Need advice on catching bait -dog island

[castnetaholic]

Hello everyone! This is my first thread and I'm new to the forum. This is actually the first time I've ever posted to a forum ever so please forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong area or not up to speed on the posting process. I've fished in the North Florida area most of my life and have began fishing out of Carrabelle, specifically offshore from Dog Island/ St George for the last couple of years. I've done fairly well and have a few productive spots but I have had trouble finding a good place to catch live bait early morning. Does anyone have any advice where I can pick up some bait via castnet/sabiki around the pass between St George and Dog Island? Thanks in advance for any input.

[Nambleman]

Try the east side of DI. a friend showed me a nice area for finding pins over there and the past two times ive been we loaded up on them. If you can, get about 200-300 yards from the eastern most point of the island on the bay side at about 100 or so yards from land. You should be in about 3-5 feet of sandy/grassy bottom. I usually use a sabiki rig tipped with small pieces of squid. You should be able to find some in that general area.

[castnetaholic]

Thanks Nambleman that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for!

[RCS]

Shouldn't have much trouble loading the livewell with pinfish from any of the grassflats on the backside of either island. If you choose to run out around the east end of DI, the reef is loaded with them. Throw a little chum, then tip your sabiki rigs with small chunks of "scrap" gulp or whatever bait you have on hand--the gulp or fishbites just tend to stay on the hook better. Out from the pass, any of the channel markers and nearshore public reefs should be holding bait. Cigar minnows, spanish sardines, large pilchards, threadfins, hardtails, sandperch, you name it will all readily take a sabiki rig. For those baits, I don't tip my sabiki's, just drop down and jig slowly.

[castnetaholic]

Great info RCS! I usually go out the west pass so I will try around some of the buoys and public reefs. I never thought about using cut gulp to tip the sabiki, seems like it would hold well. Thanks for the tips.

[zload]

I typically use a single small hook and split shot in shallow water never used a sabiki in shallow water, do you cast and retrieve or just drop it down over the side?