# Live bait in Destin



## dannymarg (Oct 9, 2008)

It seems like the pinfish have disappeared. This is my first winter here, so any help. I have been getting as many as I need on the north side of the bridge in Destin agaist the docks. I would imagine they move back in the bay or to deeper water. What and where for good live bait as the temps get colder. Thanks

Dan


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## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

> *dannymarg (11/24/2008)*It seems like the pinfish have disappeared. This is my first winter here, so any help. I have been getting as many as I need on the north side of the bridge in Destin agaist the docks. I would imagine they move back in the bay or to deeper water. What and where for good live bait as the temps get colder. Thanks
> 
> Dan


Nothing wrong with frozen boston mackerel during the winter. 

Stop by the Lucky Snapper and buybait, if they have any live.

Go out to your nearshore rocks and sabiki up whatever comes off the bottom = squirrelfish, rock fish, tomtates.

If you see any, cast to somefalse albacoreto cut up for strip bait.

Keep on out to your fishing spot and just jig up fish off the bottom there to use or filet them out into strips.


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## jboweriii (Sep 28, 2007)

i went yesterday at Tyndall Marina and caught 3 dozen off the dock using sabike set up with cut blue fish. Going out thrusday to 3 x 5's.


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## Trap Guy (Oct 6, 2007)

Dan,

Most of the pinfish that I have found have started to empty out of the bayous and out into the bay in water depths of 8-12ft. The best concentrations of them I have found have been around deeper grass flats, rocks and pilings. A quick way to test a spot quickly to see if anyone is home is to bring a cup of shrimp and cut them up into tiny pieces and throw a small handfull out and watch for flashes and signs of activity or use a chum bag with a larger diameter mesh and look for the same things. High tide seems to be much better in the bayous from what I can tell if you are using hook and line. Try using a high quality designed pinfish trap and weight the trap and send it down with some fish carcass or menhaden chunks if the same areas mentioned above and you will save a ton of time and save yourself the frustration. As a last resort, you can always use a sabiki rig tipped with squid around the rock jetties and find some live bait. Be ready with several rigs as the jetties tend to eat a bunch of tackle sometimes. Hope that helps!


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## Sailor50 (Nov 8, 2007)

I have always had good luck in the winter catching the pinfish on the barges sunk in the Choctawhatchee bay using a sabiki tipped with squid. Usually go to the barge about 2-3 miles north of joes bayou, in around 50' of water, believe it is on most charts as ithas been there awhile. Believe the pinfish winter over in the deep water in the bay as that is the only place i have found them in the winter. Have not checked it out this year yet.


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