Pier Fishing In California

Old Thread on checking the stomachs…
To: PFIC Message Board
From: SD Fisherman
Subject: Does anyone else do this? Eeeeeeewwww!!!

I know this might sound gross, but do any of you examine the stomach contents of the fish you're filleting? My dad taught me to do this years ago. It's educational in that you can get an idea of the diet of different classes of fish. For instance, the big opaleye I caught yesterday, that struck a squid strip, had a lot of red seaweed in its stomach. A barred sand bass (12.5”) that I caught under a school of ‘chovies in summer 2000 had 13 ‘chovies and a crab in its stomach! (Boy was he a fattie! I thought he had a tumor at first...) One sheephead I caught had part of a lobster leg, etc. in his gut. Anyone have anything to add???

PS: Part of this education was also teaching me of the dangers of eating cabezon roe. I should stop being so lazy and research this myself but does anyone know offhand exactly what it is about the roe that makes it so poisonous? Thanks in advance.

Posted by Mikey

Nah — I do it all the time... smart fisherman do as well. Examining the contents of a fish's stomach only proves what he's been eating — thus, you know what to use for bait.

Posted by neptune1234

I always check the guts of what I catch. Heck that’s half the reason I keep fish. Amateur marine biology is my specialty. The last sturgeon I caught had about a pound of grass shrimp in it along with two bullheads and a baby kingfish. I caught a leopard shark once that had a hook and bait that I had lost a night before still rigged in its stomach. I noticed that the skates at McNears Pier normally have a few 2"-3" rock crabs in their stomachs along with baits that have fallen off the hook. Hatchery trout always have rocks from off the bottom in their stomachs. A 16” smelt I caught up in Bodega had a rubber band in its gullet. I got a clam pearl out of a Washington once. Of course there’s the whole JONAH thing. I heard Christians taste better than...well... kingfish… hehe… don’t laugh you might get a ticket. No fun zone you know… lol......Fish ON!

Posted by Ken Jones

Cabs & crabs... 100%, every last one of them, that's the percentage of cabezon taken by me in the Point Arena area that had small crabs in their stomachs (I always check). Yet almost no one seemed to fish for the cabezon with crabs. Instead, squid was the preferred bait along with shrimp or abalone trimmings.

Posted by Songslinger

Cabs & crabs... Too true. In fact, one of the best cabbies I got (just south of Pacifica) was taken because it slammed the crabs that were feeding on the cut anchovy I had on my hook! Talk about fool's luck.

Posted by Songslinger

Always! I believe it makes me one better angler to examine the innards of the fish he keeps. You can spot both short and long range trends and variations. The same species may have markedly different contents than another in a different location. This has helped me determine what bait to bring, how to specialize my fishing and tailor it to a given area.

Posted by Red Fish

All the time.... and almost every time it seems like the fish have been feeding on something other than what I served them. It makes you wonder when some people tell you that the fish are “only” biting on a particular bait. Maybe it's not what you serve sometimes but rather how you present it that counts.

Posted by Ken Jones

Perhaps a little fishy haggis matey?

Posted by illcatchanything

YUCK!!

Posted by drudown

I noticed the striped bass I catch out on Berkeley and San Pedro have small anchovies in them. The ones I catch in the Delta are stuffed with several grass shrimp. Trout I catch always have Berkeley Powerbait and power eggs in ‘em. Jacksmelt always have anglers’ leftover baits.

Posted by Rock Hopper

LMAO! I LOVE this — Compliments of Mikey: “Nah — I do it all the time...smart fisherman do as well!”

Posted by Ken Jones

Muddled and bewildered syntactics?

Posted by riorust

"smart fisherman do as well"

Posted by sd fisherman

Ok, I admit, that was dorky… not the subject, just the geeky punch line. HAD to have been from 2002 lol.

Posted by Ken Jones

No, your part was fine. Mickey on the other hand seems to be a little confused on what he is trying to say.

To: PFIC Messsage Board
From: greykin
Subject: Fishing at night

Hey guys, recently my schedule for fishing changed so I'm more capable of fishing at night than during the daytime. But I have a problem - I never seem to be able to catch anything at night, and where I go (range from Hermosa in the north to Newport in the south, with Seal Beach Pier the most common) the “rush” of bites that usually happens around 5-7 PM is followed by a “dead” period around 7-10 PM, at least from what I could see of my own results and the results of people around me. So my question is, is this just the way things are or am I doing something wrong? What could I be catching and does anyone have any tips on how to be successful at night? Thanks

Posted by dompfa ben

When in doubt, play Fleetwood Mac

‘Cause when the loving starts and the lights go down
And there’s not another living soul around
You can woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me

Conventional wisdom suggests that the first few hours of dark are a scary time for some fish, as their eyes adjust to the darkness, and they prepare to survive for another night. Sundown in summer is also often accompanied by strong winds (“sundowners”) as the temperature gradient from ocean to land causes the air mass to move. This churns up the water for a little while (at least), and that might be another reason that fishing mellows for a while...or at least until things settle down a bit.
And that's not even considering that there could be tidal issues, or certain species that are diurnal, or an influx of nocturnal predators, or fish that are “full” of sand crabs or grunion or simply “not where you're fishing.”
There are a couple of things you can do to up the ante, however:

1.) Switch over to baits/lures that rely on smell and noise, instead of sight. Ever find your way to your vibrating cell phone in the middle of the night? Ever walk out to the car at night, and get a little weirded-out by the smell of a skunk? Think of that...and apply it to fish that are hungry. What are you feeding them, and how will they find it?

2.) Target something different. Often, surf species like perch and corbina are much more prone to eat during daylight hours than at night. Similarly, you'll catch more sharks, rays, thornbacks, etc. at night. Some species, like yellowfin croaker, will still eat at night, but for some reason will key in on different baits (Yellowfin croaker will eat sand crabs all day long, but often won't touch them at night. Try a long, thin strip of squid, or a blob of mussel to keep them biting after dark.) Or soak a whole squid for bat rays...especially at Seal Beach at night...
3.) Go get dinner, and come back later. As mentioned, fish move around—some will head out a bit from the beach to “sleep it off,” while others that are active at night take a little while to get into the “feed zone.” Some of them eat other ones as they pass each other at dusk, and then again at dawn! If the tides are not ideal during that 7-10 PM time period... go do something else, and come back. Or schedule your trips accordingly.

4.) All other things considered, Tide is King. Fish the traditional 4-hour window, from 2 hours before high tide, to 2 hours after.

5.) Get your bait off the bottom. The bottom is full of hungry, pesky crabs at night that are actively crawling around eating anything they can...including your bait. Suspend your bait under a bobber, or if the conditions permit, fly line a chunk of mackerel or anchovy on a small hook. When your line goes taut, reel in your fish.

6.) BYOL. Bring your own light. Lots of folks seem to have luck with those cyalume light sticks. The theory is that the light attracts plankton, which, in turn attracts baitfish, which in turn... you get the idea. If that fails, you may have to use something more drastic:

Posted by Dubbe

If Fleetwood doesn't work the oldies will. Oldies work for some reason. I found out one night fishing with a buddy who brought a boom box. Try using fresh bait live or dead, fish the right bait for the species.

Posted by Northern Boy

Fleetwood Mac isn’t considered old. According to Milton Love, very few Pacific coast species are active at night.

Posted by Danthefisherman

Which ones aren’t? I think most, maybe all, fish can be caught at night. Which means they are feeding, and in turn active. Just to name a few, I've caught sharks, perch, bait fish (all kinds), rockfish (including lingcod), flatfish, and striped bass all while dark. My list isn’t THAT long, and I've got a ways to go and many more fish to catch, but there are definitely more than a few Pacific coast species active at night. Then again maybe the fish were sleep walking when they came across my bait...

Posted by Northern Boy

All I can tell you is what the book says, which is that most CA fish aren't active at night, in contrast to say a coral reef, where many species are active at night (I don't have it in front of me so that isn't a direct quote). I know all the species you mentioned can be caught at night, so who knows. There's certainly many more species in CA waters than those you list.
Posted by Danthefisherman

I still want to know what is considered “oldies.” Glen Miller? Beethoven? Maybe they are both oldies? At least to me and the younger generation. As far as fish go, the Pacific ocean is big, so I'm sure there many more species besides the ones in CA. Nice salmon too by the way!

Posted by Ken Jones

Yes, many fish feed at night while there are a few that go to sleep. Nighttime is usually best for sharks and rays as well as many croakers. Perch and rockfish will also hit at night. On the other hand, sheephead, rock wrasse, senorita and a few others sleep (and in some cases actually bury themselves during the night).

Posted by piemel

Sleeping fish are amazing to watch. If you ever have the chance, do a nighttime scuba dive. I have been able to swim up close enough to sleeping fishes to put them in the palm of my hand. There are some that will produce a slimy cocoon around them to prevent the predators from smelling them while they are asleep. Coolest thing though was staring a sleeping wobbegon shark right in his face while he was sleeping in a ledge under a big rock

Posted by greykin

Wow lots of good information. Thanks a lot guys!

I think this might have been our first mention in the news. May 9-11, 1997.

Stories in Growin' Up A Pier Rat —

The book, hopefully ready by August, has two chapters of stories given by pier rats on Pier Fishing in California. This is one of my favorites even though some of his references do not concern piers:

Pier Rat Name — Mike C

Personal Information: Real name Mike. Years Fishing: 28 years. First Memories of Fishing: Fishing and crabbing at Muni Pier with my Father and Grandfather, and I caught my first Striped Bass that day.

Favorite Piers: To tell the truth, I'm more of a rip rap rat, but as piers go, they would have to be Muni because it was my first trip. Then Berkeley pier, because I really cut my teeth there and still enjoy the Halibut fishing there.

Favorite Fish: This is an easy one. The three S’s in order: Stripers, Salmon, and Sturgeon. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m afraid I don’t share the love for Sharks and Rays that many others on the board do. Unless I am bored out of my wits, I view them as no better than croakers in terms of being a nuisance and a needless stress on my gear.

Most Memorable Fishing Trips: Fished for Stripers one morning at KDIA, no bite. Decided to move to Bay Farm Island, left my pile worm on my 2/0 hook for the drive over. When I arrived, I cast my line in with the shriveled up pile worm as far as I could. Propped my pole against a washed-up log. I helped my daughter down the rip rap and went back to pick up my pole, which was on its side. As soon as I picked it up, the reel began to scream. About 20 minutes later, I had a 51-inch Sturgeon, on a 2/0 hook, rigged to a surf leader and baited with a very dead, very dried out pile worm. Also, night fishing at the Rio Vista Pier, ran out of bait and started using cold Pepperoni Pizza chunks. Couldn't keep the whisker fish off the lines.

Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: (1) Never stop learning. (2) Remember, fishermen are some of the best storytellers in the world, so don’t take everything they say on faith alone. (3) Next time you are reluctant to share good fishing information, remember a little over 2,000 years ago, a man named Jesus from Nazareth recruited his first disciples by telling them to cast their nets on the other side. His teachings, for good or bad, continue to influence the world today, and it all began with a fishing tip.

“Consider the minnow, he lasts but a day,
And then an anchovy takes him away;
The anchovy’s happy, cavorts for a minute,
Along comes a mackerel, and then he is in it;
The mackerel will later, or probably sooner,
Be just a meal for a high-leaping tuna;
The law of the ocean from Nome to Bermuda,
Is dogfish eat catfish, then dodge barracuda.
The law of the land seems based on a notion
That’s too much akin to the law of the ocean.”

“Just One Thing After Another” —Ted Cook

Isopods — an old thread from PFIC

To: PFIC Message Board
From: imapodaddy
Subject: Nasty at Newport Pier

Hey guys, Need some help here. I haven't posted in a while but I love fishing at Newport. Anyhow, I took my daughters and nephews fishing on Saturday morning from 5-8am. My nephew caught a good-sized lizardfish. After about 15 minutes, my nephew was looking in our bucket and saw something crawling out of its head right behind its right eye socket...NASTY! This thing looked like a white-ish sand crab parasite thing. Then it crawled into the gills of the mack that was in the bucket with it. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but it was pretty weird. Any idea what this thing was?

Posted by mattyk04

I think you said it...a parasite...used to see them do the same thing on shiners from the Berkeley pier when I was a kid

Posted by imapodaddy

Link: http://www.glaucus.org.uk/3isopods1-TO.jpg

I think I just found it, an Isopod...

Posted by Sharkman20

Apparently there's an isopod parasite that lives on rockfish too. This one is really disturbing. It crawls inside the fish's mouth and starts eating it's tongue. After it devours the tongue it sits there where the fish's tongue used to be and acts as the "new tongue" and feeds by eating bits of food from whatever the fish eats. I've never caught any rockfish with this parasite yet but I'd probably throw them back if I did because that disturbs the hell out of me. haha.

Posted by Sharkman20

"Tongue Replacement"

http://www.equalium.net/imagenes/Tongue_replacemen_%20isopod2.jpg

Here you go. Looks like something out of alien. Lol

Posted by JohnG

I saw one at Huntington this summer. It was carrying its babies on its belly. Man, they're creepy.
TURN IN POACHERS AND POLLUTERS 1-888-DFG CALTIP

Posted by bcoblentz

Especially when you're trying to take one off a fish and it hooks onto your finger...

Posted by Ken Jones

Attack of the "Giant" Isopods — I don't think you'll see this baby crawling out of a fish's mouth.

Posted by skipnstones

Edible at that size!

Posted by bcoblentz

THE definitive isopod picture

Posted by baymaster

Please tell me you did not eat those things.

Posted by bcoblentz

Haha, I should have mentioned, I didn't take that picture. It's been floating around on the Internet for a while.

Posted by songslinger

Tasty Steamed With Fermented Nuoc Mom

Posted by dkkim

Dude, those pics are making me sick.

Posted by baymaster

Those big ones look like a lobster tail with a head.

Posted by gyozadude

Link: http://www.gyozadude.com/

Posted by Ken Jones

Isopod pot stickers?

Posted by riorust

Seriously... When they are around a 1/2 pound... are they edible? Lobsters and Crab feast on the dead, disgusting as they may be these suckers (pun intended) feast on the living, any one tried one?
Excellent sport for those who like the more robust piscatorial indulgences.

Posted by: gyozadude

Had all sorts of -yabbies- downunder. I've had a bunch of isopod-looking critters down in Australia before. Some freshwater. Some salt or brackish water critters. They tasted wonderful. Some were call "yabbies." Others had names, which I can't remember. But great stuff for a stew or bouillabaisse.

Posted by thebui

Re: Tasty Steamed With Fermented Nuoc Mom — lol. nuoc mam —
I guess a lot of things do taste better with nuoc mam but even that makes me think twice and I've eaten some strange stuff.

Posted by bassmanben

They eat a saltwater shrimp that looks fairly similar to that in southern china. my wife's family loves them, i don't. I find myself a little skittish eating something that looks like a sea cockroach.

Posted by realdrums

What is the largest you have seen in person?

Posted by wings42

Maybe trilobites aren't really extinct. I have fossils of trilobites that look pretty much like these.

Posted by tackleholic

Or maybe mutant Sowbugs

Posted by rockfishboy [And he’s the expert—KJ]

There are two major groups of parasitic isopods in California, in the genera Nerocila and Rocinela. Both groups live in the mouths and gill cavities of fishes. They often puncture a gill raker and feed on the blood that leaks out. Interestingly, the guy who described many of the species, back in the 19th Century, named the genera Nerocila, Rocinela, Aerocila etc. as anagrams of his girl friend, Carolina. When I was in graduate school, I discovered and named a protozoan parasite that lives in the urinary bladder of rockfishes after my girl friend.

Posted by Ken Jones

What's this I heard about your ex? Or did the reporter get it wrong?

Posted by dompfa ben

As if it was possible for me to be a bigger fan of you, Dr. Milton... and then you go and share something like this... You're my hero.

Posted by rockfishboy

Here are a few more weird scientific names. In 1904, the entomologist G. W. Kirkaldy created the bug genera Pollychisme (Polly-kiss-me), Peggichisme, Marichisme, Dolichisme and Florichisme. A shellfish expert of my acquaintance once told me he wanted to name a new of species of the shellfish Chama (pronounced "Khama") "Chama sutra", but chickened out at the last minute. Clearly we sometimes have too much time on our hands.

What sparked interest in pier fishing? — old thread.

To: Pier Fishing in California Message Board
From: soc-student
Subject: What sparked the interests in pier fishing?

Hey all, Please keep the responses coming! My project is close to wrapping up and all of you people have had great insight. It’s been a pleasure working with such a receptive audience.

The next question I had was on what sparked your interest in Pier Fishing?

I started fishing with my father, pier fishing represented an easy way in which I (and usually my friends) could go out on our own and enjoy the community aspect of fishing.
I'm sure you guys have some great stories, please share them! soc_student

Posted by polishfromthedeep

It all started when I moved here from Arizona when i was 7... life was boring and my bro was really into fishing already... after some convincing of my mom (waaay too protective) it was off to Pismo. My first time out (since i was like 4) after seeing some mackerel caught my bro landed a nice spiny dog shark, and BAM, i was hypnotized. After a few more trips of learning how to produce bait using a jig and learning how to set my own gear up, I was hooked. So I guess seeing that shark really sparked my interest... and of course being able to spend time with my brother. My third trip to backbay (a part of Morro Bay/Baywood Park) I landed a HUGE bat ray. I was only 85 lbs and it was 90... I have no pictures on my computer but you could see how pleased I was.
these two trips hooked me for life. and i'm glad I fish instead of going out and doing drugs or what ever... it's a great way to get away from the problems of life and relax... plus it's fun and produces food! Karl

Posted by Salty Nick

I had already been introduced to trout fishing with my dad when I was a kid, and then did some trout fishing with a friend I had met in junior high school. This friend introduced me to fishing for perch from Seacliff Pier, and I really enjoyed it. He also took me to a couple rocky cliff spots just north of Santa Cruz, where we would occasionally fish with a few friends.

After high school I didn't fish for a loooong time, just occasionally wet a line – more so for trout. After getting married, I found out my brother-in-law had an interest in fishing. So we started fishing at Fort Baker Pier, as well as some rocky coastal areas. Then I found the Pierfishing site, which increased my interest and knowledge in fishing techniques/locations. I also met up with a few people from the message board who shared my interests.

Although these are the circumstances that led me to my interest in fishing/pierfishing, I'm not sure if I answered your question of what sparked that interest. I wouldn't consider myself an “outdoorsman”, but I do enjoy spending time outdoors. As someone who sits in front of a computer all day for work, there's something to be said for the aesthetics of seeing the brilliant hues of a sunrise and the soft curves of a mountainside, as opposed to the rigid horizontal and vertical lines of a computer terminal. And there's also the occasional adrenaline rush of reeling in a big fish that you may or may not land. I suppose I get a kind of re-charging of the soul when I'm out fishing, as well as a sense of adventure.
Salty.
Posted by mel

Back in the days, you could drive on to the pier and you could park all night and fish to your hearts content right out of your car door without being hassled. This was along the SF waterfront at the piers along the Embarcadero. Of course me and my friends used to go out there with partying in mind first, with fishing second. We used to catch huge leopards and rays. Some of the best shore fishing spots are on piers. It's much more comfortable and further out into the water.

Posted by west coast dave

What sparked my interest in pier fishing was Ken's original Pier Fishing In California book. I was looking at some fishing books in the tackle section at a local K-Mart. I just got into fishing and was reading everything I could about fishing. I ended up buying the book that day.
Tight Lines, Dave

Posted by pinfish

My father introduced me and the family to fishing on a pier, when I was a kid. We went every weekend 100 miles round trip. Nightfishing.

Posted by dompfa ben

I grew up surf fishing, mainly at San Onofre SB and around Palos Verdes, but often at other places. Some of those places were piers. I don't know if there was a single thing that sparked my interest, but there have been countless memories and stories that surround my family's lifelong interest in fishing.
As my brothers and friends have gotten older (and consequently, more busy) piers have proven to be a great meeting place for fishing on different schedules. There is no specific time that the "boat is leaving the dock" or worrying about different skill levels when launching kayaks in the surf zone. Instead, piers are generally free, you can come and go as you please, and the pleasure derived from standing around on a pier with anglers and non-anglers alike makes nearly every pier fishing trip successful and enjoyable, even if the fish don't bite.

Posted by oldmanandthesea

I lived close enough to ride my bike to Seal Beach or Belmont pier around 1958 and would go with neighborhood kids every day in the summer. I got $1 a week allowance and that was enough for 2 boat ticket rides to the barge. Bonita on ultra light rod with a Mitchell 408 (I think that was the number) and halibut with my Penn Squidder, which I still use, was a blast. Sometimes my Pop would take me to Rainbow pier to catch bat rays and sometimes we would rent a skiff from Pier Point Landing. Back then I never thought I'd be around longer than those piers but Rainbow was torn down with the Pike, Seal and Belmont went in storms and got rebuilt. I'm in Nor Cal now but still close enough to ride my bike to fish and I do almost every day. Does anyone remember Dickie the slightly mental guy who would be at Seal Beach pier every day and loved to splash an iron tied to a rope from the pier and say “I'm ironing the ocean, I'm ironing the ocean”?

Posted by ShRimpCoCktAiL

I started fishing at the age of about 12. First did some fresh water fishing then one day a friend of mine took me to the Oceanside pier. I caught a mackerel with the help of my dad taking my rod and walking back and forth up and down the pier. My pops is old skool. He's from Mexico and he was telling me “How do you expect to catch a fish when your bait is just sitting there, u need to move it around” Well, sure enough, he took my rod and messed around with it for a few minutes and hooked a small mack. He went on to give me his whole lecture on how he used to catch big fish with his bare hands in clear rivers back in the days. Till this day he doesn’t understand the concept of sportfishing. He did it strictly to eat and feed his big family. Now I fish all the time. The pier is a cool place cuz for one it's free. Every once in a while you catch decent fish. There are always interesting people and good looking women walking up and down the pier so when the fish aren’t biting, you wont get bored. Just for the love of the sport, its all gravy baby!!!!
fish on pier ratas!!!

Posted by stripesidechaser

Less snags. I fished the delta shores for years, and found that I snagged up much less frequently, since my line could be running with the tide instead of sideways to it (causing drift). Then, I moved to Oakley, stopped by the Antioch Bridge Pier one day and came home with a 35” striper. The first year I lived here, I took home one striper (between 29" and 36" every time I went to the pier)... needless to say, I was majorly hooked on piers! Unfortunately, that was just a tease... it was summer (not striper time in the delta), but I just kept hitting them, haven't seen a year like that, since!

Posted by baitchucker

Now, I remember... Newport Pier.... hot chicks from the beach... hot chicks from Blackies and the Beachball (Beach front bars)! Good friends from the Newport Shark and Ray Club.

Posted by corbinaman1

Growing up by the beach for most of my life and being a surfer, fishing was something to do when the surf was small. Did a little freshwater fishing as a kid, and couldn't believe how much better the mackerel and bonito fought than the trout. Still remember my first ever bonito as a kid from Aliso Pier which was a blast!

How to use Sabikis... Old Thread

To: PFIC Message Board
From: Kyle
Subject: Bait Rig Problem

I have been having trouble catching my own bait recently. Doh!! I've been using my homemade Sabiki style rig. (It consists of 7-8 hooks on dropper loops). Any ways, I am using size 8 hooks on it. Are those too big for catching the sardines, smelt, etc.? I tried using little pieces of squid, but to no avail. What size hooks do you pier rat's use? And do you bait em'? What are the best techniques, cause I tried jigging them, only to find hooks missing. Lol. Thanks-Kyle

Posted by scottlopez

Been there done that. Now I just spend the 1.49 at Kmart and buy a new one when I need it. The type you buy at Kmart are pretty good. I always stick to the smaller sized hook with the shrimp tail on them. They always seem to work pretty good and after 2 or 3 uses I just throw it away and buy a new one. It seems as though you have to do this as the hooks they use are not the greatest but they do work. Also after several uses the line starts to loose its strength and starts to work not as well. As for what bait to use. Some times I find it good not to use any bait at all. The type of rig to use is the one with the 4-6 hooks, i just use a 1/2 ounce weight and let my line fall to the bottom then move my pole up and down slowly for a while. I don’t know about now, however during the summer you can catch a lot of baitfish even some mackerel.

Posted by TCY

I agree with scottlopez. Just buy a rig. I've done everything from small gold hooks with small shreds of shrimp or squid to artificial: ranging from bits of tin foil to custom "flies." Way too much hassle for way too little return. Attaching natural bait to lots of small hooks is slow and tedious. When a school of baitfish come through, you'll want to be in the water as much as possible, so this option is definitely out.
As I had mentioned in previous posts, I have personally noticed a difference between the cheaper Sabiki rigs and the slightly more expensive ones. The cheap ones in the SF Bay Area-area use white plastic as the "fly." The more expensive ones use fish skin. Seems the fish skin is a bit more fluid and seems to attract the baitfish better. scottlopez mentioned one thing which I agree with now. In the previous discussion thread about Sabiki rigs, I argued for re-using the rigs instead discarding them after one or two uses. scottlopez talked about the fact that the hooks on these commercially available rigs are not the greatest. I have found that they do in fact dull very rapidly and unless one wants to spend the rest of one's life patiently sharpening lots of very small hooks, it may not be worthwhile to re-use a rig that many times. For example, one rig that is now on its tenth tour of duty seems to lose half the baitfish on the ride up from the water to the pier. The fish just fall off probably because the hooks really didn't set because of dullness. TCY, Conqueror of bait, Lord of anchovies, Master of very small fish

Posted by Ken Jones

Vary the depth you are trying since the schools move around and up and down depending on a number of factors. Sometimes you'll get them right at the top but often times you have to find them. Start at the top and if you don't have success keep moving your bait rigs down a little until you find the bait. Then again, they may simply be absent!

Posted by realdrums

The store-bought rigs work best for me. To save it try a square piece of cardboard or pieces of cork over the hooks and leave it on the rod. Use raw shrimp for bait; just smear it on the hooks and start right below the surface and work it down or go to the bottom and work it up. Shrimp seems to always produce for me. jp

Posted by Kyle

I could actually see the jacksmelt and I was @ the depth they were at, but I wasn’t catching them.

Posted by realdrums

Bet it’s the rig. Leader probably too heavy or the hooks not shiny enough. Go buy the smallest hook Sabikis you can find and I always cut off the little white things on the hooks. Really give the raw shrimp a try. It always gets the smelt...even if no one else is.

Posted by Kyle

My leader was 20 lb. test. Maybe a little to heavy?

Posted by hooked1
I find that if I get the rig with the smallest hooks and bait the hooks with trout power-bait, I have no problem catching baitfish. You might have seen me do this down at Shelter Island. Give it a try.