by Capt. Matt Mitchell
The number of shiners throughout our area is just amazing, from the beaches to the bridges, the flats, and everywhere in between. I simply don’t recall seeing this much white bait in the past decade. This is great news for anglers and everyone else who cares about our water quality. So much bait is a sure sign of a healthy ecosystem, indicating that all our favorite gamefish have plenty of food to sustain them.
I recognize there are many different methods for catching our popular fish, from fly fishing to throwing artificial lures and everything in between.
When it comes down to it, and you need to produce fish for clients of all skill levels day in and day out, live bait is often the key to success and gets it done when other methods don’t. Even if you’re not a live bait fisherman, this much bait means more fish around to catch, whichever method you prefer.
Most guides start their days by catching bait in a cast net for the majority of the year. During the hottest days of summer, this bait often switches to pinfish and then switches again in the coldest months of winter to shrimp.
Pine Island Sound is all that can be described as a bait factory producing such a variety. This is why our fishery is so healthy. The most plentiful bait and preferred forage of most of our fish, though, is the shiner, a.k.a. whitebait, pilchard, scaled sardine.
Rigs to fish shiners are very simple, as you want to present the live bait as naturally as possible for the best results. Basically, I use a 2-3ft piece of 25-30# fluorocarbon leader tied to the braid with a line-to-line knot of your choice. Hook size varies from 1/0 to 3/0 depending on the size of the bait.
Match the hook size to the bait so it swims correctly; if the hook is too big, the bait doesn’t swim right. One thing I think makes a world of difference is tying a loop knot to the hook, as this gives the bait more freedom of motion. I personally use a perfection loop, but any loop knot works.
Rods should be matched to the size of the baits you’re casting. Most of the year, I use a 7ft 8-15# spinning rod for casting free-lined shiners. A 3000 series quality spinning reel is the perfect match spooled with 15# braid.
I find the 15# braid is a whole lot more castable than even 20# braid. 10# braid is even more castable but seems to tangle a lot more, and isn’t quite enough when you hook a bigger fish by structure.
When fishing deeper, faster-moving water in the passes or bridges, I often add a small slip sinker or split shot to this same rig. When targeting trout on the flats, a popping cork above the leader is an option.
Almost every type of fish in our area eats shiners. They are definitely snook candy, but also the go-to for trout, redfish, and many other species, too. Having lots of shiners allows us to live chum the fish and quickly see if they are feeding.
Once they feed, you will often see pops, swirls, or flashes. Then it’s as easy as presenting a hooked bait to the blow-up to get that bite. As a fishing guide, having plenty of shiners to get the bite to kick off can be essential.
Get out and take advantage of all this bait throughout our region. Even if you’re a shore fisherman, a small cast net and a live bait bucket will get it done. Matching the hatch of what the fish are feeding on will get it done.
Capt. Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St. James City since 2000, when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com
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