Printable View
whats the right way to put an ly on the hook ? i tried below the backbone about halfway down. 1 cast and hes dead. tried by the tail. same thing. i couldnt keep a live bait live for nothing.
since we're on the subject, what about a frozen cig ?
thanks
I hook them below the backbone but not halfway down, maybe 1/4 down. Cigs I hook through the nose going down coming out the bottom side of the mouth.
Part of some folks' problem is taking forever to get the bait from the sabiki/ribbon onto the hook and then back in the water. Shorten that time and it will help the bait, too.
i generally hook them behind the dorsal fin, and avoid their lateral line, as that's the same as their "spine". Pick a meaty part of the bait with no organs. I hook them in the back in the hopes to steer them to swim away from the pier. If the wind is blowing from one side, it usually makes them swim against the wind, however :)
I like to hook them in the belly just behind the pectoral fins. The belly is tough there and they stay alive well for me there. In addition, the fish keeps trying to turn over creating an extra flash that works well for me. I have no trouble keeping them alive either.
I do the same as fshntime in the belly Thought ya ll might think I was crazy as I m new at this and don t see many people doing this but it does make the bait a lot more active and they stay alive pretty good
that makes 3 under the belly, it tends to make them swim down plus look injured, I have seen many do it this way (regulars) sometimes I will hook on top behind the fin if I am wanting them to swim a few cast and they die from that sudden slap on the water from 30ft up
I also most of the time hook them the under belly . Dennis showed me that method four or five years ago after giving me hell about throwing them off when I would cast . With the stiff rod I was using then ,hooking then in the belly where the flesh was tougher allowed me to cast them without throwing them off ,also resulted many king hook ups .
I don't remember who to give credit for this pic.
That is Pier#r's avatar with hooks drawn on it!Quote:
Originally Posted by ChileRelleno
I also have that diagram saved on my phone
I know, that would be David Thorton aka Pier#r. I use #3 in said picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChileRelleno
As someone mentioned earlier, the time a bait is out of the water or if it has been dropped on a hot deck is an important factor in a bait's survivability. I have seen a stressed out bait being thrown out hard and far as soon as a hook is in it, only to barely survive the cast. Do yourself a favor and just lower it into the water once it is on the hook and let it revive a bit before casting it. A lot of the time the bait will just swim off to where it needs to be to get bit. Also save the thunder casting for dead and artificial baits, an underhand is all that is necessary to get a live bait away from the pier enough to get eaten.