Heading to Port A to fish the piers and jettys staying at Bay Tree Condos, want to try fish bites, I know Fishinlady swears by them, how do you cut them and what size hooks or rigs do you use , only seen pictures of fish bites, any tips would be appreciated, Joser

Use the EZ shrimp or crab flavor. They are just 2 11 in. strips of fishbites that you can cut to size. Cut 1 inch pieces unless you are just getting small nibbles, then I like to go to a half inch piece. I use a carolina rig with a 2/0 circle hook. In the surf when the water is rough I will use a 2 oz spider weight but if its calm I will use a 2 oz pyramid weight. At the jetties use those round disc shaped weights in 2 oz.

I make my own double drop leaders out of 30# test monofilament with the weight about 1 foot below the lowest hook. I like to use #2 or #3 circle hooks and sometimes put a colored bead just ahead of the hook. I buy Shrimp flavored FishBites, they come in a package with two 1/2" x 12" strips. I like to cut them in one inch pieces and keep them in a medicine bottle which is easier to get into and closes tighter than the package they come in. Put the hook into the piece one time only. It won't come off easily, even after catching a few fish. Good fishin'

thanks for the tips

I use fish bites and shrimp together. I put the fish bites on first then a dead shrimp. I imagine the scent bringing them in and the shrimp for sight.

[quote=fishernoob]I use fish bites and shrimp together. I put the fish bites on first then a dead shrimp. I imagine the scent bringing them in and the shrimp for sight. [/quote

X2 - That's how i use them.]

I have had some luck with crab flavor Fish Bites lately. Also the shrimp work well.

I just bought some at the Outdoor World Bass Pro Shop in Harlingen for $5.49 a pkg. I got one pkg. of quick release to try since the water temps are getting cooler.

TT

The quick release work too fast for me. I put a tiny piece of fast release on the hook but use a larger piece of long lasting.

Just get long lasting and be done with it...lol.

Whatever you're trying to catch, it works!!!

Caught a nice sand trout on crab flavor today. Fish Bites do work. The more I use them the more I like and trust them.

Interesting. I wonder, besides the different scents, does the color matter? I' ve never used fish bites.

You can use any color jig or soft bait that you wish and then tip the hook with whatever flavor Fish Bites you want. I have been fishing the chartreuse shrimp but they are extreme acting. I will switch to long acting.

If I hit an area where the fish are very active then extreme, fast acting, is the way to go.

Most drum species care more about the scent. If they are on a feed, they aren't very picky.

I caught my first ever bull red this week on a medium sized dead shrimp. I am learning that when fish want to feed they eat anything that is around.

I agree!!!

HOw have i missed this post...

Best set up right here..

all mono double drop leader..

Weight depends on conditions and bottom...

4/0 lazer shark circle hook will catch everything from puppy drum to 40+" bull reds...

2 long strips cut into 1" pieces....

The dead shrimp is just for your own confidence, they fish the same with or without it...personally i havent used dead shrimp in over 2 years...

color doesnt matter, shrimp works good all around...during a crab hatch use crab...

dont use the quick release unless you are sightcasting, it does realease fast and has no cloth so its stolen easily however its great for tipping crab lures or shrimp imitations to add a bit of scent...

If I may: the photic zone in the galveston bay ecosystem can be anywhere from a few inches to 2 or 3 feet so yes, generally the drum species here rely on scent to find prey. However, the morphological features of the red drum favor sight predation if water quality allows. If you notice, yes their eyes are located on the side of their head, but they have a slightly "binocular" vision setup, allowing for the fish to see what is in front of them.

Long story short: Good water quality, sight predator....

Bad water quality due to nutrient runoff, sedimentation rate and particle size like what is found in galveston bay: scent predator for the most part.


Hence why people use red line on the coast line instead of blue, aside from blue standing out, red light penetrates to the shallowest depth due to its wavelength so in water depths of over 10 feet say, the red line will disappear.

^ correct...dirty water favores fishbites more...but fish at night and its all scent baby!

On the red line...it doesnt work as advertised..sticks out like a sore thumb...best line is still clear mono or pink braid

I read an article on line color and visibility. It ALL colors dissipate at the same rate/depth. There is not a big enough difference to favor or dislike any line colors. Also, NO LINE is invisible in water. From what the article said...i will try to find it and post it.

Clear line actually transmits light farther, like a fiber optic, which can sometimes be a good thing, sometimes not.

I still like ANDE pink.

Okay - I'm still a bit confused here - Just cast out a bottom rig in the surf with a couple strips of 1-inch fishbites strips on a 2/0 or 3/0 hook and I can expect to catch redfish??

How to make your own bait bites for cheaper money.

http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/users/fishbones/blog/bait-bites-make-your-own-14675.aspx

black drum, whiting, croaker, pompano, and sand trout will also take your bait too, the surf is really a mixed bag.

I used the orange and white ez-shrimp this past week. I put a 1 inch piece on a 3/0 circle hook and then a dead shrimp. Caught two nice keeper black drums and a little 14" rat red that I obviously put back into the water. Didn't try the Fishbites as a stand alone bait but they sure did the trick with the dead shrimp on the bottom. Fished the mouth of the Nueces River where it opens to the back bay, just west of the power lines.

I am adding Fishbites to my arsenal from now on.

I've caught Pompano, Redfish, Black Drum, Trout, Whiting, Catfish, Croaker, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel and more using Fishbites!!

Making your own...sounds fun, but time consuming.

It's not the same. When you buy the Fishbites in strips and cut them, they will last for a long time if not left out to dry. I keep mine in a pill bottle in the car so I will always have bait wherever I am. The homemade stuff he's talking about cannot be left out of the fridge for long or it will dry up or rot since it doesn't have chemicals to keep it from going bad. YES, the salt is a preservative, but there again, it is preserving a food item and it must be kept cool to cold.

Not time consuming at all. Actually the cheaper way to go and you get so much more for your money.

I have had them for 6 weeks and they are still good. Try them out please.

I salt my shrimp and squid, and have good results. They keep a long time unrefrigerated for me.

There are times that I can't buy a bite with them though, same goes with Shrimp bites, and fresh dead.

I believe that having all three at your disposal is the key, this way you have the bait that they want when they want it.

I have seen on the pier where Robert and I are the only ones catching fish, that is because we test the waters so to speak with a myriad of baits and find which ones are producing, when that bait quits to produce, then we try others again.

I have come to trust in Fish Bites more and more. But I always have other bait available for those times when the fish hit what the fish want. I had one day that pompano would hit pink shrimp FishBites and avoid chartreuse. Then another day when the reverse was true. On good days fish hit anything in the water. On slow days you work hard to catch something.

I like using 1/0 and 3/0 circle hooks on a double rig with the big hook on the bottom.

I've been catching Mangrove Snappers using very small jig head hooks tipped with little pieces of salted shrimp and doing very well, I might add. The shrimp feels like a 'gummy bear' and really stays on the hook a long time. Been salting shrimp for years... learned to do that in Florida. Also salt my Mullet for winter fishing when the mullet are scarce. Just don't use the salt with Iodine in it!!!

So can you just stick some fish bites out there and let it sit on the bottom, or under a cork? Or do you need to work it like a lure?

I use it on the bottom while pier fishing. The scent and color is enough to get the fish to bite. The company that makes fishbites also makes a swimbait, but I have never used it.

Where are you guys buying this stuff? I'd love to try it at POC. I live in the Austin area. Cabelas in Buda carries the catfish type only. Academy doesn't have it either.

I once got some at a Bass Pro in Dallas, so they should be there in Austin.

I've only seen the saltwater ones at Bass Pro here in Katy.

There is not a BPS in Austin. I will try the one in SA next time I'm down there.

Thanks!

They dont have the stuff. From what it sounds like, this stuff is like Colombian uncut!
You can take the gamble and wait till you get to a place closer to the coast. I scored some at a baitshop in Port Aransas and stocked up with 4-bags worth!

I bought some but never really had any luck with them,

Just order all you want, any time you want online at Bass Pro. Here's the link
http://www.basspro.com/Fishbites/_/B-4294612913

The HEB in Aransas Pass is well stocked in fish bites

3d killer bait shop next to calaveras lake in San Antonio had some last time I was there

The saltwater type Crazy? Or do you remember?

I order mine from BassPro for store pickup. They will ship your online order to any BassPro near you and save you the shipping.

I have tried the FishBites swim baits but they dont get much action for me. The strips work the best.

Fishbites have worked for me in shrimp flavor and orange color this summer in the surf, got hits from hardheads, gafftop, a lot of whiting, small reds, small jacks and something that cut the line.

I have some in crab flavor and chartreuse color, but haven't tried them yet... lately I found a bunch of shrimp/orange at Walmart for $1, but they had turned brown, so I just bought a couple of bags to try and see if they still work.

I bought some of those bargin "bites" like that on ebay and I think they are missed packaged. On the web site the brown ones are for FW catfish. I know I couldn't get bite on them

For a visual explanation check out how i rig my fishbites on a bottom rig...best way to see if they work is to just get out there and try them..

The problem up here is that water temp is around 55. We do fish shallow but the fish are lethargic.

59* at the Port A jetties, about 6-7* warmer in the back bays.

I have the best luck with shrimp and clam fishbites in the surf

What have you been catching on clam? They haven't worked for me.

Thanks for the home recipe.

Great Video ...... Thanks for sharing.