Every angler has felt the same frustration at one point or another, when they've reeled in their line to 'check' if their bait is still there. Sure enough, an empty hook becomes visible in the shallows, and they know that their last, 5, 10, 30 minutes has been wasted.

That sucks, but it can be prevented with a few simple tricks to stop fish from stealing your bait while jetty, or rock fishing.

1: Use worms, prawns or baitfish. All of the baits above are well suited for threading onto hooks, and there's less chance of fish stealing it, or bait floating off your hook in the current. Household baits like chicken, sausage or bread tend to break up easily.

2: Use a smaller hook. Nothing says 'Free lunch' more than a huuuuuge hook, and a tiny bit of bait swinging off the bottom. It's surprising how small a hook you can use to catch some big fish, so downsize to the smallest you have in your tackle box. Perhaps drop a line weight while you're at it, because bait-stealing fish are usually small.

3: Conceal the hook completely inside the bait. The idea is for your fish to completely swallow the bait, so use just enough bait to catch the fish size on the day, and then choose your hook size accordingly.

4: Keep trying! The fact that fish are stealing your bait, means that there ARE fish out there, so don't let it get you down. Thread another worm on your hook and chuck it back out there. Hopefully these tips will mean your next cast will come back with a FISH!

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