Thinking of fishing over the holidays, but never fished the colder months. What kind of live bait is out there? I suspect no shrimp, but what can we catch this time of year with a net?
catch a sunny shallow spot and you may get a few mud minnows.
My winter bait of choice is shrimp that may have made it over a year in the freezer.
Haddrells and Chas Angler have live bait. Better to buy and not need it than go out without and not be able to find it. I force myself to rely more on artificials in the Winter.
If you are hoping to catch bait, some is out there but you won’t see them on the surface like you do warmer water. At least not frequently. You may want to heed DF’s advice. MM available to buy, a smattering of artie grubs and Gulps may be preferable to the fish anyway. If you are gonna rely on bait, you may spend a good bit of your day hunting bait instead of fish.
Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda
Mud minnows are still around in the tiny creek drains in this area. I would suggest, as Vinman alluded, to spend more time “searching” with artificials, then once found, see what works best that day. If there is a school of trout around, you WILL get bites on arties as they are a lot less selective with there being such little to eat compared to a month ago. FINDING the fish right now is 90% of the battle.
And fish them arties sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww and avoid as much slack in your line as you can.
Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda