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Rigs For Catching Live Baits
When I am talking about live baits, I am referring to the likes of poddy mullet, garfish, whitebait, hardy heads, slimy mackerel, pike and so forth.
There are two rigs that I use to catch my live bait. One is as simple as a small, longshank hook with a very small piece of bait on it and the other is a multi-hook (sabiki) bait jig that I have purchased from a tackle store.
The most important thing to remember, when trying to catch your live bait, is that you will need to have some type of burley trail going. It may be smashed up pilchards, bread, chicken pellets or breadcrumbs. Whatever your recipe is for burley, you need to use burley to keep the bait close to where you are trying to catch the fish.
Technique 1
Nothing is simpler than using a small, longshank hook and a very small piece of split shot sinker. Put on a small piece of bait. Just enough to fit in the bend of the hook and not cover the hook point or barb. Cast it out into the burley trail, allowing it to slowly sink and wait for the baitfish to grab hold.
Remember to not strike too hard. It’s often better to very slowly wind and usually the baitfish will become hooked.
Technique 2
On the market today there are so many different types of pre-made bait jigs. When selecting one, you will need to think about the size of live bait that you are trying to catch, as this will then give you the size of hook you need to use.
As an example, I would use a size 10 to 12 hook for mullet, herring, yellowtail and whitebait, and a size 2 to 4 when trying to catch large slimy mackerel, cowanyoung and bigger mullet.
If the pre-made multi jig is not working, try adding a small amount of fresh pilchard or prawn to every second or third hook, as this sometimes helps. I have also pinned on securely a baitfish that I have already caught and lowered it back down. The commotion of the baitfish will attract others to bite the remaining hooks.
Technique 3
When targeting garfish, to be used as a bait, I find most times that it’s much better to either use a very small bobby cork (1cm long) or a small, thin pencil float, with about 30cm from the bottom of the float to the hook.
Once I have baited up the hook and cast it out, I will keep a slight tension on the line to allow the baited hook to stay just under the surface. Where I fish for them, the garfish seem to prefer the bait just under the surface.
When gathering and fishing live baits, as with any baits, remember to check the local rules and regulations for the area that you are fishing. If you are fishing with pre-made sabiki rigs, make sure you check out the Okuma Sabiki UTG rod, designed specifically for fishing these multi-hook jigs, with the ability to wind the jigs inside the rod for storage to avoid snagging hooks and tangling jigs.
Gary Brown - Rigs for Catching Live Bait | Download