Anyone have any experience using small spots for redfish bait? They seem to be everywhere I throw my net.
2110 NauticStar ShallowBay
150 Yamaha
are you sure they aren’t menhaden,which work well but dont stay a live very well if you crowed them in the tank.
- I’d rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave.
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OK, I googled menhaden and, yes they are menhaden. Chalk that up to inexperience…
So how do you keep them alive? They didn’t last long in the live well or under a cork
2110 NauticStar ShallowBay
150 Yamaha
quote:
Originally posted by bearcataslOK, I googled menhaden and, yes they are menhaden. Chalk that up to inexperience…
So how do you keep them alive? They didn’t last long in the live well or under a cork
2110 NauticStar ShallowBay
150 Yamaha
Good question.
I’ll let others suggest how to keep them alive, but a freshly dead menhaden will work under a popping cork too. Take your knife and make several slices from the dorsal to the belly on each side. Toss and wait.
/I out-fished live menhaden the other day with dead…next day my friend said live out-fished the dead. So you never know until you try.
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5 gal bucket with bubble maker will keep em alive for about three hours, keep the water changed out.
You can try this also: Put a live manheaden on a circle hook with nothing else. Hook the menhaden in the tail to swim away from you or hook it in the face to swim toward you. I hook them in the tail (don’t hit the spine or you will kill it) and let him swim off. The menhaden will come to the surface and just flutter on the surface. The trout will destroy them on the surface if you are in the right place, and the trout will hook itself on the circel hook.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
I hook em through the nostrils. Keeps them swimming strong and healthy.
Live is only better in my experience if you are fishing under a cork, I hook mine a little in front and right under the top fin usually live fine. In a bait tank keep the numbers low and the water fresh and with aerator, and if in a large tank a filter and current source. If you don’t mind where were you throwing the net and what size where they, I might do some jetties fishing later this week and they’re real could bait out there live or dead.
17ft Key west
We use to use them for king bait off Springmaid on trolly rigs. Kept them in a big bait well. Was the #2 choice of king bait behind a lively bluefish. We hooked them in the back and a trailer in the tail. They lasted pretty good as well as I remember. I know they will hit a small pinfish - should nail a spot. 2x on thru the nose on them.
J Ford
You can’t catch 'um on the couch!
best way to keep them alive is not to overcrowd livewell. Need circulating water, and as soon as you put them in they will all poop and vomit. Wait 2-3 minutes after putting them in livewell and drain almost all the water and let fill back up. Biggest thing though is not to overcrowd and continuously fresh (salt) water can keep alive for hours
strip…strip…FISH ON!
quote:
Originally posted by 40inchredsLive is only better in my experience if you are fishing under a cork, I hook mine a little in front and right under the top fin usually live fine. In a bait tank keep the numbers low and the water fresh and with aerator, and if in a large tank a filter and current source. If you don’t mind where were you throwing the net and what size where they, I might do some jetties fishing later this week and they’re real could bait out there live or dead.
17ft Key west
I was throwing the net just to the west of the mouth of Jones creek in Muddy bay (Winyah bay). They were all sizes from 3"-6". I only needed one throw to fill the well
2110 NauticStar ShallowBay
150 Yamaha
i caught so many on the first cast the other day that i had trouble lifting the net into the boat. In the ICW just south of IOP marina.
- I’d rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave.
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quote:
Originally posted by flyfishnbest way to keep them alive is not to overcrowd livewell. Need circulating water, and as soon as you put them in they will all poop and vomit. Wait 2-3 minutes after putting them in livewell and drain almost all the water and let fill back up. Biggest thing though is not to overcrowd and continuously fresh (salt) water can keep alive for hours
strip…strip…FISH ON!
Circular livewells work best. They get caught in corners and get rednose.
Keep the aerator/pump/bubbler running.
Refresh water after first 5 min.
Keep water cool if possible.
The biggest thing is not overfilling the live well honestly, that goes with any bait. I keep my pump running continuously and try not to put too many in. I am guessing you have around a 25 gallon live well on your boat so to keep them fresh and frisky all day I would recommend not putting more than 30 in there, I usually say .9-1 gallon of live well capacity per pogo. You do this and they should be fine!
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