits; the head and two fillets.

A 2kg tailor should yield six baits; the head and then each fillet can be cut in half. Just remember to make sure you use a big hook with the point well exposed when using tailor heads.