Posted by jas on October 18, 2002 at 17:05:13:
In Reply to: baits or lures for leo carillo, carpentaria area posted by johnny on October 18, 2002 at 16:46:52:
: I love posting in this board. I get alot of information here. I plan of fishing the leo carillo, carpentaria area often. I do alot of surf fishing in these areas and I'm wondering if there is a diffrence in bait or lure selection compared to fishing from shore. I'm looking for a lure or bait that will catch different species of fish. whats the most effective setup. Also I've been reading posts on how you guys do well with live bait. How do you catch them? what do you use.
There are a few rigs that might be the same when using bait(Carolina rig, dropper loop, 3 way swivel, etc).
Lures for the kelp beds, structure and sandy bottoms, I like Fishtrap swimbaits, Mogambos(swirl tails), Wham baits, SCAMPIS, various irons, occasional Rapala or Yozuri......the list goes on. When I use plastics, I always rig them with leadheads. Various weights...3/8 up to 2 oz (you can go heavier if the currents fast and you can find them in the stores). Various lengths of plastics I like range from 4" up to 7". I usually use 4" to 5 1/2".
Catching live bait can be harder some days than others. Sabiki bait rigs (multiple hooks-size 8-10). If the fish aren't biting those, add a tiny piece of squid to the hooks. Drift along the kelp beds, watch the sonar for bait schools and your own visual signs, slowly bring the rod tip up and down to entice the fish more. Try various depths. I usually find them between 30 ft up to the surface (different species tend to school at different depths.........though once you get a good scent going, you'll sometimes get a variety: smelts, mackeral, anchovies, shiners or perch, baby bass or baby white sea bass (obviously let those go), yellow fin croackers......Keep the chovies, macks, smelts and the shiners or perch.
I still use a bait bucket. Keep it in the water while you're drifting and on your yak (I put it standing up in my Tankwell) while you're paddling.
Good luck. Another place to get some more info is in the Tackle N' Tips section. It's brief, but gives you some idea of what baits and lures you can use.