Live Bait

If there is a magic formula for catching fish it would probably be to use live bait. Personally, I prefer lures to live bait but there are times when I really want to catch fish so I'll use live bait. For beginners and kids, live bait is a good way to almost guarantee a catch and will keep their attention span from drifting. Sure it's messy, but hey, if you want clean take up tennis.

The key to using live bait is keeping the bait alive! Most of these baits are not very hardy and require constant aeration. An easy way to accomplish this is by using a 5 gallon bucket with a battery operated aerator available at most tackle stores. These aerators are powered by 2 D cell batteries which usually last several hours.

If you are wading you can use a bait bucket, an enclosed container which has several holes to allow water to pass through it. Having a constant flow of water through the bait bucket will accomplish the same thing as aeration. Just attach the bait bucket to a length of rope and tie it to your waste that way it will always be within reach.

Live bait for bass fishing is pretty straightforward. In Florida, the live bait of choice is the Shiner. A small fresh water fish which looks similar to it's saltwater cousin the Pilchard. They can be purchased from just about any tackle shop for about $5 a dozen. Another choice, if Shiners are not available, is the panfish (also known as a Bluegill or Bream). They are plentiful and can be caught using a #8 Aberdeen hook and a kernel of corn.

Saltwater gamefish, like people, have their favorite food. Some saltwater gamefish prefer shrimp and crabs while others prefer smaller fish. In the table below, I have included the preferred baits for several of the more popular saltwater gamefish.

Live Bait Table


Shrimp	Mullet	Pilchard
Bonefish Cobia Grouper Kingfish Ladyfish Permit Pompano Redfish Sea Trout Snapper Snook Tarpon	Amberjack Dolphin Grouper Jacks Kingfish Marlin Redfish Sailfish Sea Trout Snook Tarpon Tuna Wahoo	Amberjack Bonito Cobia Grouper Jacks Kingfish Ladyfish Redfish Sea Trout Snapper Snook Tarpon

Blue Crab	Pinfish	Ladyfish
Cobia Permit Bonefish Redfish Tarpon	Amberjack Grouper Jacks Kingfish Snook Tarpon	Snook Tarpon

Ballyhoo	Squid	Flying Fish
Barracuda Dolphin Kingfish Marlin Sailfish Tuna Wahoo	Cobia Dolphin Grouper Marlin Snapper Tuna Wahoo	Dolphin Barracuda Marlin Sailfish

Looking at this table you will notice that several of these baits can be used for the same gamefish. You will also notice that several gamefish will be attracted to the same bait. The best way to decide which one to use is by determining which gamefish you wish to catch and which type of bait is most common in the area that you are fishing.

Use the preferred bait whenever possible. If you can't, use any small fish of appropriate size that is readily available.

Here are examples of how to rig these baits. The rigging method for the mullet can also be used for other small baitfish as well. Place the hook through the lips to keep the bait near the surface or behind the anal fin to get the bait to swim deep.

Remember to always use the smallest hook you can for the particular gamefish your after, and attach a leader when fishing for most saltwater gamefish. This is an additional length of heavier monofilament line (approx. 12 to 14 inches in length) attached to your running line prior to tying on your hook. For Redfish and Sea Trout, 20# mono is recommended. For Snook and Tarpon under 30lbs., 30# mono should be used. Wire leader should be used instead of monofilament when dealing with toothy critters like Barracuda and Wahoo.