Saltwater fishing is great fun. Live bait is the best way to get the best results. Here are five ways to catch saltwater bait live bait.
1. Location Is Important
You will find your bait fish in certain areas, just like with any other fishing method. You should fish for bait in pier supports that have barnacles embedded, rock jetties and shallow wrecks as well as grass beds depending on what type of fish you are looking for.
2. Moving water
It is important to know the location of your saltwater bait fish so that you can accurately time your catching. It doesn’t matter whether the tide is outgoing or incoming. The water must be moving. The last two hours of an incoming tide are most productive, and the first two hours of an outgoing tide are the most productive.
3. Night is the right time
There is usually a lot of boat traffic during the day, so bait concentrations tend to be in deeper waters. They can be harder to catch and more skittish, making them difficult to find and catch. They are often found in shallower waters or near bridge pilings after the sun has set or close to sunset.
4. Go Looking for fish
Drop an anchor on shallow reefs, open grass beds or wrecks and scatter chum. The bait fish will quickly appear on the slick, as you’ll soon see. You can tell if the bait fish are present by looking for tiny dimples on the water’s surface.
5. Buy a Dehooker
You don’t want your baitfish to die because you spent so much time and effort to catch it. The devices for de-hooking bait fish are very affordable and allow you to remove the protective slime layer without touching the bait.
These five tips will help you catch live bait on your next saltwater fishing expedition.
The article was written by a professional charter captain at Salty Knots Fishing Charters with 15+ years of experience in the Gulf of Mexico. Salty Knots Fishing Charters is a local fishing charter service based out of St. Pete Beach, Florida. “We know what it takes to catch a giant trophy fish!” Salty Knots Is the best when it comes to Offshore Fishing in St.Pete FL.