FEW THINGS ARE MORE DEADLY THAN LIVE BAIT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE AFTER BIG FISH. BUT LIKE MOST OTHER ASPECTS OF FISHING THERE'S A BIT OF AN ART TO DOING IT RIGHT

Every life form of the oceans from the tiniest to the largest of the sea's creatures will eventually become protein for other animals.

Anyone who has ever seen any underwater film of fish, will pause to think when they see footage of predators swimming about near hordes of bait. Why aren't they eating that bait?

They are not eating the bait because fish, like humans, can't eat continuously, every minute of every day. They have feeding periods coinciding with tides, time of day and other factors.

They also burn fuel when they chase bait, and a fish that continuously burns fuel can't survive. They have periods where they franticly gas up on fuel, then long periods when they rest and conserve that fuel.

A marlin or tuna gliding down sea at a relaxed pace is hardly burning fuel at all. That happens when the afterburners are lit and the big fish locks in on a food target.

Because fish pay a price in terms of energy to chase and capture food, they are programmed to react whenever an easy feeding opportunity presents itself. A dead, smelly bait may not do it when the fish is in relaxed mode, but the wiggling and the panic vibrations being spread by a live fish on a hook push the big red button on a predator. He quite literally can't help himself. He has to investigate the source of t at message, and since a whole bunch of his brethren may be getting the same message at the same time, he'd better do it quick.

LIVE VERSUS LIVELY

The art of live baiting starts with the capture of that bait, goes on through the holding of the bait, and comes to a climax with the hooking and presentation of the bait.

With kids around, you should never be short of help when it comes to catching the bait, and some kids are exceptionally good at it.

The nature of the bait varies around this big country of ours, but the cast nets taking mullet in the north, and the reefs holding yellowtail and slimy mackerel around a great portion of our coastline, would cover the majority of small bait activity. Almost anything alive and wriggling is worth putting out though, and the next big game fish taken on a snapper or bream won't be the first.

Local bait is usually the best bait, so if your echo sounder is showing hordes of bait below your immediate mission should be to try and catch some of this and put it back out.

Fishing for your live bait, yellowtail can be caught just about any time, but slimy mackerel are at their best before sunlight gets on the water.
The Japanese bait jig strings have revolutionised the way we catch our bait, but they aren't infallible. In areas where the bait schools are worked hard, you may need a little berley to stimulate the bite. When things get really tough, small chunks of peeled green prawn or red fish flesh can get a result when all else is failing.  

When selecting bait jigs, the smallest seem to be the best all round. You don't need a full jig action with these, and a few bumps on the rod tip is usually enough to get a result. When you feel the first bait wriggling, just leave the rig sit for a little while and other baits will load up.

Small bait schools will sometimes layer, with one breed at the top and another down deep. It pays to try some different depths as you may find a more attractive bait either high or low.

Lively bait is better than live bait, and setting yourself up with lively bait starts with the unhooking of the bait. The less it is handled the better, and the best method of unhooking it is to hold the hook by the shank and shake the fish off without touching it at all.
The size and style of bait tank you use has more to do with the performance of your bait than anything else. Diameter is more important than depth. The surface area is quite important to keeping bait alive and well, as is
a good rate of turnover from the pump. A good turnover of water keeps the water in the bait tank at a constant temperature, and this is very important to the welfare of bait.
If you have a good dual battery system on your boat, fitting a timer to your bait tank system can save you trying to remember to turn the pump on and off. If you just have one battery and are concerned about running the pump too much, back it up with the odd bucket of water now and then.
Don't leave dead and sick baits in the tank. Take them out as they will foul the water and kill your good baits.
When we did this article we started out with quite a lot of bait in the tank, but one  fish stood out from the crowd. One slimy was zipping around on the surface, and when 1 tried to net him he was almost uncatchable. When 1 finally did get him in my hands, he squirmed out of my grip, dropped into the water, then tail walked for some 15m making a great commotion as he went. That slimy was the sort of live bait that can turn a dead day right around.

THE THINGS YOU NEED
Allowing that a lively bait is the best thing to have, it follows that your terminal tackle should be as light and compact as possible. The majority of live bait users select hooks that are too thick and too heavy, and very heavy mono traces also inhibit the movement of bait and create drag that can drown the bait.

The purpose of a leader is to guard against abrasion, but you need to be realistic about this. There is very little point in using a bulky leader if you are fishing a light line class, and the leader should always be in proportion to the stress you are able to put on it through the main line.

An awful lot of big fish have been taken by people fishing the main line direct to the hook in order to avoid spooking sensitive fish. In fact, this is usually the answer when fish are known to be around and will not bite.

The following table gives you a rule of thumb guide to trace selection.
 

We have all grown up with the notion that live bait hooks need to be extra strong and extra heavy, when in fact, live bait hooks should be the lightest, finest hooks that will do the job.
The photographs here show conventional live bait hooks compared with the offset point and lighter hooks preferred by the writer. It is quite obvious that it will take a great deal more effort to sink the point of the heavy hook than it will to sink the finer one, and you may not
(A) When predators are around but quiet, try this trolling rig. The hook is set in a very
tough-area of the throat, and this placement causes the bait to run at the surface, some-
times skipping from the water. A very effective turn on. Once again the value of a light hook should be obvious.
(B) This is one way to get a bait running deep at a very slow troll speed. Once again you can see how the curve of this style of hook puts the towing point in line with the centre of the head, where a straight shank would be
pulling from one side.
(C) This is the standard, common or garden rig for a live bait fished under a float, or set on a long trace below a weight for fishing a deep set depth.
(D) When drifting this slight variation on the balloon rig will make the bait swim down-wards.

All of these positions are intended to upset the bait's normal swimming action to increase flash and vibration. The last example will also cause the bait to stay nea the surface and swim away from your position.
be able to get enough pressure on light tackle to sink the point at all on some of those monster hooks.
Will they stand up to the fight with a big fish? Try it for yourself. Rig your rod with the light hook, attach it to something so that the point of pull is down in the bend of the hook and not at the point, which would change the leverage factor, and see if you can straighten it using your normal fighting drag. Your ideas about what is a heavy and a light hook should change dramatically.
Most metal hooks have a very slight electrical charge associated with them to which many fish are sensitive. A layer of paint on a hook can mask this charge, and that's the reason for the red painted hook.
Hooks with offset points are not a problem, even when trolling a bait. At the speed you troll a live bait the offset will not cause the bait to spin unless it is near dead, or dead. At that point it needs to be changed anyway. Swimming to resist the pull of the turn adds a bit more action to the movement of the bait.
If you wish to bridle baits then you will need a bait needle and some cord, rubber bands, dacron or dental floss. If you use the floss, select the un-waxed style.
For stinger rigs you will also need some light mono wire, and 36kg should be quite adequate.
Finally, an aquarium net will help you to get your baits out of the tank without having to chase them to the point of exhaustion.
USING LIVE BAIT.
Live bait can be used in many ways,
and it can be fished at any depth. The photographs here show you exactly
i
This is a stinger rig for use with toothy critters and short biters chopp*n tails off baits. It can be used on a trolled bait, but you need to make sure that the trailin h k
oo is no
fur in the bait
than illustrated, as this will
impede swimming action.
POWERBOAT FISHING J@ March/April 1994

ll of thefsie positions are intended to upset the baits normal swimming action to increase ash and vibration. The fast example will also cause the bait to stay near the surface and swim away from your position.
be able to get enough pressure on light tackle to sink the point at all on some of those monster hooks.
Will they stand up to the fight with a big fish? Try it for yourself. Rig your rod with the light hook, attach it to something so that the point of pull is down in the bend of the hook and not at the point, which would change the leverage factor, and see if you can straighten it using your normal fighting drag. Your ideas about what is a heavy and a light hook should change dramatically.
Most metal hooks have a very slight electrical charge associated with them to which many fish are sensitive. A layer of paint on a hook can mask this charge, and that's the reason for the red painted hook.
Hooks with offset points are not a problem, even when trolling a bait. At the speed you troll a live bait the offset will not cause the bait to spin unless it is near dead, or dead. At that point it needs to be changed anyway. Swimming to resist the pull of the turn adds a bit more action to the movement of the bait.
If you wish to bridle baits then you will need a bait needle and some cord, rubber bands, dacron or dental floss. If you use the floss, select the un-waxed style.
For stinger rigs you will also need some light mono wire, and 36kg should be quite adequate.
Finally, an aquarium net will help you to get your baits out of the tank without having to chase them to the point of exhaustion.
USING LIVE BAIT.
Live bait can and it can be photographs
POWERBOAT FISHING C] March/April 1994
This is a stinger rig for use with toothy critters and short biters chopping tails off baits. It can be used on a trolled bait, but you need to make sure that the trailm h k *
cl oo eis no further ba in th bait than illustrated, as this will impede swimming action.
be used in many ways, fished at any depth. The here show you exactlyhow to rig your haits to put them right where you want them.
The basic methods are trolling, casting, fly lining, weighted baits, balloon fishing and rigging baits to flash.
When you troll a live bait you need to do it very slowly, and that will mean not much more than an idle. Three knots at the most. If you have one, use the paddle wheel on your sounder to determine speed rather than the GPS, as speed through water is what we want here, not speed overwater.
Trolling rigs are also ideal for casting, and casting live baits to surface activity is a spectacular and productive form of fishing.
Fly lining is simply putting a bait out without weight and allowing it to swim away under its own power. Placement of the hook helps determine where and how the bait will swim.
If you want to fish on, or near the bottom, or at a specific depth, you can add a sinker to the conventional balloon rig. If you can see activity below at a, specific depth and want to put your bait at that level, tag a piece of plastic bubble wrap to a sinker set away from the bait on a reasonably long trace, drop the bait over next to your transducer, and you should be able to see it sink on the sounder and stop it where you want it. The weight will show as an angled
line on the way down, then a c o n t i n u o u s straight line running parallel with the bottom as you drift. The latter technique may not work if a strong current is dragging the bait out of the soundercone.
The balloon rig is a simple one where a balloon or float is used to suspend the bait at a fixed depth beneath the surface.
Rigging a flasher. is simply a means of placing the hook to upset the natural swimming action of the fish. This causes him to move in ways that create a lot of light flash off the sides, and also creates stronger vibrations from the bait which can be detected over quite long distances by potential predators.
A good range of hooks, jigs and trace materials are required for successful live baiting.
As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do with live bait, and it will certainly increase your captures of
large fish out of sight. a
 

Two major players on the live bait scene, the yellowtail (yakka) on top, and the slimy mackerel below. Keep dead ones for strip bait.

Small aquarium net facilitates the second capture of live bait from the tank. BELOW: 

The best bait tanks have a large surface area and good water turnover. It is important to maintain a steady water temperature.

In this picture you see the cadmium plated steel hooks popular for live bait work, along with the Gamakatsu hooks. The difference in weight alone will have a great effect on the way your live bait can move.