nsp - crab/shrimp/ballyhoo

[taz]

so last night (5/22) the crabs were everywhere. all sizes. didnt even have a net and caught 6 with a treble hook. put a small one on the bottom and insta-hooked up with a stingray. fight lasted long enough to where he came high enough to see him, then line snapped. wasnt fishing for something that big.

large shrimp also everywhere. bet i couldve netted a dozen big ones every 20 minutes at times.

saw lots of ballyhoo. caught a few in the castnet.

i have very little experience using crabs, jumbo shrimp, or ballyhoo for bait. anyone share some insights? im on a mission to catch cobia.

thanks.

[SkyJay]

All are better fished, either freelined, or suspended below a cork if you are targeting Cobes, and the like. Put em on the bottom, and they'll get picked to death!

Them smaller Pass Crabs are good for the bigger Mangos... Gotta wait longer to get bit but when ya do, it'll be a bigun'.

Gotta let em drift natural with the tide, instead of ploppin down on top of the Snaps. Just enough weight to keep it on the bottom, but not totally anchor it down. Let the crad drift slowly to the rocks for braggin size Mangos.
Better to let baits come towards ya though for Tarpon, Cobes, n Snuke. Good luck, hope everbody has a safe and happy Holiday weekend.


"SkyJay"

P.S.


at some point this weekend take a moment of silence, and remember what this Holiday is really about.


Thank You to all our Servicemen, and Women, and thier families.


All gave some...

Some gave all.

[havetofish]

Jay, you beat me to the reminder post..didn't see it.

[SkyJay]

Sorry Taz, didn't mean to derail yer thread, just felt like that needed to be said.

Ketch a biggun y'all!

J.

[GoinDeep]

Hey Jay or anyone else who knows, how far under a cork should I put bait if I wanna catch a cobia at the SSP?

[SkyJay]

Depends on a few variables, like type of bait, time of day and current speed. For eample, on a day when the current is running hard you want to fish it a little deeper than during slack times. Also if using a fish you typically suspend them deeper than you would a crab. Try 6-8 feet for live fish, and say 3 or 4 fett for crabs.

A keynote though is Most of your big Cobia will typically bite on the bottom on a big Grunt or Pinfish just as well. Freelining sighted fish is the most funnest way. If you are fishing a cork, you can't just drift it out and let it sit, the current will just "ride" your bait to the top. You HAVE to stay in constant touch with your bait. Keep it moving natural up around thr bridge in shadowlines. Better bite for me, on the Cobes, has been at night. Having said that though, the biggest one I seen caught from a bridge was at he Gandy, in the heat of the day, on a slack tide, so it's a crap shoot really.


Best of luck to all!

Jl

[taz]

thanks for the info.