Catching Bait Fish

Catching big fish in the ocean requires using good bait. All the most sought after fish that draw anglers to the sea much rather prefer something live or at least recently killed to chomp on rather than a sucked up salted anchovy or other freezer burned old fish from the local bait shop. Of course there are innumerable factors involved, but you’re more apt to catch fish if you’re using fresh bait. Catching live bait fish is essential. And using a sabiki rig on a boat or pier can make it easy.

Things You'll Need

• Medium/light action fishing rod and reel with 10-pound test fishing line.
• Sabiki bait fish catching fishing rig.
• Lead sinker 2 to 3 ounces in weight.

Instructions

How to catch saltwater baitfish

1. Purchase a “sabiki” bait rig from your local saltwater tackle supplier or online company. These bait-catching fishing rigs are rated by hook size with larger numbers denoting larger hooks. For all-around bait making, use a medium/small hook.

2. Rig the sabiki, as per the product directions, to the line of a fishing rod designed for medium to light action. Fasten a sinker to the trailing or opposite end of the sabiki rig, the end that’s not tied to the line on your fishing rod. Use a 2- to 3-ounce sinker with a shiny silver coating to help attract bait fish.

3. Drop your fishing line into the saltwater with the sabiki rig on it and fish areas of ocean that are clean and somewhat clear-looking from a depth of 15 feet near shore out to deeper waters. Avoid trying in dirty, churned-up water.

4. Manipulate your fishing pole so that the sabiki rig bobs slowly up and down, as if following the rhythmic motion of a buoy floating over waves. Maintain the sabiki lure depth around 10 to 20 feet up off the bottom as you jig it up and down.

5. Reel in your line and try different areas of the ocean if you don’t feel bites within 10 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are unsure what size sabiki rig to use, get something in the size-4 range. The smaller hooks will give you a chance at catching small and large bait fish, whereas smaller bait fish can’t swallow a larger hook; only the big ones can.

• Set up a fishing rod specifically for making bait so you don’t have to detach and store the sabiki rig, which can result in frustrating tangles.

• Removing a sabiki rig to store in a fishing box or on the boat deck can result in having to fumble around with a stray 5-foot-long fishing line with little hooks snagging everything imaginable. And it can keep you busy doing something else rather than fishing. In most cases, once you take a sabiki rig off a fishing pole, that's the end of use for that particular lure because they are so prone to tangling.

Resources

• Angler Supply sabiki rigs