# Ocean Live-Bait Fishing Rigs



## C.Salp (May 30, 2002)

Jesse, Ryan and anyone else who has fished with live bait in the ocean, any guidance/insight as to how you've adapted this type of fishing to the yak is greatly appreciated.

This is a type of fishing (yak or otherwise) that I have VERY minimal knowledge of, and I am eager to give it a try in the coming weeks as the main body of cobes moves up the coast. 

How do you rig your terminal tackle for slow trolling? stationary fishing with live bait?

Any preference/difference in productivity between the two?

How many rods is realistic to be able to fish at once?

Any insights you might offer -- particularly any specific nuggets from experience on how to "make it work" smoother for the yak platform -- are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris


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## LiteTackleChamp (Jul 29, 2005)

as far as rods go i belive on a kayak no more than two rods being fished at one time is more than enough, i usually bring atleast 3 rods(with back ups in my dry hatch) and only fish two at a time, if u think about it if u hook up with two larger fish at one time u will probally have to cut one off anyways, this is espically plausible if u hit a school of kings or cobes and even spanish or sharks. and when doing this please always where ur life jacket, and have a sharp knife handy


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## mdfoster (Sep 1, 2006)

I have been trying to figure out a good way to rig live bait as well and this past weekend I made some homemade bobbers. I figured I could just put 2-3' of wire or flourocarbon and a circle hook on the bobber and rig whatever bait I could catch onto that. I figure for cobes one live bait and one bait on the bottom should be enough.


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

I'm using basically the same setups you'd use in a boat. For live baits on top, the standard 4x treble hooks w/ wire to a spro swivel. Either add a skirt or fish the bait naked. If i'm gonna anchor up, i'll put a cork a few feet above the bait. For a bait on the bottom, carolina rig w/ 3' of 80 lb fluoro to a circle hook.

I take two big rods and a bait rod. When trolling, it's 2 baits up top. When anchored, 1 on top and 1 on bottom. I'll worry about a double hookup when that happens....


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

for liveys---- 3 feet of 60lb sevenstrand, figure 8 knots w/ 2 #4 4X eagle claw trebs & smallest swivel ya can find. 15 or 20lb flouro topshot running line to that, atleast 25 feet, then whatever line ya got on your reel tied to that. 

for bottom duty cobes--- 80lb snelled to 10/0 owner octopus ssb offset. 3 feet of it, snap swivel sliding freely along the leader, then tie on 80lb swivel. cut chunk of fresh bait, ie, blue, bunker, nullet, spanish, etc. tie directly to it & fish.


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

done it from a yak 2 times, was fun. used same stuff i use when im on the boat.

if strictly km fishing, ill go a lil lighter, 60lb SINGLE STRAND , one 4/0 owner, one #4 4x trebble of ur choice , and like ryan, a small spro swivel..

usually beef it up if other stuff is hanging around, especially when on the pier. on the pier its kinda nice because you can get away with a lil heavier leader, and not have it be a problem, because the way your bait is , is essentially like it is on a kite rig...depending on how you regulate your tension on anchor rod, you can just keep your bait in the water, which is usually how i keep it, have just enuf of my bait in the water to keep the bait makin a nice set of circles and wakes on top...


nothing to hard to make . you can go to any tackle shop along the coast and find some that are premade for a few dollars, disect them or stare at em hard, and buy the materials and make ur own very easy. toughest part will be perfecfting your haywire twist on the wire, doenst need to be pretty though, dont think the fish care , more of a "looks good to me" kinda thing.


plan on doin it from yak more this summer. stickin on the pier as of now til cobes run out. bogue pier is nice, can sit on the observation deck, which is like 10ft higher then the deck, so you can really see far out. spot one, run down and grab ur jiggin rod...

if they'd only let us throw from up there...



catch em up


Jesse


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## C.Salp (May 30, 2002)

Thanks. 

For cobes, might it be better to anchor up and fish a bait or two, than unnecessarily expend a lot of energy paddling around "slow trolling?" 

Also, are there viable ways to fish a live bait close to the bottom? I'm thinking a frisky live bait would likely tangle up an adapted carolina rig in short order...or might that work better than I'd think?

CS


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

C.Salp said:


> Thanks.
> 
> For cobes, might it be better to anchor up and fish a bait or two, than unnecessarily expend a lot of energy paddling around "slow trolling?"
> 
> ...



these maybe problems only i have faced?

ive noticed that with big live bluefish not the prefered candy bar type, they will go with the current, but go against it, around it, back to the boat, and or do not like to stay still unless you have plenty of wind. I noticed that last summer. smaller baits wont do it.....

also live baits on ff rigs for me will not stay alive. I have always brung up dead fish doing this, im not sure if it has something to do with the fact that the range of motion is not the same. 

I am a fan of picking a spot. chumming and sticking two lives up top and a dead on the bottom. as far as multiple hookups...... with ryan on that one....


When i hooked up last year i had plenty of time to engage the drag, put the rod in the holder and reel lin the rest of my lines.


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## C.Salp (May 30, 2002)

Thanks, Neil.

See you on the water.

CS


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