specslayer

the last 3 trips we've gone on we couldnt find ANY live bait. we checked alot of buoys and the rips right in the pass but havent got any bait. also the last 3 trips we;ve been SKUNKED its the first three times we havent caught anything. is anyone else(excluding recess)having this bad luck with the west wind or do we just suck?

-=Desperado=-

you prob just suck cause we went out thur and loaded up with bait and filled up a fish box with AJ,snapper,(broke rod grouper)Cobia,King's ,mingos,scamp and all kind a crap.



just giving you a hard time on the suck part LOL you asked for it.

specslayer

yea thanks for that help glad you gave me some info i can really use

recess

I don't think you know how much time goes into a good catch of fish for us we usally start catching bait 2 days before we plan on fishing and keep them in pens , we make sure we have a assortment of bait . Because the day you plan on fishing there will be no bait to be found Just murphys law . Bait has been scattered on most days though , try gulf side of fort pickens and down the beach a little on a incoming tide for cigar minnows, threadfins on the tide lines and pinfish in the grass with a chum block and small hooks tipped with squid. other than that what kind of bait are you looking for? sorry if i'm giving out to much information for some guys bait spots but then again this is Qand A on a fishing forum.but if all fails call tony the bait man and find out exactlly what time he is going to start selling bait and be there we he opens .

TIM

-=Desperado=-

what kind of bait are you looking for?any dock on the intercoastal and you can catch pinfish one after another with gold hooks tipped with squid.when you go out the pass look for the birds and usually there will be some bait around that.If larger baits like ruby's and mingos is what you want than any wreck between 60 to 120 will have hundreds,use small circle hooks with a double loop.I use braid on small level winds and use and uni about 10 feet of 30 lb mono and than just double loop tie the hooks right to the mono and make a last loop in the line.than i use a 60 lb crimped loop and thread it thru an 8 oz egg sinker and than put the loop on the main line thru the loop on the sinker and wrap around the egg sinker.makes it easier to take off or add more weight and still hold a nice knot.My brother actually caught a 30 olb AJ thur while we were catching bait.A group of large AJ's followed the bait up and hit the bait.He landed the fish on that rig.



I like the egg weights since they dont get hung as bad.

Use squid for rubys and small mingos and cut bait strips for triggers and large mingos.although lately we have been catching nice scamp on cut bait strips.

jjam

Great info Tim, but he said "other than Recess Team" LOL Q & A - (not too much info) as all anglers need bait so should NOT upset too many...

We've been picking a few Fins and cigs just on/off the bar gulf side of Pickens as well and then always stop at the mass totop off the bait well and usually snag a few hard tails there too..and wehave better luck withthe smaller sabiki rigs and sometimeshv tip with squid if the bait bite is slow.

Good luck! and yes I hv been skunked before so don't beat yourself up so bad when it happens!

Jimmy

NavySnooker

PLEASE, DON'T PANIC. LIKE RECESS SAID, GO OUT THE DAY BEFORE AND LOAD UP ON PINFISH, KEEP THEM IN PENS (MODIDFIED PINFISH TRAPS)AND KEEP WHAT YOU CATCH OFFSHORE... WETHER IT'S RUBY RED LIPS OR MINGOS... WE CAUGHT OUR NICEST SNAPPER ON RUBYS WITH THE TAIL CAUGHT OFF PLACED ON FLAT-LINES... AND FRESH BOBO CUBED UP IS AMAZING... IT BROUGHT THE FISH RIGHT TO THE BACK OF THE BOAT... AS WELL AS A 12 FOOT HAMMERHEAD