I know most guys here don't like live bait. I cut the cord to shiners a while back and have done well the past couple years. I always toyed with the idea of throwing a small sunfish out as bait, tried half-@ssed a few times, and never had much luck.
I tried again last week in place with lots of predators (big picks), and it really paid off... Went out two nights later, and lost two monsters (one I had to pull across 30' of 4-6" water... Another I was talking to the wife on the phone--laugh at me..I deserve it).
Last night I fished honeyhole C with sunfish bigger than I'd prefer (3.5"-4"). I've had big pickerel hit and saw through lines here... I rolled into a cove, tossed a HUGE sunfish out, and I caught the bigest pickerel I've ever seen. Conservatively 5#, probably pushing 6....
The picture is terrible. Once I got a hold of his gills and got the hook out, he was snapping, flipping, and got free before I could take more pictures. After he got off, I thought twice about putting my hands in that water.
In his mouth is 4/0 or 5/0 saltwater striper/bluefish hook with a steel leader coming off (big net to boot). That's the only real perspective you can get. I easily could fit my hole fist in his mouth. I would need both hands to mark his circumference.
I've always enjoyed catching bait, and hunting for the tiniest of sunfish is fun with the kids.
I am pretty sure once pickerel and bass get to the 3# range and up, in the bass/bluegill dominated ponds around here, they dine mostly on perch and big sunfish. I plan to continue this tactic--caught enough pound and less fish in my life. I think the trick is to cover a lot of ground.
Please chime in if you have experience.
What's your experience with sunfish for bait? I'm hooked.
I know most guys here don't like live bait. I cut the cord to shiners a while back and have done well the past couple years. I always toyed with the idea of throwing a small sunfish out as bait, tried half-@ssed a few times, and never had much luck.
I tried again last week in place with lots of predators (big picks), and it really paid off... Went out two nights later, and lost two monsters (one I had to pull across 30' of 4-6" water... Another I was talking to the wife on the phone--laugh at me..I deserve it).
Last night I fished honeyhole C with sunfish bigger than I'd prefer (3.5"-4"). I've had big pickerel hit and saw through lines here... I rolled into a cove, tossed a HUGE sunfish out, and I caught the bigest pickerel I've ever seen. Conservatively 5#, probably pushing 6....
The picture is terrible. Once I got a hold of his gills and got the hook out, he was snapping, flipping, and got free before I could take more pictures. After he got off, I thought twice about putting my hands in that water.
In his mouth is 4/0 or 5/0 saltwater striper/bluefish hook with a steel leader coming off (big net to boot). That's the only real perspective you can get. I easily could fit my hole fist in his mouth. I would need both hands to mark his circumference.
I've always enjoyed catching bait, and hunting for the tiniest of sunfish is fun with the kids.
I am pretty sure once pickerel and bass get to the 3# range and up, in the bass/bluegill dominated ponds around here, they dine mostly on perch and big sunfish. I plan to continue this tactic--caught enough pound and less fish in my life. I think the trick is to cover a lot of ground.
Please chime in if you have experience.
Shoot MuskieBigFish a PM. He used kivas for bait a lot.
I fish them weightless since you can usually throw them pretty far and they tend to swim to the bottom anyways. I usually use a circle hook that I would use for wacky worm fishing and hook the sunfish through the mouth.
Its works, sunfish is what bass and picks eat.
Here are the regs:
Baitfish may be taken by licensed anglers at any time (except for purposes of sale) with a rectangular net not exceeding 36 square feet of net area or by a hoop or circular net not exceeding 6 feet in diameter or with a fish trap with openings not exceeding one inch. The following species may be taken for personal use as bait by licensed anglers. Only the fish species listed below may be used as bait, live or dead.
American eel Banded killifish Bluntnose minnow
Creek chubsucker Emerald shiner Fallfish
Fathead minnow Golden shiner Mummichog
Pumpkinseed Rainbow smelt* Yellow perch
Spottail shiner White sucker
The following species may be taken for personal use as bait by licensed anglers. Only the fish species listed below may be used as bait, live or dead.
American eel
Banded killifish
Bluntnose minnow
Creek chubsucker
Emerald shiner
Fallfish
Fathead minnow
Golden shiner
Mummichog
Pumpkinseed (not Bluegills, they are considered sport fish)
Rainbow smelt*
Yellow perch
Spottail shiner
White sucker