Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
A couple weeks ago I admitted that, over the years, I've become well acquainted with things that can be done to help "not" to catch fish. Not that I've ever gone out and purposely tried not to catch fish, but there have certainly been days when I bumbled around enough so that it might at least appear to some folks that's what I was up to and I'm guessing also that more than just one or two of the three or four anglers who actually read this column may have achieved at least a moderate level of proficiency doing things that will help them not catch fish as well.
The discussion that week centered around the importance of starting out by inspecting and selecting good bait at the bait shop. I didn't get into the fact that those who want to ensure they get the best-of-the-best bait should, if possible, take the time to catch their own, after all, there's no doubt about the freshness of bait that's flopping on a deck or swimming circles in your bucket! Fresher is better! No matter if you're fishing for sharks, chunking for tuna, bottom fishing for sea bass, drifting around the bay for flounder or vying for anything else that lurks in our waters, there will be times when (for some unknown reason) the fish won't touch anything but fresh bait. And when I say "fresh" I mean bait that was never frozen and at least when possible - caught that day.
But no matter how good a batch of bait is when it's first bought, caught, or pilfered, when you're actually out there trying to catch a fish it's never going to be "as good" as when you first procured it. Just like food in your refrigerator - the freshness and quality of bait is in a constant state of decline from the time you get it until it's finally on a hook and in the face of a fish. So if anglers actually want to catch a fish they'll do what's necessary to minimize or at least slow this process down. Because, punless a fish is half blind, can't smell, or just really-really hungry, pink squid, mushy mullet, dried out shiners or any other bait that hasn't been properly taken care of throughout the day is not what most will recognize as something they want to eat, particularly when it comes with hooks and strings attached.
Bait needs to remain cool and moist (but not soaking wet) and be kept in a cooler with a lot of ice, not just enough ice to keep it a "little cool", but enough ice to keep it "really cold"! And except maybe for brined and salted rigged trolling baits, baits should be immersed in the ice not just laying on top of it. Of course bait laying in melted ice at the bottom of a cooler will get washed out and mushy so when possible it's best to leave the cooler's drain plug cracked open a little to allow the ice water to drain out. In the same respect, when plastic bags or cardboard containers of bait are stored in a cooler, it's important to periodically drain off the liquids that will accumulate in the packaging in order to keep the bait from soaking in their own brine. By properly taking care of it, bait in a cooler can sometimes stay in great shape for a few days, neglect it and by lunchtime you might be assured of not catching any fish for the rest of the day.
While bottom fishing, anglers will often keep a supply of bait close at hand for quick and easy access while they're actively fishing. This ready to go bait usually sits on a cutting board, the gunwale of the boat, or somewhere else that allows anglers to grab it without having to open the lid and dig through the bait cooler every few minutes. This is actually a pretty good plan unless that bait is allowed to bake under a hot summer sun. Nothing helps someone not catch fish like putting squid jerky or dried out fish strips on their hooks! Anglers who want to keep some bait outside of the cooler and handy can help it to remain in much better condition by simply keeping it under a cool damp rag. Just remember that the rag itself needs to be kept cool by periodically re-soaking it in cool water, and if you really want to keep your cut bait in prime shape you can use two wet rags with a handful of ice between them.
So you can neglect your bait in the cooler, you can neglect the bait sitting beside you on the cutting board, but if you really want to make sure you don't catch fish there's one more place where you can goof things up - your hook! Yep, even if you start out with having the freshest-of-the-fresh and best bait in the world on your hook, if something doesn't decide to eat it within a reasonable amount of time and you don't replace it you'll be fishing at a grave disadvantage. Don't get lazy! When the bite is a little slow it's all the more important to ensure that you're fishing with good bait by changing it frequently. Too long in the water and any bait is going to get washed out and lose much of its appeal, and it's when the fish aren't biting that it's most important to do what you can to make sure that your bait is the best it can be. But then again, if you actually don't want to catch fish... ยง
