Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Pilchards, Garfish, Berley, Whitebait, Fresh Squid, Tuna Oil, Chicken, etc
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Kimtown
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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by Kimtown » Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:54 am

GusG wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:50 am
That reminds me of a condition I used to suffer from which my mate and I called 'pilchardus tracksuitis'

It is when you fish with pilchards and constantly wipe your hands on your tracksuit pants. By the end of the day's fishing your trackies are that badly crusted in pilchards that they can stand up on their own. And the smell...oh the smell..... :(

Probably could have used the trackies as berley :-D
I'm a clean freak for this very reason

Need to soap and towel my hands after re-baiting almost every time. I can't when i get pilchard blood, guts and scales on my rod grips and reels!

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by Bugalugs » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:09 pm

Thanks everyone for the replies - much appreciated.
I've noticed I got the price wrong on the original post.
I meant to write they were $5.99kg (or possibly $4.99kg - I'll check on the weekend)
But I think I might be better off with the pilchards from the tackle shops, although I might take some of each and do a comparison.
Cheers
Neil

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by GusG » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:43 pm

Yeah that was when i was young and a bit silly (and standing on rock ledges all day and night). Now I like to be much cleaner when I fish. I also hate getting fish guts and scales on reels, grips, etc.

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by 4liters » Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:13 pm

cobby wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:43 am
Sardinella Longiceps top. Sardinops Sagax (neopilchardus) bottom
Cool, I didn't realise there was a difference. I noticed the ones available changed depending on the season, I think it's the big ones available now but in the warmer months they were selling the slender ones. Yakkas and slimeys don't seem to mind either.
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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by Bugatti » Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:26 pm

I have eaten both coming from Greek Island heritage , , , , and are OK , , , , a bit of a delicacy rather than a meal. Either of them cooked whole (gutted) over charcoals with Greek Thyme or Oregano and Lemon & Olive Oil.

Don and I prefer food grade Pilchards, when we can get them, for bait, they are firmer we found. We get them frozen (loose, which their frozen tails get knocked about and half gone) and we keep stock in our bait freezers, for convenience. But oddly enough, the Fishmonger that we go to, has said after we wouldn't buy Sardines when they didn't have Pilchards, that people buy Pilchards if their are no Sardines but won't buy Sardines if their are no Pilchards. That must say something about Sardine or Pilchard , , , , we only buy Pilchards.



GusG wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:50 am
That reminds me of a condition I used to suffer from which my mate and I called 'pilchardus tracksuitis'

It is when you fish with pilchards and constantly wipe your hands on your tracksuit pants. By the end of the day's fishing your trackies are that badly crusted in pilchards that they can stand up on their own. And the smell...oh the smell..... :(

Probably could have used the trackies as berley :-D

I only wash/rinse my hands in seawater either over the side of the boat OR a bucket while fishing on a Jetty. Keeps the bait not smelling of lavender/musk etc. That being said, I also suffer from "Pilchardus Tracksuitis" , , , , a good wipe before grabbing the Rod/Reel to cast, instead of washing/rinsing every-time.

BUT

So when snacking while fishing , , , ,

Pilchardus Fingerbunus is an acquired taste :oops: as this one was on my last fishing trip


Fingerbunus.PNG

Cheers, Bugattius Minimus

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by GusG » Tue Jun 11, 2019 7:57 am

Bugatti wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:26 pm

Pilchardus Fingerbunus
Where dd you get that recipe mate? Masterchef? My Kitchen Rules? :-D

Delicious....

My favourite is always the box of pizza shapes eaten with very fishy smelling fingers

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by Bugatti » Tue Jun 11, 2019 8:33 am

GusG wrote:
Tue Jun 11, 2019 7:57 am
Bugatti wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:26 pm

Pilchardus Fingerbunus
Where dd you get that recipe mate? Masterchef? My Kitchen Rules? :-D

Delicious....

My favourite is always the box of pizza shapes eaten with very fishy smelling fingers
:rofl:

Gus, I know exactly what you mean. The taste is an acquired taste eating Pizza Shapes while fishing BUT the hardest thing is when those delicious morsels of pizza spice granules accumulate on those said "fishy smelling fingers" it is hard to not lick the spicey fingers.

A true Fisherman takes the risk and does , , , , which is a confusing emotion of tasty delight :-D and repugnate fright :o_0:

Cheers, Bug, who takes the risk

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by Wolly Bugger » Tue Jun 11, 2019 1:13 pm

Bugalugs wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:31 pm
Hi folks,
my local wholesale butcher has IQF sardines for $11kg and I buy them to give to my dogs once or twice a week in their dinner. (Omega 3 oils etc - they absolutely LOVE them and crunch down on them as the first thing they eat from the bowl)
BUT the thing I want to know is what do you reckon about using them as bait for bream and mulloway down in the Glenelg River at Nelson? Looking at them they don't seem to be as oily as the pilchard, which might mean they might not attract the fish to chew on them.
Perhaps it's a case of try it and find out for myself if they work.
Any feedback is much appreciated.
Cheers
Neil.
P.S. Do you reckon casting out one into a freshwater impoundment might attract a trout, redfin or bass in the middle of winter?
Cheers
There are what is called Red rockets, and these were used for bluefin tuna. Pilchards/sardines can come from a variety of sources, for example, Western Australia. We use to get the pilchards that were caught in the bay by a trawler, but that is now gone.

Fish can be finicky eaters, not unlike some adults. I have caught snapper on old pilchards, whilst they ignored the fresh ones. It is known that snapper could feed on squid and ignore the pilchards or sand whiting.

So basically it is whatever bait that the fish want to eat on that particular day.

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Re: Sardines - are they as good as pilchards?

Post by Bugalugs » Tue Jun 11, 2019 3:20 pm

I had a look on the weekend at the butcher wholesaler again, and they don't have the same ones there anymore. The ones they stock now are much larger than the old ones - and the price has gone up to $8.99kg - BUT also they are a product of Portugal in the East Atlantic, so I'm not sure they should be used for bait in Aust. In fact it says on the pack they are for human consumption only and NOT to be used as bait or in any acquamarine environment etc etc.
So there goes that idea - I don't want to take any possible risks of releasing something into our environment.

Yep - some days all the bait either if it's fresh, stale, black and blue and falling apart, wont catch a damn thing. And that's most days for me ... haha
I've often done better on prawns that all horrible and stinky rather than the fresher ones straight out of the packet. Sometimes they must be more attractive to the fish.

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