Oat bran is better burley than bread if avoiding by -catch of other species. If using bread or bran soak it in sea water first or you will spook piper by attracting birds/gulls. Less of problem with bran though.

 

Yellow eyed mullet still a good bait and burley, although piper are premo for kings and snaps.

 

Nets are overall an indiscriminate form of fishing, piper are great to catch on a light rod, and can be caught in good quantity on a light rod and reel, even a light handline off boat or wharf.

And then there is the method of laying the net and that is where the broom sticks or tough old ti tree sticks come into their own.

 

There is quite an art to beach seining and it is to hard to explain via typing, but done right and you wil be rewarded with other royalties like Flounder, John Dory and even Grey Mullet. As many folks are very surprised to what fish can be caught just of the beach in depths most swim at.

 

So sandy beaches like Ruakaka, Oceans, Pataua, Matapouri, Whananaki, Oakura, Bland Bay, Elliots, and so on. Take some bread stale is best and rub it between your hands to get a sort of fine breadcrumb type consistency and biff that out and watch it, not just throw chunks and expect something to turn up as the seagulls will find it first.

 

Or if you are keen don a snorkelling set and quietly have a swim out and see if you can spot any. And when dragging a net get it out quickly and quietly and then go around the fish and back to the shoreline. A small dinghy rowed is best as you can attach a length of rope to each end of the net to you can go out further.