Collecting Bait in Western Port

Bait is a necessary part of fishing for many anglers – good bait is the difference between success and failure.

The local tackle shop or service station can provide a good selection of frozen baits. Frozen baits are convenient, work well for all species and are available in a large variety.

However, Western Port is over flowing with a huge array of species that make sensational fresh baits for a wide variety of fish.

Anglers heading out only need to factor in a few extra hours into their fishing session to have fresh baits.

WHAT TO USE?

The answer to this is simple - as long as it is fresh it will be good. For the most part, I factor in a bait collecting session into 90% of my fishing trips. This allows me to have the best opportunity to catch my targeted species. If I can’t catch bait, often we don’t fish. A little extra effort can be very rewarding.

Not all baits purchased frozen can be caught fresh. Pilchards for instance would be quite a challenge to target, requiring very small hooks and a lot of patience. However, silver whiting, garfish, calamari, pike, snook, salmon and even Bass yabbies are all available within a short distance of any of the boat ramps in Western Port...