Fishing for bait-fish on the ocean

What are some good ways to catch bait-fish if you're wanting to use live bait-fish for, say, lingcod or halibut?

I've seen videos where guys bring in like three 5"-10" fish at once -- I assume they're mackerel, herring, anchovies, or sardines.

Thanks

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=88019.msg1006786#msg1006786

Just a quick search,sure there are plenty more.

Sabiki rigs are the standard. They come with several (6?) tiny shrimp-fly type hooks and are inexpensive. They catch anchovies, herring, smelt, mackerel, sand dabs, small rockfish, and especially hands, fingers, sweaters, etc.. They can be nasty to deal with. If you are targeting rockfish with them you have to reduce the total hooks to 3, and if you accidentally catch rockfish on a rig with more hooks, it is not a legal take and need to be released. In Monterey I dropped one to the bottom and caught a whole school of 5 small RF that I released. More recently I used one to catch sand dabs. Mackerel are the most fun on Sabiki - if you catch 3 decent macks at once, it's a pretty good pull.

You can actually get a sabiki fishing rod that is hollow and the rigs stores inside the rod out of the way of harming you. But the rods are very stiff and you lose the bend action of the fight.

Yep, Sabiki rigs are the ticket here.  I usually rig with a 1oz sinker on the lightest rod I have with me.  Sometimes jigging it near structure likes docks, piers, kelp, and rocks works best.  Sometimes just dragging it along behind your kayak works well too.  Sometimes you can see schools of bait on your electronics, sometimes it just gets hit by random passers-by. 

Like Joe mentioned, they snag very easily on everything; handle with care!  The tiny hooks seem to pierce skin easier than larger ones, and they typically are barbed, making removal difficult/painful.  I like to take a piece of pool noodle about 5" long or so to wrap the rig around for storage. 

If you are targeting rockfish with them you have to reduce the total hooks to 3…

For rockfish (or if RF are onboard), it would be 2 hooks, not 3, and 1 rod.

I trim mine down to 3 with full hooks,  so that I'm legal in the bay. Helps to reduce the injuries too.

Sabiki's rule, although some fish can be caught by throw net if you figure out how to do it.  It's almost about time for the herring spawn to come up isn't it? 

Curious if anyone knows of a good bait fish identification site or chart they can share.  I was getting some of the species confused would like a good reference

Curious if anyone knows of a good bait fish identification site or chart they can share.  I was getting some of the species confused would like a good reference

Try here...

https://www.amazon.com/Macs-Field-Guides-California-Coastal/dp/0898865700/ref=asc_df_0898865700/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312029778645&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6369948822005202684&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052718&hvtargid=pla-623445208453&psc=1

Sabiki's rule, although some fish can be caught by throw net if you figure out how to do it.  It's almost about time for the herring spawn to come up isn't it?

I got kinda excited for this the other day - saw a flock of about 300 pelicans working a pretty small area near YBI.  At first I thought it was pelicans and some other birds like cormorants, but I think I was just seeing baby pelicans.  Swimming and diving. 

Was thinking it might be herring spawn, but seems a bit early? 

Re-read last years herring thread, does look like January is more likely when they would be spawning, on into Feb from the reports.

Sabiki's rule, although some fish can be caught by throw net if you figure out how to do it.  It's almost about time for the herring spawn to come up isn't it?

I got kinda excited for this the other day - saw a flock of about 300 pelicans working a pretty small area near YBI.  At first I thought it was pelicans and some other birds like cormorants, but I think I was just seeing baby pelicans.  Swimming and diving. 

Was thinking it might be herring spawn, but seems a bit early?

Probably would have been a perfect time to cast a lure or swim bait at um.

I pretty much always have some kind of casting rod and lures for these occasions.

Sabiki's rule, although some fish can be caught by throw net if you figure out how to do it.  It's almost about time for the herring spawn to come up isn't it?

I got kinda excited for this the other day - saw a flock of about 300 pelicans working a pretty small area near YBI.  At first I thought it was pelicans and some other birds like cormorants, but I think I was just seeing baby pelicans.  Swimming and diving. 

Was thinking it might be herring spawn, but seems a bit early?

Probably would have been a perfect time to cast a lure or swim bait at um.

I pretty much always have some kind of casting rod and lures for these occasions.

Haha, yeah, I thought about it. I also usually have something I can throw out, but these were just a little out of casting reach from where I was.

Hoping to see that happen from the kayak - would be pretty cool.

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36324
-baitfish
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36617&inline
-perch
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Fish-ID
-lots more links

Thanks for posting this image of the various bait fishes!

~j