Fresh Bait’s On Hand.
- River shrimp make great bait for Murray cod and Golden perch.
Regardless of where you fish if you’re going to use bait, you can’t do better than that readily sourced on location. Collecting your own bait is not only fun but can save you a few quid at the same time. Along the Murray there are no shortages of natural baits on hand and knowing where and how to collect them will see you amply supplied and ready for a day’s fishing action. The hardest of localised baits when it comes to collecting would have to be the humble bardie grub. Their symmetrical holes can be found around the base of river gums by removing the top layer of soil with a shovel. Once located, the large grubs are extracted from their tunnels with a grabbing or corkscrew device fashioned on the end of a Speedo cable. This is often hot work but they are worth the trouble as they are a favourite food source when it comes to Murray cod. Other baits include local river muscles found along the mud bunks just a few meters from the edge. With a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years these muscles are quite often very large, providing several baits per specimen. Murray cod eat the muscles whole and regurgitate the shell once the stomach acids have killed, opened and broken down the contents. However they are more than happy to dine on those pre-shelled and readily prepared on a hook. These large river muscles are best located whilst wading in the shallows, you can feel them in the mud with your feet but with the chance of foreign object and such like glass, I would be more inclined to wear light shoes for this job. Shells can be opened with a knife or by cracking them on a rock.
Possibly the easiest to catch and most prolific natural bait in the river would be (Macrobracachium austrailienser) the common long armed shrimp. During the warmer months their numbers explode and with the use of a simple shrimp trap of regulation standards, an endless supply of bait is just a few feet away. Baited with a handful of dried dog or cat food these simple nets attract the shrimp in no time at all. It is not uncommon to feel them pinching at your feet whilst swimming or wading in the river. So, next time you head off to the river remember the best baits to use are most often those readily available right where you are fishing.
