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How to Get the Best out of Bait
To improve the chances of you catching more fish, you have to consider the bait that you are using. If you are simply purchasing a frozen block of fish as your bait, you might want to consider other types of bait to be more successful. If you wouldn’t consider eating that frozen scrap, chances are the fish are not going to respond favorably either. While you might get lucky catching an occasional fish or two, that frozen bait is usually tough as leather and not that appealing to fish.
The quality of the bait
The bottom line when it comes to catching more fish is that the better quality bait that you use, the better quality fish you are going to catch. The ideal bait to use the next time you are out fishing is to use fresh bait. If you catch a decent fish at your favorite fishing hole, use that as the bait for the rest of the day and watch your success rate increase. The fish that you catch at your fishing hole are likely the fish that the bigger ones are preying on in that location. This makes your bait not only more attractive because it is the prey fish are looking for, but all those oils and blood that enter the water will attract other larger fish too.
The best type of bait fish to use to attract even bigger fish at your favorite spot will be pipers, yellowtails, and sprats. Bigger fish in the area will be unable to resist the bait, as opposed to a chunk of frozen bait you picked up at the local bait shop. If your bait fish is small, you can use it whole to attract other fish. If your bait fish is larger though, cut that fish at an angle from the tail to the head. This will help to expose as much of the inside flesh to other fish.
Choosing the best type
One of the more attractive fresh baits to larger fish like snappers is trevally and kahawai. These fish are extremely firm when they are caught, which will allow them to stay on your hook much longer. This is a great bait if you are in an area where nibblers keep taking pieces of the bait. If the bait was small or soft, the nibblers will get it off the hook quickly. The firmer the bait fish, the more difficult to get off the hook, and the easier to catch that bigger fish when they come around. If you cut the fish into strips, it will have a movement in the water that will help to attract fish.
To catch more fish, one technique you can use is to try and keep that bait fish alive for as long as possible. Keeping that fish alive from the time you caught it to the point you are ready to fish in your favorite spot will ensure that the freshness of the blood and oils will attract bigger fist that might not even consider this bait fish as prey. If you experience any trouble keeping that bait fish alive from catch to fishing hole, then try to keep it as cold as possible. Keeping them on ice in the cooler will make certain the bigger fish still find it attractive. If the fish is allowed to get warm, the flesh will turn to mush and the temperature will raise too high to attract fish.
If you must use frozen fish, consider the quality of that fish before you buy it. If it looks like something you would not consume, put it back. If the fish still looks fresh and bright, it will look like that under water. If it looks lifeless, that is exactly how it will look at your favorite watering hole. The only way that the frozen bait will look attractive to prey is if it still has some of the juices and oils in it when it hits the water. Never let the bait thaw out completely or all those juices will simply pour out. Only allow it to that when you are on the fishing site and ready to cast.
Regardless how great your fishing rod or reel is, they will not be effective at catching more fish if you are not using your bait correctly. The bait selection and taking along the best fish finder is the first step in consistently catching more fish on your next trip.
