# Bait Alternative



## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

I am always looking for something new to try for bait on my set lines. My favorite bait is a river shiner. Been researching Gulp Alive 4" minnows. Has anybody tried them? They have good reviews. I just want something in case I don't have time to catch bait


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

That just don't seem right. Have you tried soap?


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

We have caught flat heads on cut bait seems they really like heads. I would guess maybe mullet heads. Beef liver always produced the most fish for me. 


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

I have used Ivory soap, beef liver, deer liver, chicken liver, beef heart, shrimp, fish heads, mullet, crawfish, eels, nightcrawlers and shiners. I was just thinking about Gulp.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

billyb said:


> I have used Ivory soap, beef liver, deer liver, chicken liver, beef heart, shrimp, fish heads, mullet, crawfish, eels, nightcrawlers and shiners. I was just thinking about Gulp.




Uhhhhhh .. Haha yup. Gulps are next logical step!


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Try'n Hard said:


> Uhhhhhh .. Haha yup. Gulps are next logical step!


Matrix Shad.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Don't tell anyone but Catfish love bonita too. I've never fished it on lines but have caught a couple in the 50lb range on rodnreel. Several in the 30's. Doesn't take big pieces either.

Should work great on lines too.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

jlw1972 said:


> Don't tell anyone but Catfish love bonita too. I've never fished it on lines but have caught a couple in the 50lb range on rodnreel. Several in the 30's. Doesn't take big pieces either.
> 
> Should work great on lines too.




I caught some on cerro mackerel once. Bout like a Bonita


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Try'n Hard said:


> I caught some on cirro mackerel once. Bout like a Bonita


I believe it. They love bonita. Only caught Blues on it though. The last fish my Dad caught before he died was a 52lb Blue on a piece of bonita. I'll try to find the picture.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

My bad. It was 51lbs. If you look real close, In front of the motor, you can see a cutting board with some bonita still on it. 

Damn I miss that man.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Nice. If you don't mind spending the bucks river cats love shrimp. We use winn dixie shrimp on jugs when we don't have time to net shad.

Fresh shad beats most everything though.


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

Where do you net shad in Florida 


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Well I don't, I fish the Alabama River. Mullet chunks worked for me in Fla though when I lived there.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

TFRIZZ30 said:


> Where do you net shad in Florida
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Pretty sure he's in Bama. 
Shad are great but in the summer (warm water) they are so mooshy a strong current will wash them off the hook. I'm liking cut bream, especially the heads
Question:
Can you use bream heads on lines in Florida?


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

No gamefish or any part of a gamefish. Most people who set lines don't follow the rules. I saw a man checking his lines on the river this morning. I asked him if he knew they must be tagged with name and address. He said yes, but none of them were. If I was a gamewarden I could write tickets all day on the river up here.


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

I fish a lot around guest lake and it is upsetting how many abandoned lines and unmarked lines there are on the river. I have also seen set lines in the middle of the day with fish on them because they were just left out. I enjoy using set lines myself hate how some do it though. 


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

If anyone has a place in Florida to catch shad please let me know I would love some as bait for fall blue cats. 


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I say an ly from the bay will work just as good


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

I bet crawfish would be a killer bait. As I soon as I figure out how to catch them, I shall prrrrove it!!


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

sure said:


> I bet crawfish would be a killer bait. As I soon as I figure out how to catch them, I shall prrrrove it!!




That and cut minnows (caught in a basket) is all my FIL uses in Escambia. The bugs were primo and he only used river roaches if he couldn't get enough crawfish. I bet that minnow trap would work on yellow. He used a homemade version made from window screen with funnels and a cloths pin to open it up and pour out the minnows. Think it was baited with saltines. I'll look for a pic


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