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I know its illegal, Im not looking for anyone to start anything.
I used to do this alot when I was younger with sunnies and shiners, I just used to hook them either in the top right below the fun, or just on the mouth. Im guessing I should be running line through the mouth and gill then hook them somewhere? Do I want to be using a bobber or sinker with them on?
Thanks for any info.
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Mouth or tail hooking seems to work the best. It allows the bait to run more naturally.[cool]
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In some states it's legal to use sunnies. I would definitely just hook in the mouth or just below the dorsal fin. We use legal size bullheads (under 7" here in MN) for live bait when catfishing. We usually cut off the spines that are attached to the fins. Then we hook them just below the rear of the dorsal fin.
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in michigan you can use any legaly caught fish as bait. Yes this means if you want to use 30 large mouth bass as bait it is legal.
I say hook them where ya can. live line them through the mouth or tail in the rivers or through the back in the lakes under a bobber.
I have had success with all three methods.
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I target large flathead catfish and use nothing but hand sized bream or larger for bait. Hooking them through the back, behind the dorsal fin and above the lateral line is the best method. Beware not to put the hook in past the lateral line on the fish's back or you will no longer have a live bait.[pirate] The reasoning behind this is because if you're fishing with a rod and reel like I do, it keeps the line and hook from smacking the fish in the face when it tries to swim around. It can also block his air way and limit his life span considerably. Hooking them through the back allows the bait to swim naturally, live longer, and get better hook sets. Every large catfish i've caught swallows them head first, thus by the time he get's him in his mouth, the hook is right in the corner of his jaw, right were it's suppose to be. And that works nice if you use 8/0 or larger circle hooks like I do, circle hooks seem to find the corner of the jaw just about every time. (unless they swallow the hook)
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How about worms?
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Yeah, Jersey is pretty strict, but we cant always abide by the rules can we?
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Rules? What rules? Haha, they have rules in place for a reason and each body of water has them for a specific reason whether it's an experiment to see if it will help or hurt the body of water, or because if the rules aren't followed, it will just make that particular body of water worse.
I would imagine being so much closer to the coast that their biggest fear is invasive species getting into the waters and breeding and taking over. It's better to follow the rules and not take chances at ruining the local ecosystem, and risk having to pay for breaking the rules WHEN you get caught.
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] Here in New Brunswick where not allowed to use any live bait...mot even minnows