Bay Bridge Bonanza - Livelining with Mojo

[kevinfry]

Does Mojo have a life jacket! Nice outing. You ate well Saturday!

LOL...Mike does not eat "Cooked fish". Feel free to convert him.

[chex]

Does Mojo have a life jacket! Nice outing. You ate well Saturday!

He does, but it's a bit large for him still. He just slips out of it.

pfd-2.jpg

[DanMarino]

Mojo is awesome! I like him. I wish I had room for my dog in my kayak. Molly used to go fishing with us when I had a jon boat, but she hasn't been out on a kayak.

So how exactly do you rig your fishing rods when you "live line" spot?

[chex]

So how exactly do you rig your fishing rods when you "live line" spot?

Basically a carolina rig.

liveline.jpg

I learned this from the guys at Katherine Charters on a livelining trip where we caught a whole boat's limit in 15 minutes. They use treble hooks, but I don't like how they result in more deep-hooked fish that are impossible to release without leaving the hook in them, so I use 4/0 circle hooks. I got most in the corner of the mouth. The bead is just to protect the knot. The egg sinker slides up and down the main line. The swivel is important because the swimming spot will twist your line otherwise.

Hook the spot right in front of the dorsal.

[DanMarino]

Thanks Mike! Great photo explaning the setup.
So do you just cast it out near one of the bridge columns and let it sink?

[chex]

Thanks Mike! Great photo explaning the setup.
So do you just cast it out near one of the bridge columns and let it sink?

I don't cast. I feel like that knocks the spots into lethargy. You'll be surprised how a live but lethargic spot will catch nothing, whereas a lively one will get an immediate bite.

So I just put it in the water behind a column (calm side, not current side), and slowly let it swim down (aided by the weight) until I feel it start to get jittery. The jitters signal it's getting scared because stripers are around. Eventually, the jitters turn into a heavy line. I let it take out about 3 seconds worth of line, then apply pressure. Fish on! A baitrunner is quite useful for this technique.

[AbuMasgouf]

SWEET going Mike!!

And thanks for the detailed setup info. You're a regular Snaggedline University professor!

[DanMarino]

Great description again Mike. I think it's funny that the spot gets scared and jittery before it is consumed.
OK you stumped me again. What's a bait runner?

[chex]

Great description again Mike. I think it's funny that the spot gets scared and jittery before it is consumed.
OK you stumped me again. What's a bait runner?

It's a reel with basically 2 different drags. One is "freespool", so it is a very light drag, to let the bait swim out and the target fish take some line out before feeling the pressure. It's adjustable so that you can apply just enough pressure for the spot to swim down without just dropping fast. The flip of a switch changes to the real drag where you can start applying pressure and set the hook. You can do this with a normal reel too, but you have to hold the line with your fingers in order to let the line out slowly.

[Goody]

Awesome job there! I'm going to try to get out there this coming weekend.

[AbuMasgouf]

Hey Mike, what method did you use to keep the remaining Spot alive?

[J.A. Veil]

Congratulations on a great day of catching. How did you make out last Thurs when I saw you at Sandy Pt? I have heard of taking dogs fishing on larger boats, but never before on a kayak in the middle of the bay. Mojo sure did bring success to that trip.

[chex]

Hey Mike, what method did you use to keep the remaining Spot alive?

I did not take any spot home, if that's what you mean. The last one I had was being lethargic and I let him go get eaten without a hook.

But in the car, a bucket with a bubbler, and on the yak, a floating bait bucket.

[chex]

Congratulations on a great day of catching. How did you make out last Thurs when I saw you at Sandy Pt? I have heard of taking dogs fishing on larger boats, but never before on a kayak in the middle of the bay. Mojo sure did bring success to that trip.

On thursday, I was not really fishing. Just taking a buddy out for a yak ride. I did manage to troll up a small striper nonetheless

[AbuMasgouf]

Yeah I was referring to the kayak. Is the floating bucket you are referring to a flow troll bucket? And it kept them alive?

I need to get a Bubbler for the car ride...

I did not take any spot home, if that's what you mean. The last one I had was being lethargic and I let him go get eaten without a hook.

But in the car, a bucket with a bubbler, and on the yak, a floating bait bucket.