Large Live Bait Setup

How are y'all rigging up large live baits? Thinking 12" size smelt, croakers, or macks.

Been talked about a lot - plenty of options out there for live bait setups. I usually use a three way with a spreader, about 12-15" dropper for the weight, and about a 3' leader to the nose of the bait.

Yesterday I used a some croakers, about 12" long, rigged on trap setups. 1/0 or so octopus hook for the nose, hard tied, about 10" or so from a #2 short shank treble.

One of the baits got absolutely shredded, in between the hooks. Had to be a ling - it gave that dead weight, then a dive or two to the bottom again, and then came off. I pulled the bait up and it had teeth marks 1/4" deep down both sides, right in the middle.

Not gonna guess as to how big it was - I never saw it - but it wasn't small. It left a rather large bite mark in a bait that was about 12 inches long.

How do you guys rig up to ensure that is a fish landed vs just a torn up bait? Should I just run bigger hooks?

I rig 1 J-hook by the noses and 1 treble by the belly near the rectum 

I rig 1 J-hook by the noses and 1 treble by the belly near the rectum 

Hey Sonny, that's what I usually do too. What size hooks do you use? 

I rig 1 J-hook by the noses and 1 treble by the belly near the rectum 

Hey Sonny, that's what I usually do too. What size hooks do you use?

Owner 2/0 Stinger.

Sliding bait rig, 4/0 octopus hook and 2/0 VMC 3x treble hook on 50 lb mono.
Tied to T Spreader rig with 25 lb breakaway leader for the weight.

If your bait gets chewed and not swallowed, its a small Ling.  The big ones will inhale your bait but you gotta find them first.
 

For me, on the LARGE baits, it's a 3/0 Treble and 2/0 Octopus hook.  For smaller live baits, I go with a #1 Treble and a 1/0 Octopus.  And for squid I go cheaper with these #1 Trebles and 4/0 live bait Mustad hooks (smaller than they sound).  I always tie a perfection loop for the treble, and then sliding snell for the octopus hook, and try to guess the starting distance between the hooks when tying.  They dont' hold up very long the way I tie them.  For an anchovie, I use the small owner live bait hooks.  I normally use 30 or 40lb mono, but went with 40lb fluorocarbon this time for fun. To rig I just use a sliding sinker with 4-10oz weight and a swivel.  To connect I use a double surgeons loop, so the only hardware is the hooks and the swivel.

Sweet, thanks for the inputs! I'm gonna upsize my hooks a little.  I only had the one scratched bait yesterday, and it was on a pretty big croaker. 

Just thinking this through - of a big fish grabs the back half of a big bait, and doesn't get hooked, a larger hook would have to help, right?

Any thoughts on pinning the treble into the bait vs letting it dangle?  I've caught fish both ways...

With big baits, i try to slowly come tight on the fish rather than doing a big giant hook set. That way I’m not scaring off hitchhiking lings. But I’ve lost fish this way as well when they weren’t hooked and I did a bad job with the netting. Saw videos of a guy who put the treble hook in the mouth of the fish and the single hook farther back with kingfish baits. Might try that.

With big baits, i try to slowly come tight on the fish rather than doing a big giant hook set. That way I’m not scaring off hitchhiking lings. But I’ve lost fish this way as well when they weren’t hooked and I did a bad job with the netting. Saw videos of a guy who put the treble hook in the mouth of the fish and the single hook farther back with kingfish baits. Might try that.

Yeah, I try to give them a minute to munch, but once they realize their meal is attached to me, they usually dart for their hole.  I also don't really do the giant hook set - once a ling dives back for it's hole or usually sets well enough. Most of the rest of my fishing is trolling, so don't really need to worry about hook sets there either.

With big baits, i try to slowly come tight on the fish rather than doing a big giant hook set. That way I’m not scaring off hitchhiking lings. But I’ve lost fish this way as well when they weren’t hooked and I did a bad job with the netting. Saw videos of a guy who put the treble hook in the mouth of the fish and the single hook farther back with kingfish baits. Might try that.

Ninja Rig