Anchovies vs Lures

[SIR]

I've never fished much bait as I always seem to do better with lures but at least once a year I go out and play with bait as I keep reading so many posts from folks who do so well with whole anchovies and cut plugs. I just seems to make sense that you should catch more fish with "real" bait...

Last weekend was my annuual "experiment with bait" day. I brined up some fresh whole anchovies with rock salt and a little powdered milk, got them looking all shiney and with a nice texture, and headed up to one of my honey holes with high expectations that surely this would be the year.

I fished a chovie on a Rhys Davie holder next to a cop car and caught springs on the cop car, I fished a chovie next to a wonderbread and caught springs on the wonderbread, I fished a chovie next to a tiger prawn hootchie and caught springs on the hootchie.

So what have I figured out after spending yet another day playing with leader lengths and roll rates in the middle of a school of springs....... is that I apharently have no idea how to fish with anchovies

Hat's off to those of you who have mastered bait fishing but it appears that counter to the logic of what I think should catch more fish I'd better stick with artificials if I actually want guests to go home with any fish.

Final take-home results for the day were bait 0, artificials 4

 

[totally tyee]

Try your experiment in the summer and report back. I'm a bait fisherman however in the winter I use artificial.

 

[mr killer]

It doesn't hurt to have a chove down one side and hardware on the other you never know what's going to happen one day the chove will get all the fish the next day the hardware will get them all, in the morning the hardware might get all the action but you get your hog on the chove in the afternoon, they both work I found August was a hot month for bait fishing, they were getting all my nice ones but spoons were working too sometimes, it's a crapshoot it's just fun fishing with bait definately more work and way more can go wrong but it's worth it usually.

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

what totally tyee said

 

[Charter Tofino]

I found last year may-july spoons were the ticket with nothing outfishing a copcar or even coming close then july was when hootchies caught most fish. August both hootchies and anchovies were really effective.This was on the inside in nanoose probaly changes day to day area to areabut in general this is what i found.

 

[alley cat]

Whatever you learn to fish best with , IMO you become adept with either one and then stick to it , want to experiment , thats good too , but you always go back to what you do best.

AL

 

[the runt]

Hi all,I've found it's what you have the most confidence with.Lately i have been using the chartruce yellow spoon manely because i got tired of spending 5 bucks a pack using 3-4 then throwing the rest overboard when i.m done.The big key to fishing bait is the presentation[spin]if you got tail spin it won't work very well .Just my 2 bits thanks

 

[Sea Ranger]

I have found that in my boat bait out fishes plugs, spoons and hootchies. The reason might be what The Runt said.... its all about which one you have more confidence in. But I'm not sure if fishing a plug or spoon on one side of the boat and bait on the other side is really a fair test. IMO the speed needed to make each lure work varies from lure to lure, so bait fished at the same time as a spoon or plug may require a slower troll to work properly and a spoon or a plug might work better at a quicker troll then the bait. I suppose one could fish with both types of gear at the same time and just vary your speed from a slow troll for the bait then speed up a bit for the plugs or spoons for a while.

 

[Rum Buddies]

I definatly a bait fisherman in the summer but its just common sense you'll catch the most fish with the lure you use the most.