Overall Conditions – Morning
Weather: Sunny and 55 degrees
Ocean Surface: Smooth
Water Temp: About 58 degrees
Surf: 3-5′ faces
Bait used: C-rig with 3/4oz slider and fresh mussel meat…with Fishbites!
Fishing Summary
So I tried a little something different this morning. I gone with the kids and got some fresh mussels earlier in the week to use as bait of course. The only bad part about using mussels – as anyone who uses mussels knows – it is not an easy task to keep it secured to the hook. After some time, or during your first cast, it flies off or comes off in the surf. Or, the little buggers pick and pick at it without biting and it’s gone. I was going through too many mussels too fast. Now, I know there is that elastic string that most use where you wrap it around the mussel (or clam, or ghost shrimp, etc) and the hook to keep it there longer. That works, but there is no other advantage to using that string than just to keep the mussel on.
I am a huge proponent of constantly learning. I don’t care whether you’re fishing West Coast, East Coast, in the south, freshwater or saltwater, there will always be something to learn. I was searching for great winter time baits to use (alternatives to mussels of course) and came across a youtube video of a guy using Fishbites for preventing his live bait (sardine) from coming off his hook when he casts. The Fishbites have a mesh center, allowing it to stay “stuck” on your hook (assuming you are using barbed hooks). So when he cast, the sardine could not fly off his hook and was able to keep bait in the water longer, ultimately catching more fish. If you are not familiar with Fishbites, they are artificially scented strips that come in a variety of “flavors”.
I thought that was a great idea. So, it gave me the idea of using the Fishbites the same way he did, but for mussels – as a way to prevent the mussels from slipping off. But, there is another, maybe more important reason I decided to use Fishbites versus the elastic plastic – the Fishbites are built to create a feeding frenzy and establish a long-lasting scent trail. So not only do I keep my mussel meat on longer, I’m basically chumming as I’m fishing with the Fishbites. How awesome is that!
I’m using the EZ Flea (sand crab) and Bag-O-Worms (bloodworm) flavors. The bags are only like $8 and come with two (2) 12-inch long strands and you can choose your width too. I cut them in squares – so about 1/3″ x 1/3″ pieces. This morning was my first try using this method and only fished for about 45 min. Got this little perch this am.
Until my next post, have fun and stay healthy!
