Live Pilchards for Bait in Pompano Beach

        If you’re going fishing you need live bait for your offshore trips – without live bait missing out is the understatement of the year. Trolling dead baits or lures you can catch fish but nothing like using live baits. Lots of fishermen in Pompano Beach swear by trolling rigged baits…they are closed minded to do anything else, but those fools are missing out on what is, by far, the most effective form of fishing Live bait Pompano Beach. If you want to catch quality fish when you’re deep sea fishing – you need live bait. Period. Baitfish, like most game fish in Pompano Beach, are seasonal. Certain times of the year are better than others and at times, you can’t even catch a pilchard if your life depended on it. The purpose of this article is to educate you on the types of baitfish you can buy from your local bait shop and the methods you should use to catch them.
The most popular baitfish for fishing in Pompano Beach includes pilchards, threadfin herring, mullet, blue runners, goggle eyes, cigar minnows, and pinfish. These baitfish are available most of the year but certainly have peak seasons. Depending on weather, current, water clarity, temperature, salinity, and oxygen content – these baitfish tend to move around in search of their comfort zone. But we know where to find them; they seldom hang out in places where they can be ambushed for very long. Knowing where to find them and how to catch them is the challenge you face and is the key to your fishing success. Just come see us.

Pilchards are prolific and popular bait for offshore fishermen. Almost everyone who fishes offshore professionally knows how and where to catch these baitfish – they are a crucial ingredient for catching every pelagic species. Mahi, sailfish, tuna, and Wahoo will smash pilchards at any chance they get. Pilchards are also very hearty baits and can survive a long time if you’re gentle when rigging them and are careful about keeping them in the water. While they are prone to injury, they are perfectly frisky and flutter spastically in the water.

They are never found solo and tend to swarm over grassy areas in large schools. Pilchards will swarm a chum bag if you find a hungry school and can be caught with small sized sabikis. Wherever the pilchards roam, cudas and Bonitas usually aren’t far behind. When catching pilchards with sabikis, it’s common to get cut off and lose multiple baits or rigs. When the pilchards are schooled up, throw a cast net and you’ll undoubtedly land a dozen or more at a time. Pilchards that are caught in a net usually don’t live as long as pilchards that are caught with a sabiki – as I mentioned they are prone to injury and sensitive to being smushed.

 It is absolutely crucial that you have a well aerated live well to keep them alive…they need to be kept in fresh recirculation water to remain at peak condition. Most pilchards you catch in Pompano Beach will be small, but in the spring and early summer it’s common to catch them as large as 4″. Pilchards make excellent offshore baits because they can be rigged through the nose, which is quite sturdy. They cast well and swim deep after hitting the surface.If you find yourself in a school of dolphin or frenzied tunas – pilchards are a sure live bait to keep the fish at the boat. Contact us for live bait. (954)933-3406