Pinfish question

katwoman85 · April 2013

Hi all. Wanted to ask a question about pinfish. I catch them quite often in the Dania Cutoff Canal. When I catch them, what is the best way to use them as bait for bigger fish in this canal?

Thoughts and comments would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!

onICE · April 2013

I don't know much about that canal but you can use them on a live bait circle hook, probably 3/0 , with a weight, freelanced or under a float. They are good hearty baits.

DragScreamer · April 2013

I have never had luck or felt lucky using pinfish as bait for inshore species; unless I am bottom fishing offshore.

fishboy · April 2013

They work well inshore under a cork... I don't like freelining them because they head to the bottom, and if you are not drifting in a boat, then they rock you up a lot... If there is no structure around then you could put them on a Carolina rig with weight...

reel stamas · April 2013

Inshore- under a cork Redfish will eat them, but I think they prefer them cut into 'steaks'... Offshore- everything eats them...

SpaceCoast Slayer · April 2013

they work well live, or cut into a plug.. ive picked up lots of reds on cut pinfish in deeper canals.. remove the head and the tail, cut off all the fins and then trim it to size if you think its too big.. you can even butterfly it for added flutter

sbp0317 · April 2013

Whether fished on the bottom or under a cork, they are pretty decent baits for trout and redfish. They work best if you trim the tail of the pinfish then cut most of the top dorsal fin off. The pinfish will still be very lively but it makes them lots more enticing to a big fish. Trout love them when I cut the fins off.

abovebored · April 2013

butterflied on bottom

DragScreamer · April 2013

please show us a picture or diagram of this "butterfly rig"

abovebored · April 2013

Basically just remove the backbone and tail so the fillets are still connected to the head. This way its putting out maximum scent.

DragScreamer · April 2013

with a weight or free lined?

Jettypark · April 2013

I freeline pinfish off the jetties/piers/canal and just about any body of water I can walk too LOL.... do they rock themselves... YES most of those type of
baitfish will.. but if you are going to freeline then you need to hold the rod and feel and feed your bait line... if you fish rocky areas a trick to do is cut off
his fins this way if he gets into the rocks you can still pull him out (I have done this plenty of times and it works)... plus you also put scent into the water..
you will still get snag it part of the game, but once you get better at feeling them and watching how he is swimming .. you will snag a lot less... I hardly
snag any now adays

A simple "Fishfinder rig" has always work for me.. it keeps the pinfish in one spot and this way you can soak him and leave your rod in a holder...
Pinfish do work just like any other baitfish... good thing about them is they can take a beating and Everything Inshore eats them... now size is another matter,
remember if you freeline to use the smallest hook possible...

SpaceCoast Slayer · April 2013

DragScreamer wrote: »

with a weight or free lined?

its better to fish a dead piece with a weight for reds since they will most likely be grubbing off the bottom but if youre in a situation with say... bluefish for instance .. which could be feeding anywhere in the water column, you can freeline it so it naturally sinks.. ive slayed tons of blues on chunk pogie just letting it flow with the water.. to butterfly a pin you just remove head and tail, all fins, then you run your knife through it almost like youre gonna fillet it (starting at tail end) and stop about an inch before the end so it has two nice little fluttering flaps, plus more scent dispersion

Chewdog2121 · April 2013

Inshore, float that bad boy under a cork (cajun thunder type floaters are best imho), un-maimed (no cutting of tails or butterflying), this will prevent the miscellaneous rock-ups etc. I know guys that mutilate their pins, but I've just never really tried it much. Yes they are strong swimmers, but if the fish you are pursuing are hungry enough, it will have no problem downing a reasonable sized pin. If they are rocking up, (freelining) pull them in and re-cast them. Try switching up your hook placement as well to see if that will make a difference. I tend to adjust my hook size depending on the size of the pin (the smallest you can get away with). I have an issue at times with fish throwing the pin, or pulling the pin out of their mouths if the hook isn't matched up correctly. I will vary from a 1/0-3/0 typically inshore.

Do yourself a favor and learn to fish a pinfish. In my opinion, they are right up there with ballyhoo, pilchards, etc. as far as being the most versatile bait you can fish. BIG trout love them, and a hungry schooling redfish will pancake them with reckless abandon. If you are lucky enough to fish them offshore, oh that's an even bigger treat!

FusionZ06 · April 2013

I've never caught a redfish or snook on a live pinfish. I have caught plenty on cut. Tarpon like pinfish on the beach and like many have said I've caught plenty of bottom fish (Grouper, snapper, etc.) on pins.

SpaceCoast Slayer · April 2013

FusionZ06 wrote: »

I've never caught a redfish or snook on a live pinfish. I have caught plenty on cut. Tarpon like pinfish on the beach and like many have said I've caught plenty of bottom fish (Grouper, snapper, etc.) on pins.

they most definently eat em.. i caught a large red on a topwater on the flats on light tackle.. long fight.. and when i got him up he was regurgitating pinfish.. and his belly was so swole up he must have had a ton in there.. this was a couple springs ago when the pinfish just start to increase in numbers.. and the two he puked up were big ones..

Chewdog2121 · April 2013

Caught a redfish last year that had 23 pilchards in its belly (a couple were mine judging from the hook marks in the tail), and the one that got him was a pinfish that happened to bite back, lol. If you find a school of redfish, or an area where you know there are redfish, suspend a pinfish from a cajun thunder and I promise you will be in for a treat. The feeling you get when they smash those big pins is second to none.

red_magnet · April 2013

Caught a few snook off pins , popping cork at the edge of the canal entrance to a larger bay

tankard · April 2013

DragScreamer wrote: »

I have never had luck or felt lucky using pinfish as bait for inshore species; unless I am bottom fishing offshore.

Really?

Big trout love pinfish, and as mentioned, reds will eat them too.

DragScreamer · April 2013

tankard wrote: »

Really?

Big trout love pinfish, and as mentioned, reds will eat them too.

The spines on the pinfish are the confidence remover for me....but I'll try butterflied pinfish on the beach sometime

Reelinrudy · April 2013

They make an excellent live bait. I don't know where you are, but some canals will hold juvi tarpon and snook. If the bottom is not grassy or overly rocky, I'd put one out with a sliding weight and let it sit for a while and see what happens. I don this off my grandparents dock in the ICW in St. Pete when we visit; hooked a couple tarpon that way. If you chunk them like many others have recommended, you have a shot at a whole host of fish.

If1shallday · April 2013

They make a great snook bait just free line them under docks you know or think have fish under them. They are a very hearty bait. Just free line them

SpaceCoast Slayer · April 2013

reds and trout are on live pins big time this time of year on account of the pinfish population blowing up in springtime the way it does

katwoman85 · April 2013

If1shallday wrote: »

They make a great snook bait just free line them under docks you know or think have fish under them. They are a very hearty bait. Just free line them

I fish off our 2 docks in the Dania Cutoff Canal. What size leader should I have? 20 lb.? 30 lb?

katwoman85 · April 2013

Reelinrudy wrote: »

They make an excellent live bait. I don't know where you are, but some canals will hold juvi tarpon and snook. If the bottom is not grassy or overly rocky, I'd put one out with a sliding weight and let it sit for a while and see what happens. I don this off my grandparents dock in the ICW in St. Pete when we visit; hooked a couple tarpon that way. If you chunk them like many others have recommended, you have a shot at a whole host of fish.

Dania Cutoff Canal which is near Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale

onICE · April 2013

katwoman85 wrote: »

I fish off our 2 docks in the Dania Cutoff Canal. What size leader should I have? 20 lb.? 30 lb?

katwoman you can scale your leaders to the size of bait you are using. 20ish for shrimp, 30 for pins or sardines, 40+ for bigger mullet, etc. Good luck!

TailHunter · April 2013

There are no reds or trout in Dania Cutoff. Snapper and Snook with the occasional grouper will eat your pinfish.

Jettypark · May 2013

DragScreamer wrote: »

The spines on the pinfish are the confidence remover for me....but I'll try butterflied pinfish on the beach sometime

What??? LOL.... if you do it enough you wont have to worry about those spines... What do you do if you catch a Hardhead?
Pinfish of any size is a good bait> live or dead

nuclearfishn · May 2013

Most fish that feed on finish will eat a small pin. Great offshore bait. good inshore bait when you can't find any white bait.

Raymo · May 2013

DragScreamer wrote: »

but I'll try butterflied pinfish on the beach sometime

send one as far out from the beach as you can, live, freelined on a 4/0 circle ... if the water is warm, its snook and tarpon candy, if they happen to be cruising the beach

P.clifford · May 2013

If they are native to the area that you are fishing, use them. I love them for larger trout, snook at night and tarpon in a couple weeks. If they are in your area, they are part of the food chain. I put them under a cork or balloon most of the time. I do trim the tail and dorsal with a pair of scissors to slow them down a bit.
As folks have stated, the dead ones are good too. One great thing about pinners is that they will say alive for a good while. I keep them in the bait well on the boat wight just the bubbler running and they last 4 or 5 days. Good luck. have fun

Pinfish question

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