How to Use a Sabiki Rig to Catch Baitfish

Full livewell thanks to the sabiki.

Using live bait is one of the fisherman's best tricks for catching fish. Gamefish have a hard time resisting a lively baitfish that is presented under their nose. Guides routinely use live bait to ensure that clients will catch fish. Although live bait can be the ticket to good catches, it can be tough to get bait on a regular basis. Even guides have hard times getting bait consistently--it can be downright frustrating filling the livewell on some days. The sabiki rig can come in handy when trying to get bait. When bait is skittish or too deep for the cast net, the sabiki can save the day. Learn how to use the sabiki and along with your cast net, you will be ready to handle just about any baitfishing scenario.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Sabiki rig
• Sabiki rod and reel
• Chum for baitfish

1. Locate a school of baitfish. Bait will often congregate around markers and buoys. Find a likely location, anchor and start chumming. Bait can also be spotted on sonar. A large black area on the sonar may be a school of bait. Birds working the surface will also be an indicator that bait is present.

2. Get into position and use the sabiki rig when bait is located. Use a large enough weight so that the rig goes straight down. The rig can be lightly jigged, but often that is not required. Sometimes the baitfish will bite without rod movement on the angler's part. Often you will bring up more than one fish at a time. When over a big school of bait, work quickly and fill the baitwell before the bait scatters.

3. Be aware that unhooking bait from the sabiki can be tricky. Many times the bait will unhook themselves after being brought aboard. Use caution when unhooking bait as the small sabiki hooks are very sharp and it easy to get hooked. Don't get into too much of a hurry as you will likely get snagged by a tiny hook.

4. Purchase a special sabiki rod. These rods have a funnel tipped end and the rod is hollow. The sabiki rig can be reeled into the rod itself. The weight will stop the sabiki from going all the way into the rod. These rods are great for storing the sabiki and eliminate tangles and getting hooked.

5. Do not let the bait flop around on the deck for very long. Stressed baitfish will not live long--get them into the livewell quickly.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution when working with hooks.