LIVE BAIT & FROZEN BAIT

I fish almost exclusively with cut up frozen squid (readily available at the local supermarkets) affixed to a six hook sabiki rig that vary in size from 1/0, 60 – 50 pound test to 4, 30 – 20 pound test.  Based on my catch levels Benito has taken up fishing a similar two hook rig and he uses primarily cut Skipjack Bonito or, as available, Bullet or Frigate Mackerel.

Historically I have not fished much with live bait – the Flatiron Herring are excellent – but have virtually disappeared (due to overfishing) for the last 10 years.  Some form of live bait is available on almost all outings, however, I don’t see a good return on investment and rely on my frozen squid.  We have only had live bait in the boat on one or two outings – gifts from the Commercial Bait Salesmen – which have included:

Halfbeak or Hemiramphidae Family (1)

Herring or Clupeidia Family (2)

Jack or Carangidae Family (1)

Longfin Herring or Pristigasteridae Family (1)

Without question the weirdest duck on planet earth.  Given its own genus.

Octopus, Octopodidae or Octopus Family

Squid, Ommastrephid or Ommastrephidade Family

Regurgitations

One mid-sized Bulleye coughed up about 100 of these guys will in the boat before we could get him back into the water.  Yes, Sportsfans, IT IS a jungle down there!

Codlet or Bregmacerotidae Family (1)

Lanternfish or Myctophidae Family (1)

A major food source of most fish.  Make daily Diehl migrations following plankton to the surface at night and retreat to the depths with daylight for protection.  Have a series of photophores they can adjust so when you look up from below they blend into the background.