Tips for Catching Live Bait

If you are interested in saving some money you may want to catch your own live bait. Here are three of my methods for catching sardines, shrimp, herring, goggle eye, etc. The most difficult way is to use a cast net. This requires at least two people, one to manage the boat and one to cast the net. The cast net should be sized according to the size of the fish. This method is useful in shallow water or when the fish are near the surface.

Have you ever heard of a Sabiki rig? This is approximately four feet of leader with six small feathered flys and a small sinker attached to the end. Hopefully you will cast into a small school of fish and they will bite the flys. Sabiki rigs can be purchased at Outdoor World and other saltwater tackle shops.

The third method is by using a very small hook with a piece of shrimp. This could be the least effective if you need lots of bait since you will only get one at a time.