I met a guy at BPS this a.m. said he does alot of surf fishing in Fla .He quit using live bait, claims these Fishbites are better than sand fleas? He recently has been wearing out the pompano,so of course I had to buy some.... :fish electric chicken color/shrimp flavor
Ive used these very successfully beach fishing in Jacksonville FL. I typically use a piece of shrimp or a sand flea then add a small piece of fishbites to hold the bait on and or act as an attractant after the bait is taken. I have also used it with less success bottom fishing offshore for vermillion snappers and trigger fish.
He said its stays on the hook good You have to cut the internal mesh off the hook as the bite wears down. I will try it out next time I go surf fishing.
Yeah, I use when I'm on the island......usually as a "back-up" bait. I carry a pack, or two in the cart, so If I *forget* the shrimp..I still have some bait. I've found that if the whiting are 'biting shy", a small chunk of fish bite on the hook along with a small chunk of shrimp seems to get them! I think the shrimp draws them in, to bite, and the fish bite (because it stays on the hook so well) brings them back for another try.
Too Ching $$$ for my ramen budget.
I use em but fresh cut bait and other stuff works and less $$.
Quote from: Crow on July 15, 2024, 09:58:52 PMYeah, I use when I'm on the island......usually as a "back-up" bait. I carry a pack, or two in the cart, so If I *forget* the shrimp..I still have some bait. I've found that if the whiting are 'biting shy", a small chunk of fish bite on the hook along with a small chunk of shrimp seems to get them! I think the shrimp draws them in, to bite, and the fish bite (because it stays on the hook so well) brings them back for another try.
Exactly. But I like to substitute sand fleas for shrimp. yes you will end up having to cut off the mesh.
I may cut a small strip for bream & try a chunk for catfish in our pond to test in freshwater.
The bubble gum colored ones worked well for whiting in the south Texas surf last winter - Jimmer
Jimmer do use Fishbites solely without any live bait?
My uncle swears by the sand flea version. He uses them successfully when no Sandfleas are around. I actually just bought a pack recently but haven't tried them yet.
I've used them for sand perch when snook fishing, they work just not as good as fresh bait. With a small chunk of shrimp you got one shot, gets tiresome constantly having to rebait the hooks with shrimp.
The sand flea fishbites are great for pompano. I've gotten a few fish on days when others around me got skunked.
I like the Berkley Gulp scent baits. They are gummy and not as robust as the fabric strips but last long enough. Besides, they come in cute shapes. I have used the sandworm type the most.
But, you have to occasionally re-bait with all these things because the scent washes out. If the scent is not washing out into the water then it's not a scent bait.
Benny (AKA Benni3) is a pork rind bait expert and is probably sitting on the world's last stash of Uncle Josh baits.
Quote from: ourford on July 16, 2024, 11:08:38 PMThe sand flea fishbites are great for pompano. I've gotten a few fish on days when others around me got skunked.
Yeah, grandma and I were trying hard to catch pompanos in gulf shores.
I took out a loan from the world bank and bought every fish bite, Berkeley magic voodoo bait and no dice.
Met up with retired college prof from Muskegon, Larry, At gulf shores pier, finally grandma nailed them with a gotcha rig.
Later Larry caught a few with his gotchas
After which Larry took a bow to Sensei Grandma,
There were a few other locals fishing with grandma, gotchas, pompano and grandma story spread fast and grandma was elated to "Oya" , :-)
Pic of pompano on lure, since then I have not bought any fish bites :d
Grandma getting it DONE! - john
Small sample size but we fished some back-to-back with real squid strip baits and I would say they are right on par. Very nice if you're getting plagued by picker fish as it's much more durable than real bait.
Obviously a lot more expensive than just buying some squid!
Interestingly around here, surf anglers found it to be very effective on certain species that are known to be extremely finnicky about baits.
JGP - Yes, Just a 3-4" strip on a size 2 circle hook, Pierced by the hook a few times with a trailing strip. - Jimmer
We use the bloodworm version here in NJ quite often with great success. Very deadly, once the water seems to get up to a certain temperature. Not so good in colder temps.
They're catching tons of spot, croaker, and kingfish Off the beach, using them now.
Haven't tried any other version of them yet, but don't see why they shouldn't work.
The sand fleas are so thick here right now, they're just crawling under your feet, from what I've been hearing. Plus we're coming up on a full moon, which really makes them pile up.
I let 2 poles soak overnight with it, skunked, nothing but mesh left? does it dissolve or was I robbed. FISHING ON CREDIT?
Quote from: jgp12000 on July 20, 2024, 03:09:38 PMI let 2 poles soak overnight with it, skunked, nothing but mesh left? does it dissolve or was I ROBBED.
FISHING ON CREDIT?
Most likely both.
It definitely does dissolve, don't ever get any water in the bag lol.
And I'm sure, there were some little guys nibbling on it as well lol.