See also:
Fly Patterns
See also:
Bait for Saltwater fish
Trout will eat a variety of food, but prefer their food live or a
very good imitation!
WORMS
Worms are a readily available and inexpensive bait. You can purchase
them at a tackle shop or dig your own. They are easily farmed at home in a worm box, and
you can feed them on vegetable scraps from your kitchen. They are very hardy and
will stay on the hook well.
Types of worms are red wrigglers, garden and scrub worms.
When using worms for bait, use a small, light hook that allows the worm to
more freely without killing it.
GRASSHOPPERS
Grasshoppers are popular with Trout in Summer, when many end up falling
into waterways and lakes. Use a fine net (such as a butterfly net) while walking
through long grass to catch them as they jump or fly.
Use a small hook, placed through the base of their wings. You can
fish grasshoppers either weighted or unweighted.
MUDEYES
Mudeyes are the larval stage of dragonflies, and a delicacy to trout.
They are found all around Australia.
You can collect them yourself, by looking under submerged logs and under
rocks and gravel in lakes or farm dams. They are also available for purchase in a
lot of tackle shops. Though they are a bit expensive, they are a proven bait.
Presentation of a mudeye is very important. Conceal a light No. 10
size hook in the abdomen of the mudeye, use a very light trace (1-3kg) and suspend under a
bubble float.
YABBIES
Yabbies are also known as Australian freshwater crayfish.
Yabbies are a major part of trout
and other freshwater fish.
You can collect your own yabbies, using traps baited with meat or fish.
They will often come ashore at night on the banks of rivers and dams, and can be
collected by hand or a net after spotting them with a torch. See:
Fishing for Yabby, Catching Yabbies, How to Make a Yabby Pump
Hook a yabbie through the tail with a No. 4 to No. 1 size hooks, as
you would a prawn or shrimp. Be careful to keep the yabbie suspended off the bottom,
because if they reach the bottom they will crawl under the nearest snag!
BAIT FISH
Small fish are readily taken by trout.
Trout prefer live bait, but
you can use good quality whitebait, that is sold frozen in Tackle Shops as a standby.
OTHER BAITS
Like we said earlier, Trout eat a wide variety of food. Take a look around
the location you are fishing, insects and grubs, ants and beetles are all natural food of
the Trout. But remember, presentation is very important. Try different ways of
presenting your bait to make it as natural and lifelike as possible.
BAIT FOR CARP:
Ingredients for Carp Baits
Breadcrumbs (as base)
Semolina (as base)
Additional Flavourings:
Crushed Hemp Seed - The hemp oil is an effective fish attractor
Dried Insect Meal - Made of flies, worms, shrimps and bugs
Ground Fish
Fish Oil
Sugar cane molasses
Dried mixed seafood - water snails, shrimp, small crayfish, daphnia, water
flies. These are good soaked in anchovy extract for a few days before grinding
and adding to the basic dough mix
Almost any kind of nut - soak first for at least 12 hours and boil for 30
minutes
Corn kernels - Fresh or canned
Meat Baits - Spam, Luncheon meats, Pepperoni, canned cat or dog food moulded
into balls.
Cheese
Maggots
List of Exporters, Importers, Processors & Wholesalers of Fishing Bait Products
Bait
for Trout 