Around the state, countless backcountry anglers invest a great deal of time and money procuring their own live bait, yet I can’t tell you how many times I continue to see guys fishing small baitfish no longer than my index finger on tackle better suited for live-lining large blue runners.

It’s common knowledge that Spanish mackerel are highly regarded among inshore anglers for their great light tackle sporting attributes as well as tasty table fare. If you spend most of your time scouting inshore arenas then you may not be aware of their amazing ability to entice savage strikes from behemoth billfish.

Live bait is king! It doesn’t matter where around the peninsula you ply your craft, live bait certainly plays a key role in every angler’s success. Without question there is always a place and time for artificial baits, but day-in and day-out, NOTHING will out-produce a ‘livie’ frantically flipping for freedom. Even the most modern technology can’t duplicate the irresistible come-eat-me vibration omitted from a struggling baitfish. Tournament competitors will go as far as paying up to $10 for each offering; another testament to live bait's fish-catching ability.

Survey the captains at your local charter dock, and I guarantee the majority will tell you that rigged-ballyhoo are without a doubt, the most popular, effective and versatile blue-water offering of all-time. These ‘go-to’ baits are popular with skippers around the world for one simple reason; they catch quality fish!

Catching all the bait you need is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Mangrove snapper…gag, red and goliath grouper… seatrout… snook… redfish… tarpon of all sizes…cobia…flounder…these are just some of the many species that will, without a moment’s hesitation, pounce on a properly presented pinfish. This enticing member of the porgy family has become so popular in fact, that in some inshore regions shrimp, a staple of Florida’s shallow-water fisheries, have taken a back seat to “pins.”

Prime baits are right where they are supposed to be.

With the exception of a few essential oceanic oases' including reefs, wrecks, ledges, pinnacles, and underwater seamounts, the open-ocean is a rather desert-like expanse of barren blue water. In this extreme saltwater environment, well-formed Sargassum weedlines harbor an extraordinary amount of marine creatures. These floating ecosystems are the basis of life and provide structure and sanctuary in a rather featureless topography.

Got Crabs? - Will you be ready when crab-crunchers appear within casting range?

If you regularly target permit, tarpon, bonefish, cobia, or redfish, you probably already know that silver-dollar size crabs make up a large portion of these great shallow-water game fishes diet. The crunchy crustaceans I am referring to are blue crabs and brown crabs, the latter of which are commonly referred to as ‘pass crabs’ because they are most often seen swimming in and out of local passes.

Bridling Gogs – if you’re not doing it, brother you're missing the boat!

Of all the baitfish in the world's seas, bigeye scad, commonly known as goggle-eyes to the South Florida angling community, are likely the most effective live bait for South Florida's most glamorous gamster - sailfish. These Olympian swimmers are unrivaled in their ability to ‘hang in there’ for hours on end while either dangling from a kite, or fished on a flat line. Our own editor, Captain Mike Genoun, jokingly comments, “Once you put a goggle-eye in the zone; one of two things is going to happen. It’s going to get slammed, or it’s going to get slammed!

“Look at all of that bait! We nearly blacked-out the well with greenies and baby runners. Man, we’re going to beat ‘em up today!” Sixty minutes later, the recently enthusiastic angler reaches into the well to grab his first baitfish of the day and unexpectedly blurts, “What in the world happened to our bait? They’re all dead! They were doing fine when we ripped them off our bait rigs and threw them in the livewell. Now, what in the world are we supposed to do?”

It’s no secret that nearly all passes attract and hold baitfish. None more so than the ones that feature jagged, rocky formations known as jetties. Couple this sort of eco-friendly coastal structure with the oxygen-rich rushing water constantly flooding and ebbing, and it is easy to see why inlets provide ideal habitat for a long list of baitfish species. The most popular and arguably the most effective include pinfish, pilchards, runners, gogs, mullet, and threadfins- and the list goes on. With only a small investment in time and effort, anglers of all skill levels can capture these prime offerings for later use when targeting favorite game fish- completely free of charge.

10 tips for guaranteed bait-catching success!

Perhaps no other piece of terminal tackle in recent history has proven its effectiveness as often as the multiple-hook quill rig. Some call them Sabikis or Pescador rigs, while others still refer to them as chicken rigs or gold-hook rigs. We simply call them, “Bait-Catching Machines!”

Cocahoe minnow, bull minnow, mud minnow, Gulf killifish, or just plain killifish, whatever you prefer to call them, this baitfish rarely grows longer than a young child’s palm. Unlike most baitfish species that saltwater anglers across Florida are accustomed to fishing with, Gulf killifish can live in a wide range of environments ranging from nearly pure fresh water to extremely salty surroundings. Their territorial range includes northeastern Florida to Key West, and the northern Gulf of Mexico all the way down to Cuba. They prowl shallow grassy tidal areas, coastal rivers, marshes, and bays feeding on small animals and crustaceans that live on mud bottoms, their preferred habitat. Hence the nickname “mud minnows.”