Yellowtail scad, or yakkas, are one of the handiest baitfish in Australian waters and a fun little target on light gear. Plenty of anglers chase them because they are easy to catch, great fun in a school, and one of the best live baits going for bigger fish.
You will find yakkas right along the east coast and down southern parts of Australia around harbours, bays, headlands, jetties and inshore reefs. They school up around bait-rich water, often mid-water over reef, around moorings, or near structure from shallow water out to a few dozen metres.
They feed on small baitfish, tiny prawns, plankton and other little stuff drifting in the water column. Yakkas usually hunt in schools and stay active when there is current moving food past them, especially around reef edges and man-made structure.
Tide matters because yakkas usually bite better when there is some run pushing food through, with the turn of the tide or a bit of movement often better than dead slack water. Low light helps, especially around dawn, dusk and under lights at night when schools often rise and feed harder. Light to moderate wind can be fine if it stirs the surface a bit, but strong wind makes them harder to sound and harder to fish cleanly. Smaller swell is usually better around stones, reefs and harbour washes because you can hold a bait school and fish small baits properly without too much surge.
A light spin outfit with tiny bait jigs or sabiki-style rigs works a treat, usually tipped with tiny bits of prawn, squid or pilchard if they are fussy. Use small hooks, light line and just enough sinker to keep the rig in the school. If you are gathering live bait, a bucket with good aeration keeps yakkas in much better nick.
A fresh yakka is such a proven live bait that plenty of serious anglers rate it above almost anything else for kings, jewies and big snapper.