What bait should i use???

Question

ok so im going fishing out of newport to mexican waters... they said its gonna be mainly tuna like blue fin and yellow tail ect. what is good bait for that and what is some good advise.need awnser quick

choosing best awnser

Answer 1

  Either live, fresh dead or fresh frozen herring, sardines, or anchovies. Preferably something live. 40yr exp.  

Answer 2

Live sardines are the best, anchovies will also work. If you're on a charter or party boat, they'll have the bait in tanks on board. (Herring are rare in southern California, I've only seen a few in my life. You use them for salmon up north).

As far as artificials, the best for offshore is a heavy chrome "candy-bar" style jig. I like the Tady 9, but there are others which work as well. Some people like little plastic swimbaits, but to fish them right you need light tackle, which won't help if you get into 25 lb tuna. For trolling, there are the standard feather or skirted jigs, cedar plugs, and large Rapalas (I like the CD-18 in a green mackerel pattern), but if you don't have a trolling outfit (80 lb line) don't worry about trolling lures.

As far as advice: First of all, listen to the crew on the boat. Wait out on deck (don't sit in the galley) when the boat is trolling so you can get a bait out in a hurry -- on offshore trips, there can sometimes only be a couple chances in a day of fishing to get a bite, and you don't want to miss out. When fishing, change your bait frequently (every 2-5 minutes), as they tire quickly and are less likely to get bit. Avoid tangles. Pay attention to what others are doing if they're getting bites and you're not.

Don't forget sunglasses and sunscreen -- a day out there can really wear out your eyes and burn you up even if it's cloudy.

Answer 3

From experience, soaking the white mini-marshmallows in tuna juice over night before using them works super well.  The bright white colour is very visible for a fish to see and the tuna smells good to a fish too.  This also meets the requirements that some jurisdictions have for not using live or once live bait.  Also works better than the over-priced Berkley marshmallow baits.  This method works well on Northern Pike.

The marshmallow holds up well in the water and gives bouyancy to the hook (not much).