6/15/01</font id=blue>
In recent years live bait fishing for King Mackerel and other offshore species has become very popular. One-thing fishermen have had to learn is how to keep large baits alive for long periods of time, often while running offshore in rough seas. Most fishermen were accustomed to fishing with live bait inshore, where they did not have to run as far and the baits were much smaller requiring much less oxygen. Keeping your bait as lively as possible is crucial to your success.
I’ll never forget one day Dad and I decided go King Mackerel fishing. We loaded up the bait-well with menhaden and scooped up some jellyballs to try for Spadefish as a back up plan. Never having actually fished with jellyballs before, we decided to keep them nice and fresh during the ride out by dropping them into the bait-well. We were quite surprised and upset to find every one of our baits floating in the bait-well, stiff as a board, when we reached our destination. We felt quite foolish, but we had no idea a couple of little jelly balls could kill all of our bait. How well your bait performs when you get offshore starts the moment you catch them. Here are a few tips to help keep your bait lively for long periods of time.
A clean boat is a wonderful thing. Just remember; when washing out your bait-well, if you use any cleaners always make sure you wash out the well thoroughly. Cleaner residue can kill your bait quickly. Make sure you clean out any buckets you use to transport bait thoroughly before use. When bringing bait into the boat try to shake the bait down before opening the net and dropping the bait onto the deck or into the bucket. Always try to dump your bait directly into the bait-well or into your bucket. This reduces the chance of injuring bait when removing them from the net.
If you use sunscreen, always make sure to wash your hands off very well before handling bait. Transferring oil and chemicals from sunscreen onto your bait or into the water of your bait-well can have negati