Effectively using a sabiki to catch bait?

savemejebus

Somewhat embarrassing, but I'm useless when it comes to catching bait with a sabiki. Are there any tips/tricks to doing this? We leave out of Hillsboro Inlet and I mostly just randomly drop down over reef-type bottom in 30-40 feet. If I'm lucky I catch a few small grunts but nada else.

Is there a 'best' size? How much weight should be used? Do we need to cruise the beach looking for a school of bait? Tip with squid? Impart a lot of action or just drop down

My bait inadequacy needs some help here....

bamahemi

Unfortunately it’s an acquired art, but only in that you need to do it. Get different size sabikis and disc weights, you can target schools, go to marker/channel buoys, anchor balls, or find them deep on drothfinder, have a chum bag helps, tip as well can help the bite, on weed lines you can pick up bar jacks as well. Learn to throw a cast net. For surface bait schools.

CoastalCatch

bamahemi said:

Unfortunately it’s an acquired art, but only in that you need to do it. Get different size sabikis and disc weights, you can target schools, go to marker/channel buoys, anchor balls, or find them deep on drothfinder, have a chum bag helps, tip as well can help the bite, on weed lines you can pick up bar jacks as well. Learn to throw a cast net. For surface bait schools.

Like he said,..in addition I chum at anchor balls just off Pompano pier for ballyhoo this time of year but don't use sabiki, instead use a  baited #6 hook and line under 10lb. and depending on wind and current use a small float and split-shot...a cast net is faster only if they are thick and close....chubs can be a nuisance!  

The Parker

Size of sabiki depends on bait gogs like them when you put under a light for a bit then drop. Weight depends on current or if your trolling. Pilchards run inside hilsboro inlet try rightinside the inlet before you run out. I never tipped mine. Gogs like reefs 50 feet in middle of water column. Best places are in miami. You can troll for gogs in pe but its short time span right before sunrise once suns up normally its over. I only chum for ballyhoo

conchydong

You said  you went to the reef. Was it at night, and were you marking bait fish on your finder? Sometimes you have to find the bait, not them finding you. Some baits you can find in the morning some you  can't. What baits are you looking for in particular and then we can narrow it down for advice?

The Cat's Eye

Don’t forget you are trying to imitate plankton and/or tiny fish. Neither of which can swim fast, so small twitches of the rod tip usually out fishes larger movements of the Sabiki lures, to fool three to five inch bait fish.