LIVE BAIT PINE ISLAND
PINE ISLAND - MATLACHA - BOKEELIA - SAINT JAMES CITY
CAPTAINS CALL TO RESERVE YOUR BAIT:
(239) 673-8149
We are located at 1242 SW Pine Island Rd #13 ( Just North of Chiquita Blvd.)
MONDAY - SATURDAY 6AM - 7PM | SUNDAY 6AM - 5PM
Big Boys Bait & Tackle is located in Cape Coral, FL and promises to be the largest bait and tackle store in the area. The 2,240 square feet of space will allow for the anticipated growth and expansion to include the largest live bait tanks, as well as other bait and gear to cover all aspects of fishing from freshwater to backwater, inshore and offshore.
Below we have included 4 different techniques in baiting your hook with live bait.
Have Questions? Give Us A Call: (239) 673-8149
OUR LIVE BAIT SELECTION INCLUDES
Shrimp, Blue Crabs, Pinfish, Fiddler Crabs (Seasonal), Worms & Shiners
LIVE SHRIMP
Shrimp are one of the best baits for saltwater fishing. Black drum, bonefish, flounder, grouper, jackfish, pompano, redfish, snook, sea trout, sheepshead, tarpon, and whiting are some of the fish you can catch with shrimp. There are also few ways to hook a shrimp, depending on whether you’re fishing with live or frozen shrimp.
BLUE CRABS
Blue Crabs are best when fishing for tarpon, redfish, snook, cobia and big black drum. The best method for using blue crabs for bait is to separate the hard shell from the meaty body by pulling them apart then cutting the body in half or quarters. Any style bottom fishing rig is adequate when fishing with crab.
PINFISH
Pinfish works well for a variety of fish such as redfish, snook, sea trout, striped bass, bluefish and tarpon. Most smaller fish can be caught with cut pieces of pinfish too. Below you will learn how to hook Pinfish four different ways.

Tip 1: Nostrils
Whether you are fishing a hardtail, menhaden, pinfish, goggle-eye, pilchard or herring, “nostril hooking” restricts less of their natural action. This is ideal for surface live-baiting, such as when drifting offshore, around bait schools, and through inlets and passes for surface-oriented fish. When nostril-hooked, the bait swims at or near the surface, keeping pace with the boat’s drift or slow-trolling rate.
Tip 2: Dorsal
Hooking a bait in front of its -dorsal is deadly for kite-fishing, slow-trolling and still-drifting; it generates action, and the aft placement nabs “short-striking” fish. Hooking in front of the dorsal fin forces a bait to swim head-down and more frantically. These “distress” vibrations draw strikes. The swimming attitude is like a deep-diving swimming plug.


Tip 3: Throat
Throat hooking forces a bait into the depths, perfect for midlevel fish. It’s a proven tactic when free-lining from a stationary position to jetties, seawalls, pilings or bait schools, as well as for bottom-fishing from an anchored boat. It’s also good when slow-drifting. To manipulate the bait, free-line it, and then pause the line for several seconds and continue to free-spool. Repeat until the bait is in place.
Tip 4: Anal Fin
A bait hooked near its anal fin can be manipulated into a specific area. It’s also a great way to make baits swim away from a stationary platform, like a pier, jetty, bridge, beach or shoreline. Similar to a throat-hooked bait, without forward momentum, the bait can’t breathe; it panics and swims forward aggressively, enabling the angler to guide it farther away, or to a specific spot.

DO YOU NEED A FISHING CHARTER?
LET US PLAN YOUR DAY ON THE WATER!
We offer several Local Charter Boats Captains specializing in all fish species to sight seeing and shelling.
Call today to make your reservations 239-673-8149
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