Pilchards

[Koenig]

Hello gang! Hope everyone is doing well. Been a long... long time. Funny how having a child will totally redirect your life. That and other hobbies pulled me in different directions, but have come back around to fishing. Got a new boat and ready to rock.

One thing i do know is everything loves a pilchard. I want to find'em and use'em. So... i can/have found them over near destin but never tried to find them here. Anyone catch/use pilchards and care to share some thoughts? Not looking for honey holes, just general knowledge on how they behave around apalachee bay. Also, anyone ever try using an attractent to bring then in?

[Salty Gator]

Purina tropical fish food is a good chum. Easy to carry and doesn’t bring the birds in. That’s what my sw Florida buddies use. And all they use are pilchards

[craSSh]

I've used canned cat food as chum for pilchards with good success. The only place I used to catch them regularly was around Dog Island. We used to stop there and fill the live well before heading offshore. I never really tried anywhere else.

[saltyvol]

I caught a bunch of them with a cast net just walking along the shore on the backside of Dog Island on Saturday. I threw a couple out and got a flounder and a stingray in short order. The kids were more interested in treasure hunting, though, so we didn't stick with it...

[Koenig]

Lol... ah the kids and looking for treasures... i miss the days of simple pleasures. Thanks for all the feedback. West of here seems to be the common theme. I am going to give it a go here in apalachee bay and see what happens. Trying to plan that trip, but not sure when just yet. I will be certain to post what happens when i do. If anyone else has any tips i will check back. Thanks again!