There are many ways to rig your live bait without hurting them and getting the most out of the baitfish.
The live bait of choice varies, but some of the popular baits are:
- Google Eyes
- Pilchards
- Threadfin Herrings
- Bluerunners
- Pinfish
- Sardines
- Rainbow Runners
- Greenies
- Cigar Minnows
All these live baits can be caught in your local inlet or channel markers using sabiki rigs and/or cast nets.
When rigging your live bait for kite fishing, flat lines, or deep dropping, many will recommend you bridle the bait through the eye sockets or nostrils. You can do this by using a rigging needle and sliding the needle through the eyes of the fish. Then take a wax line loop and pull it back through the eye socket.
Attach your hook to the both sides of the wax line loop and make a bunch of twist until it is somewhat tight around the fishes head. Run your hook back through the bottom loop and you are ready to deploy your bait.
If you are pressed for time and don’t want to bother to bridle your bait, hooking the bait just behind the head is extremely effective for kingfish, tuna, dolphin, wahoo, bass, and other species when drifting your live baits.
If you are slow trolling live baits, you will want to hook the bait through the nose with a skinny hook to avoid breaking the nostrils. If you hook is too thick, you will be better off bridling your baits through the nostrils with wax line.
Also, if you decide to slow troll, setting the drag as light as possible on the strike is usually most effective. Once the fish picks up the bait, you can lock off the drag and set the hook.
However if you are drifting, you will have to fish the live baits with some degree of drag. When the fish hits the bait, simply pick up the rod and start reeling.
