BigBendFishing.Net

Any suggestions/tips/tricks for catching live bait in or around Ochlocknee Bay?

Pinfish are hard to find but there is an hope. Find a ditch, that empties into the bay. Not necessarily close to the bay. It can be blocks from the open water. At low tide look for look where the water has accumilated, it's usually a hole that retains the water, and the fish that didn't leave with the receeding tide. You'll find mud minnows, finger mullet, and small blue crabs. Toss your cast net and you'll have more live bait than you can use. Must be @ low tide. Don't take 'em all, leave some for the next guy.

See you on the water.

I appreciate the tip, I'll give it a shot! I've tried mud minnows for bait before to no avail. Do fish really eat those?

Like you, I had rounded up a few mud minnows for bait once when I was in my canoe in front of the Lighthouse. I free lined him in about 4' of water in that small inshore channel near the 4 pilings, and something took that minnow and took-off like a rocket. The drag screamed song and then pulled taught and snapped ...... "PAP" - Scared the daylights out of me because when he hit, I had the Pole just laying in the bottom of my canoe and the whole pole was on the way into the drink when I grabbed it by the end. Darn near lost the pole.

in dec i was fishing spring creek with mud minnows, caught a limit of trout very quickly and got lazy, baited up with another mud minnow, cast it out, laid the rod down, and started reeling in the line on the other side of the boat. Bang! i look around just in time to see my rod and reel that had been lying in the boat, hit the water and start moving away as it sank. talk about embarrassed. an hour later two guys came buy and pulled in my float with the trout still attached, as i watched, but the line to the rod was broken.

Ya can probably catch a some crabs in Carrabelle, but they'd be too small to got on ya hook.

Hello Doug, welcome to the BBF forum. Think we all have lost a pole or two in that fashion or know someone who has.

CAPTAIN CHARLIE wrote:Pinfish are hard to find but there is an hope. Find a ditch, that empties into the bay. Not necessarily close to the bay. It can be blocks from the open water. At low tide look for look where the water has accumilated, it's usually a hole that retains the water, and the fish that didn't leave with the receeding tide. You'll find mud minnows, finger mullet, and small blue crabs. Toss your cast net and you'll have more live bait than you can use. Must be @ low tide. Don't take 'em all, leave some for the next guy.

See you on the water.

Great tip, i will try that one.