Catching PinFish

[Joshjack84]

Went out last weekend (fairly new at the live bait) and tried to get some pin fish prior to going out. Didn't get out on the water until 1:30ish. Floated over some grass beds and caught maybe three pin fish in a twenty minute span. After hanging that up I went out and trolled for the grouper instead. What is the trick here?? I was using a brimbuster pool with a little squid on a small hook with a couple splitshot weights on it.

Is a sabiki rig the way to go? If so they have two colors green/white and red/white ?

[macdaddy]

try a heavier weight. bait needs to be close to the bottom. the sbiki works well also. put a 1/4 = 1/2oz weight on it depending on water depth. Or you may have been in the wrong spot, there are multi millions of pinfish inshore now.

[leesburgga]

I have never tried pinfishing midday. not sure if that might have anything to do with it. we have caught so many in the morning that the livewell won't hold them. we use the same rig that you described -- cork, split shot, and small piece of squid. when they are really hitting, we have caught four and five pinfish on one piece of squid.

a trap is really the way to go for quantity. i have a trap that we use when we stay overnight; however, we do not use it when making a day trip.

[scottgor]

Anyone chum and then just castnet pins? Besides the wad of grass seems way easier than sabiki and such.

[KYFRED]

If pinfish do not work, take a smaller pole and squid. Squirrel fish worked wonderfully last week for grouper.