Page 66 - Modern Fishing

TECHNIQUE: BAIT BALLS

GHÀ QLWHO\ KDYH D EHWWHU KLW UDWH IRU also like to feed smart when given the they’re there for a reason, and it may
keeping bait in one place for a longer FKRLFH 4XLWH RIWHQ \RX ZLOO À QG WKH\ just save your butt one day if they’re
period of time. have pushed a bait school right up onto not sitting in their usual haunts. These
While it does pay to keep your eyes the edge of a sandbank or current line, areas won’t necessarily have bait
peeled whenever you’re on the water, condensing the school and making getting smashed off the surface either.
À QGLQJ DUHDV WKDW FRQVLVWHQWO\ SURGXFH them easier to pick off. Other times, Often it can be subjected to a sub-
À VK LV D ELW RI DQ DUWIRUP rather than waiting for the bait to come surface assault and requires the use of
From a predator’s perspective, they to them, the pelagics will show up at D JRRG À VK À QGLQJ XQLW WR UHYHDO WKHLU
will take their opportunities as they NQRZQ EDLW KROGLQJ DUHDV OLNH DUWLÀ FLDO location. Units compatible with side
FRPH ZKLFK LV ZK\ \RX FDQ À QG reefs, beacons, channel markers and scan like the Lowrance Elite and HDS
them busting up bait in the middle of ledges and go to town on the bait units are perfect for cutting down the
nowhere from time to time. But, one holding on the structure. search time by identifying the schools
thing I have come to notice, despite So, always make a note of where out either side of the boat.
being extremely opportunistic, they \RX À QG DFWLRQ EHFDXVH FKDQFHV DUH Also, it’s worth noting, while summer

is the primetime for bait balling action,
Keen for a rush? Break out LW GRHVQ·W PHDQ \RX ZRQ·W À QG WKH RGG
the fl y rod and get into a school in the cooler months as well.
few speed demons!
Whilst they are normally a bit more
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which I why I always have some gear in
the boat just in case.
SPPECCIIES

Any pelagics that spend their days
gorging themselves on bait are very
much the usual suspects. The likes
of mack and longtail tuna (with the
H[FHSWLRQ RI WKH RGG \HOORZÀ Q IURP
time to time) along with spotted, school
and Spanish mackerel are the top 5 that
consistently pop up wherever the bait
does. Now the beauty of this style of
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it presents, means just about anything
will show up if you’re in the right
place at the right time. Stories of all
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at all uncommon. In fact, to date, my
very best snapper session was a result
of rocking up to a patch of birds to
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H[SHFWLQJ EXW D VFKRRO RI À UHG XS
snapper smashing the bait off the
surface. Needless to say, for the next
40mins it was non-stop double hook
ups, screaming drags and champagne
VQDSSHU À VKLQJ WKDW KDG WR EH VHHQ WR EH
believed. So, treat every bust up as an
opportunity, because you never know
what might turn up!
As you build experience and
spend more and more time chasing
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