Lifecraft
John McDouall Stuart
I've noticed some large rock pools which have loads of small fish in them. If you sneak up on the rock pool you see schools of them, and the moment they realise you're there they swim at lightning speed to the nearest hidy hole. So fast they're a blur.
Considering that live bait is likely one of the best possible types of bait, how would one go about catching these with only basic equipment?
I could try setting up a bait trap (cheap one from kmart) but I'd like to figure out a way to do it without such bulky equipment.
Plus the last time I tried using a bait trap the fish didn't want to go near it. It's bright green, and I think it needs to fade to avoid scaring the fish.
I crushed a few snail type things on the rocks (there are millions of them covering the rocks) and threw them in to see if the fish would eat them. The fish seemed to love them, although they were hesitant to come far out from their hiding spots, and would often come out, spot me, then swim straight back.
I'm wondering if I could use them for bait.
One idea I had was to empty my SS water bottle, put some bait in it, weight it down and then walk away for a while so the fish calm down and get used to it being there.
Then come back and lift my water bottle out of the water and see if any fish are hiding in it.
I'm guessing it would take them quite some time to get used to it though, so I might need to leave it there for hours, or even days, before they'll go into it.
I have attempted to catch live bait fish with tiny hooks... but they tend to just nibble all the bait away and never bite down enough to get caught.
I'm just trying to figure out how to catch fish with minimal gear (ie. primarily just my little pocket fishing kit, which isn't primitive, but it is basic), and without being there all day.
If there were only a few fish there I wouldn't want to use them as bait. (If something appears to be rare, then we should leave it alone IMO.)
But considering there were likely a hundred or more (in a medium/large rock pool) I don't see a problem with using a few of them.
I did consider setting up a rock or sand trap, where the fish swim in but can't find their way back out. That could be tricky because the fish are fairly small and the available rocks are quite large.
I'm tempted to try the plastic water bottle idea.... where you cut an X in the plastic bottle, push the triangles of plastic inwards, and put bait inside. However I don't tend to have a plastic bottle with me. I was hoping to come up with a way to catch them with what I often take with me for a walk down to the rocks.
Any ideas?
Considering that live bait is likely one of the best possible types of bait, how would one go about catching these with only basic equipment?
I could try setting up a bait trap (cheap one from kmart) but I'd like to figure out a way to do it without such bulky equipment.
Plus the last time I tried using a bait trap the fish didn't want to go near it. It's bright green, and I think it needs to fade to avoid scaring the fish.
I crushed a few snail type things on the rocks (there are millions of them covering the rocks) and threw them in to see if the fish would eat them. The fish seemed to love them, although they were hesitant to come far out from their hiding spots, and would often come out, spot me, then swim straight back.
I'm wondering if I could use them for bait.
One idea I had was to empty my SS water bottle, put some bait in it, weight it down and then walk away for a while so the fish calm down and get used to it being there.
Then come back and lift my water bottle out of the water and see if any fish are hiding in it.
I'm guessing it would take them quite some time to get used to it though, so I might need to leave it there for hours, or even days, before they'll go into it.
I have attempted to catch live bait fish with tiny hooks... but they tend to just nibble all the bait away and never bite down enough to get caught.
I'm just trying to figure out how to catch fish with minimal gear (ie. primarily just my little pocket fishing kit, which isn't primitive, but it is basic), and without being there all day.
If there were only a few fish there I wouldn't want to use them as bait. (If something appears to be rare, then we should leave it alone IMO.)
But considering there were likely a hundred or more (in a medium/large rock pool) I don't see a problem with using a few of them.
I did consider setting up a rock or sand trap, where the fish swim in but can't find their way back out. That could be tricky because the fish are fairly small and the available rocks are quite large.
I'm tempted to try the plastic water bottle idea.... where you cut an X in the plastic bottle, push the triangles of plastic inwards, and put bait inside. However I don't tend to have a plastic bottle with me. I was hoping to come up with a way to catch them with what I often take with me for a walk down to the rocks.
Any ideas?
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