catching live bait

The Mullet are mostly feeding up for their southern migration which will probably start heavy with the next NW blow. They will be moving thru every inlet and sown the beach. Find a place where they get balled up by currents or fish and throw a big heavy cast net on them.

Peanuts should be available in the back waters until a solid chill goes thru the water. A 4 foot cast net will catch them, but learn where they venture into shallow water to catch them easily.

I haven't heard much about spot, but a small piece of bloodworm on a #8 hook will catch them if they are around.

Snapper blues are another good bait you can catch on small spoons or cast net, but remember there is no size limit, but a 15 per person possession limit.

Most other good baits have size limits which puts them at the outside of the size for stripers.

All can be kept alive in a good areation system if they aren't overloaded. I have good luck with about a dozen peanuts in a 5 gallon bucket with a battery areator. There are air pumps available, but the Keep Alive System works the best for me. a 20 gallon tank will hold more than you can possibly fish with for a days outing and should even give you enough to try some live chumming.

I would always be glad to help set you up.


A good areation system will keep both alive

Originally posted by KAYAK DRIFTER:
Another question about this bait? If you get some mullet, peanuts, or small blues, but don't use them all at that time, is it worth freezing them, then using them on your next trip. I know fresh (and alive) is best, but is it worth using them once they are frozen, then thawed? Will use these for flounder (till season ends), and for stripers. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Kayak Drifter,
Mullet holds up very well after being frozen
and is very productive.....
During the Mullet Run I CastNet About a 1/2
Dozen Bags with about 12-18 mullet to a bag..
Freeze them up for later in the Fall to have
available after the Mullet dissapear....
I thaw them out in water fresh or salt before
I use them,one little trick I learned is to
scale the mullet on both sides before cutting
it up or when using a whole one on a mullet rig,
hook,etc.....
It releases the smell of the bait quickly....


Good Luck,,,

Guatelmala Dave,


Very Good Information,, Thanks.....

Question For You Though,,,
Did you ever hear of anybody or yourself
catching for bait, the larger Southern
SeaMullet in our area?

I was talking to a friend last night that has
a friend who pens up bait for StriperFishing
all year.And He Was Saying He Got Some Large
12" Baits that only come in around this time
of the year and he called them Mullet?
These Wouldn't Be Schools of the CornCobs
that we see towards the end of the Mullet Run
in the Surf or would they be?


Thanks,,,

Pretty sure the mullet we actually have running in small groups right now are corncob size. Not sure if it's the same species, or just above avergae sized mullet. I have cast netted them up to 10 inches. As for freezing bait, I would suggest limiting your freezing to bait caught in the ocean/surf. For some reason the mud and algae ingested by the baitfish while in the bay, leads to rapid decomposing prior to freezing and after it's thawed. The bait seems to cleans itself of that once migrating in the ocean. Obvioulsy vacuum sealing is better than a plain ziplock. The Keep Alive live well set-up works well and is fairly inexpensive compared to other systems. I actually use the livewell, and run a heavy duty air pump with dual hoses and stones and keep bait alive upwards of 24 hours with a few water changes. Get the heaviest pound per foot on the cast net you can find. Calussa makes a great net, but are very expensive. Betts is probably the most common, so look for a fast sinking 3/8 mesh at least 6 foot. You can also find some other goodies in the bay this time of year like butterfish and tinker mackerel. Good luck, and only take the amount of bait you know you can use in a day!