Beacons Of Bait

BAIT FISHING IS JUST THAT. Even for the most experienced anglers, climbing the food chain can be challenging. It seems absurd, but it is truthfully harder to pattern sardines than it is to catch sailfish. Fortunately, making bait can be simplified by understanding how various forage species relate to their surroundings.

Though many U.S. Aids to Navigation exist throughout our local waterways, beacons differ from buoys in the fact they are permanently attached to the seafloor. Single-piling channel markers are the most commonly encountered beacons, helping boaters navigate coastal waters while also providing solitude and security for a host of prized baitfish species. Amid open water, the seductive shimmer of fresh scales would quickly elicit a fatal strike.

Depending on your region, you may encounter threadfin herring, pilchard, goggle eye, Spanish sardine, blue runner, cigar minnow or speedo congregating along these barnacle encrusted structures during various stages of the tide.

Though the debate will never end, in Florida’s saltwater realm the answer is clear—live bait is king! The latest advancements in lure design have certainly resulted in the most appealing artificials anglers have ever seen, but the fact of the matter is that even the most biologically perfect fake bait can’t duplicate the cadence, vibration and fish attracting abilities of a wounded baitfish.

I’m not the only advocate, and this is why many of the most successful anglers are also excellent bait fishermen.

While catching bait can be mundane, it’s a vital part to any angler’s overall success. Along the way you’ll also learn about migration routes, seasonal patterns and localized conditions that produce bait and game fish year after year.