bait fish

once I caught a mackerel (actually two) and brendan told me I had a smelt. he didn't really see it, so I will
cut him some slack, but it was definitely a mackerel. caught in monterey bay on squid bits.

but after that I became more interested in all the baitfish.

any riffing on baitfish in your future?

J

i actually find fishing for bait quite enjoyable. at capitola my sabiki rigs were hauling in mackerel when i trolled it behind the skiff. they fight a lot and they look real nice. i actually took some home and ate em. i think the joy i find in baitfishing stems from the challenge of avoiding the sabiki hooks while getting a hand on the bait. also with smelt when i plop em back in the water they always do one jump out of the water before continuing on. if im feeling real sporty on a fishing excursion i'll bait a hook with a squid arm and when i catch a smelt i'll let it run and then reel it back in to its impending doom. actually i usually just let em go.

many days baitfish have saved me from days on which otherwise i would be getting skunked.

i think that with me, as long as i have something that was at one point in time attached to the end of the hook i have rigged on my fishing rod, i feel better than going a day watching my squids get all puffy and watching anchovies fall apart without any nibbles.

i guess i am easily amused.

john

well, you aren't alone, I love those baitfish too!

every once in a while you catch something strange, probably a juvenile of some other fish.

always fun with a sabiki.

Brian, actually there is something I'd like to ask about the baitfish.

where do the anchovies go in the winter?