Skip to main content

Live Baits from a Kayak

Let your live baits do the work offshore.



Drifting live baits from a kayak is a great way to catch ocean fish, from sailfish to wahoo. But as you drift, you can pull the bait and take away from the natural presentation. Freelining provides for a more natural-running bait and will give you a big advantage as you make your drift. It's an active style of fishing, as opposed to simply letting a bait out and sticking the rod in a holder.

Freelining is exactly what it sounds like: Allowing the bait to swim away from the boat as freely as possible. Put the reel in free spool or open the bail on your spinner and let the bait run. Always keep the rod in your hand and an eye on your line. Most hits will come as you let the bait run, so be ready to engage the reel. After you have let out 75 yards of line, slowly reel the bait back to the boat and start the process again.



Keep the outfits light for a better presentation. A Penn Fathom FTH12, for instance, with 420 yards of 20-pound braid on a good jigging rod makes a great livebait outfit and even with its small size will land a nice fish. Spinning reels work well, also. Braid in 20- or 30-pound test works better than monofilament line of the same pound test. In my view, the smaller diameter of the braid allows the bait to swim with less resistance, allowing it to move more naturally. Braid also lets you have the line capacity, on a kayak-manageable reel, needed to bring in a large wahoo, 300 to 500 yards.

Two of the best baits to use are a live goggle-eye and a large pilchard. Goggle-eyes are very hardy and make a great sailfish bait. The best way to rig the goggle-eye is to use a stinger rig. Hook the gog through the nose with the live bait hook and put the treble hook in the back half of the bait. The wire will come in handy when a big king or wahoo takes your bait. Pilchards are a softer bait and not as strong as a goggle-eye, but are an ideal size. As for rigging, try this trick: Hook the pilchard through the nose with the live bait hook but let the stinger go free. Not having the treble in the pilchard will let it swim more naturally and the wahoo love them.



A 5-gallon bucket will hold 4 goggleeyes or a dozen large pilchards. Using an aerator and changing out some of the water every hour will keep your baits at their best. You may want to bring a few speed jigs along. When the bite is on, the live baits may not last long.

If there is a drawback to this style of fishing, it's that it somewhat limits your ability to cover water. The technique is deadly when applied in areas that hold fish, but if you're uncertain of what the prospects hold for a given depth or range, be prepared to put in place alternate gameplans. Slow-troll a live bait or lure until you get a solid hit, for instance, and then redeploy as described above, letting out line and allowing the bait to react naturally to threats in the water column. It's a great tactic for kayakers, and worth trying on powerboats, too. - FS

First Published Florida Sportsman May 2013




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Cover Up With Sun-Protective Clothing

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Inflation We Can Live With! Mustang Convertible PFD

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Converting and Re-Arming Mustang Inflatable A/M PFD

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

YakAttack Rod Management Systems Set the Bar for Kayak Anglers

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

YakAttack Kayak Carts Will Get You There

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

YakAttack Tackle Storage Just Got WAY BETTER

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Take Gear and Tackle Storage to NEW HEIGHTS with Outdoor Crates

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

‘Magnetic Tethered' Kayak Rods

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

Plano Soft Sided Tackle Bags

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

NuCanoe Unlimited U10

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

What's New in Fly Reels: Hardy

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

Fujinon's Ultimate Offshore Fishing Binoculars

Florida Sportsman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

Preview This Month's Issue

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Florida Sportsman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Florida Sportsman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use