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Getting baitfish to swim a certain way

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:46 pm
by mango man
My memory is bad, does anyone remember how to cut a live baitfish (fins) to make them swim in the way you want? I remember cuttin the tail fin in an angle to make 'em swim up and down but can't remember the rest. Help.

Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:16 am
by james380
I know this has been gone through before, but some one post the position of the hook in comparison to what the bait will do.

Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:54 pm
by Pier#r
jettypark28 wrote:I use to belive in that but after so many years of livebaiting. I really don't see much of a improvement in bites. I still do place the hook in certain area to make the bait swim away from me or head to deeper water. Don't forget the bait is going to swim funny anyway, dragging the line and hook thru the water will slow him down some. But at times i use large livebait, and i will cut the tail fin to slow him down, and to also add scent into the water :wink: oh i am more interested in matching the hook to the bait, so i try to use the smallest hook possible.....
Ditto! 8)
SOMEtimes I will pinch the tip of the tail to slow down a particularly frisky baitfish, but generally feel the hook placement is more important to get the bait in the fish's strike zone :wink:

I made this graphic a while back with a scaled sardine after I saw Mark Sosin talking about it on one of his shows 8) :idea:
Image

1. if I'm casting the bait hard or long distance or retrieving it against a current (bottom or free-lined presentation)
2. holds the bait higher to swim on it's side away from me (good for float fishing or free-lined presentation)
3. holds the bait back and nearer the top as it swims away from me (good for float fishing or free-lined presentation)
4. if I'm casting moderate distance and/or want the baitfish to appear wounded. (best as a free-lined presentation)
HINT: a 'jiggle' of the rodtip produces a silvery, darting retrieve I call "Crazy Ivan" that often triggers instinctive strikes by lethargic mackerel :wink:
5. used to influence a bait to swim down (best as a free-lined presentation)

Hope this helps!

Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:07 pm
by bolo
Thank you for the great info. BF, Is it possible to make this post as a sticky?

Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:47 am
by james380
Beautiful graphic. Much appreciated.

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:37 pm
by CowboyJustin
Pier#r wrote:
jettypark28 wrote:I use to belive in that but after so many years of livebaiting. I really don't see much of a improvement in bites. I still do place the hook in certain area to make the bait swim away from me or head to deeper water. Don't forget the bait is going to swim funny anyway, dragging the line and hook thru the water will slow him down some. But at times i use large livebait, and i will cut the tail fin to slow him down, and to also add scent into the water :wink: oh i am more interested in matching the hook to the bait, so i try to use the smallest hook possible.....
Ditto! 8)
SOMEtimes I will pinch the tip of the tail to slow down a particularly frisky baitfish, but generally feel the hook placement is more important to get the bait in the fish's strike zone :wink:

I made this graphic a while back with a scaled sardine after I saw Mark Sosin talking about it on one of his shows 8) :idea:
Image

1. if I'm casting the bait hard or long distance or retrieving it against a current (bottom or free-lined presentation)
2. holds the bait higher to swim on it's side away from me (good for float fishing or free-lined presentation)
3. holds the bait back and nearer the top as it swims away from me (good for float fishing or free-lined presentation)
4. if I'm casting moderate distance and/or want the baitfish to appear wounded. (best as a free-lined presentation)
HINT: a 'jiggle' of the rodtip produces a silvery, darting retrieve I call "Crazy Ivan" that often triggers instinctive strikes by lethargic mackerel :wink:
5. used to influence a bait to swim down (best as a free-lined presentation)

Hope this helps!
Thanks man...I never knew how to hook a bait fish I always kind of did it HOPING to get results :shock: thanks for the info

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:37 pm
by mango man
That's excellent info. Thanks for the refreshment course. That's excactly what I was looking for (the pic) and hook positions. Thanks again.

Re: Getting baitfish to swim a certain way

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:08 am
by rekehs
+1 sticky

Re: Getting baitfish to swim a certain way

Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:13 am
by dahut
As for cutting the tail, its something I've always done. I recall Jack Crevalle in Key West harbor coming up into the "sunny" top layer of water to snag my bait - a bait swimming down to them from the surface. It was one of those things I always loved to see.

To get the bait to swim down: cut the tail's lower lobe off. Hooking along the back aids in this.
To get the fish to swim up: cut the tails upper lobe off. Hooking along the bottom of the baits' body aids this.

Lower lobe = DOWN
Upper lobe = UP

As you might have guessed, this is something that I did off the docks and piers, either below floats or when bottom fishing. Not much casting was involved - you didnt really need much of that in Cayo Jueso.

Re: Getting baitfish to swim a certain way

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:35 pm
by gjb2107
I know its an old (dead) thread, but I felt the info shared here was to too helpful for me not to say thank you

Re: Getting baitfish to swim a certain way

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:53 pm
by YUDRAS
gjb, thanks for digging this one up. Must have missed it the first time around. Gonna test this tips out next time.

Re: Getting baitfish to swim a certain way

Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 1:18 pm
by GrillN
Very good info on here.