# Best Bait for Amberjacks



## Sedge (Apr 30, 2012)

Heading out to the Edge in a couple of weekends as well as the Oriskany. Looking to load up on AJs, Triggers, and Mingos. What is the best bait for AJs? 

All help is appreciated! Thanks!


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## minkmaster (Apr 5, 2008)

I always liked catching ajs on diamond jigs. Nothing locks you up like an AJ.


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## FishinFreak (Oct 2, 2007)

The biggest hard tails you can find. Try buck tail jigs in the tide line outside the pass, around the channel marker bouys, or around the Massachusetts.


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## Contender (Apr 4, 2012)

Butterfly jigs or OTI jigs I like the lighter colors even glow in the dark ones at 200 to 225 grams. Shimano has a new shape I haven't tried yet but will soon. If you are going jigging nothing like braid and high speed reel, hang on!


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

tomtates, aka ruby reds


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## wackydaddy (Jul 24, 2009)

Contender said:


> Butterfly jigs or OTI jigs I like the lighter colors even glow in the dark ones at 200 to 225 grams. Shimano has a new shape I haven't tried yet but will soon. If you are going jigging nothing like braid and high speed reel, hang on!


 What kind of reel do you use and what's the biggest AJ you've caught on it?


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## wackydaddy (Jul 24, 2009)

MrFish said:


> tomtates, aka ruby reds


 :thumbup: That's what I use!


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## kandv2000 (May 10, 2012)

Lately anything alive. Cant beat them off to get to the bottom!


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## SoCal619 (Nov 18, 2011)

kandv2000 said:


> Lately anything alive. Cant beat them off to get to the bottom!


+1 for that. True story!


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

Don't forget porgies caught on the spot. Jigs are how I swing though.


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## gamefisherman (Oct 6, 2007)

A commercial fisherman once told me that the best bait for really big amberjack are small amberjacks. Of course he was probably using a bicycle rig with 300-400 lb mono line.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Anything live. The two biggest AJs I ever caught, (over 100lbs), were on a live chicken dolphin.


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## MissKristy (Dec 1, 2007)

Hard tails as big as u can get or big bee. Liners


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

From Fed regs.
Reef Fish as Bait 
Federally managed reef fish are prohibited as bait.

AJ's and Vermillion are reef fish.


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

lastcast said:


> AJ's and Vermillion are reef fish.



True fact.

Another true fact: They make great bait for big AJs.


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## swhiting (Oct 4, 2007)

No one on this forum ever uses reef fish for bait. We do, however, hook reef fish that get eaten by bigger fish as we're reeling them back up


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## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

swhiting said:


> No one on this forum ever uses reef fish for bait. We do, however, hook reef fish that get eaten by bigger fish as we're reeling them back up


How true. Unfortunately big AJ's make great shark bait.


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## philip lee adams (Sep 6, 2011)

Before we go aj fishing we go to bayou tehar and catch really big menhaden and do really well


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## MissKristy (Dec 1, 2007)

I no they are reef fish still the best bait though


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## Sedge (Apr 30, 2012)

Is mono best?


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## MissKristy (Dec 1, 2007)

i use 80 pound braid with 80 pound mono leder for jigging and 150 braid with 150 mono leader when live baiting for big ajs


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## Fishn-on-credit (Apr 27, 2012)

If your fishing spots where you know 100+# Donkeys frequent, there is no such thing as a bait to big... Back home in the big bend, the largest AJs are caught on smaller AJs... 

I will note (just my experiences in my region from spearfishing and fishing) that if you catch 2 or 3 jacks that fight for a good while it will often cause the largest AJs to spook and head back down to the reef/rig/wreck...hint use the biggest baits first and downsize from there if the Jacks are not big enough to eat them...

You'll never catch a 100# jack if your fishing for a 50# haha


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

*This is so true....*

How many times have you been trying to catch a big porgy on a tiny piece of squid on a 7/0 circle hook.... and you hook it right behind the head? 
Happens to me all the time....
And I tell ya, those AJs screw up that plan. They will smack that porgy (and....even small mingos) on the way up!!

Try as I may, can't get them to lay off.



swhiting said:


> No one on this forum ever uses reef fish for bait. We do, however, hook reef fish that get eaten by bigger fish as we're reeling them back up


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## jplvr (Mar 7, 2011)

Terrible story:

I was looking to snag something a little smaller at the Edge a couple of weekends ago. Smaller hooks, and regrettably smaller line. I actually hooked one of those smaller reef fish, only to entice something much, much larger to take it on the way up. Parabolic bend in a thick Ugly Stick, and a bit later, the fish started traveling away from the boat. When I saw the large, brown back, I thought, "4-5' bull shark." It got a little closer, and I started yelling, "cobia, cobia." 10" longer gaff and we would've had it in the boat, but it was a little deep, spooked, and popped one of the hooks from the chicken rig, then the other as the line went over it's back. I'm still a little pissed about it, but I learned a lesson: reef fish are good bait, so don't send down smaller line to catch smaller, reef fish, because you might end up with something else entirely. 

We caught two very nice AJ's (3 total with one break-off) the day before on the same, exact spot with very, very big hardtails. That's what I've always heard referred to as "AJ candy."


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