Live or dead bait?

[uncwillie]

i catch silver fish about a foot long, rowing along the beach on the bay, (exersize) and dragging a little silver spoon or castmaster for laughs. Fun to catch, they are not in my book, (i'm in Venezuela) but eat silver Sardines (Canibals?) I've seen some pretty good sized fish chasing these right out of the water and wondered if i could go to a stronger line and find a way to tie one of the little fish on as bait. I've seen guys do this with Bonita, for Wahoo, by cutting the tail off and splitting the body up a ways to let it swim flatter i guess, but don't know how to place a hook. Can i use these dead, or is there a way to use them live?

 

[uncwillie]

Re: Live or dead bait?

This morning i tried (motor) trolling with a 6" fillet of my 'little silver fish' with a single hook as a tow point in front with a treble hook hooked further back on a short leader. It swims flat, without much motion, doesn't spin, but had no luck with it.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Live or dead bait?

Just take a complete silverfish,dead or alive.Put a single hook through its lip as a tow hook and a second one 2 inches away from its tail.You want it to look slightly unbalanced.Run it about 75 feet behind your boat and move at irregular speed.<br />Good luck

 

[uncwillie]

Re: Live or dead bait?

rolmops; thanks! I'm usually rowing, and i hold the line under a finger on my oar, which seems to work best for catching the 'silverfish' to begin with. BTW, do you have any idea what these silver fish are? They look like Mullet,but eat silver minnows. (canabalistic?) They are slim and fast, run up to about 15" long, have no real teeth. They swallow a little Castmaster whole. There are supposed to be Snook down here, and i'd like to catch them.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Live or dead bait?

Most fish have no problem eating whatever minnows they can.So there is a fair chance that they will eat their own offspring.Mullets are vegetarian(mostly).<br />Your keeping your finger on the line while rowing creates a jigging action.This is not so good when you are after the bigger ones.A loose line in the boat spells trouble.

 

[uncwillie]

Re: Live or dead bait?

I only fish with a yoyo, so i'm ALL loose line...<br />and the jigging seems to improve my catch ration. But the yoyo catches lots of big ones, off the stern of my sailboatst sea. Still a puzzle what these little silver baitfish are...