Live bait fishing
Live bait fishing is a style that is used to target large fish species by using smaller "live" fish species as natural bait. You will let the bait swim naturally to attract predator fish that might be in the area you are fishing.
Equipment required for Live bait fishing
For this style of fishing, you can either use a standard fishing reel or the overhead variety. This along with a strong rod that is not required to be overly long will do the job perfectly.
You will then need to have a strong and reliable hook and in some cases a wire trace depending on the fish species you are targetting.
Species to target when Live bait fishing
Common fish species to target using the live bait fishing technique are kingfish, large snapper, barracuda and many more. Since this is a more natural way of fishing in some sense, the fish species that can be caught are quite varied.
-
![]()
The Amberjack species are a game fish that are found both in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Jigging and live bait fishing are the best techniques to target these magnificent fighters. Greater Amberjack can weigh up to 170 lb (80 kg).
MORE INFO >Amberjack
-
![]()
Black marlin (Istiompax indica) grows to be as big or bigger than blue marlin, with males reaching lengths of 4.65 meters and weighing up to 750 kilograms (1500lb), females larger. They are part of a group of fish called billfish, which includes varieties of marlin, swordfish, and spearfish.
MORE INFO >Black Marlin
-
![]()
The Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans) is probably the most wanted fish in the sport fishing world. The magnificent fighter usually feeds during day time on fish, octopuses and squids. Blue Marlin is mainly caught trolling with artificial lures or with dead bait (bonito, mackerel...).
MORE INFO >Blue Marlin
-
![]()
The Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a pelagic fish that can grow up to 500kg (1000lb). The biggest Bluefin Tuna ever caught was 780kg (1496lb). These great fighters can be caught trolling, jigging, casting or drifting; mainly off-shore.
MORE INFO >Bluefin Tuna
-
![]()
The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the ocean. They are fun to target and give a real challenge to anyone who comes across them while fishing. They inhabit temperate and subtropical waters around the world. Bluefish have extremely powerful jaws with razor sharp teeth. They can grow over a meter and weigh over 10kg.
MORE INFO >Bluefish
-
![]()
The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca. Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or jigging. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).
MORE INFO >Dentex
-
![]()
Distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, the Giant Trevally - also known as GT - (Caranx ignobilis) is the most wanted species for popping lovers. They can be 1,70 cm long and reach up to 80 kg (175 lb)!
MORE INFO >Giant Trevally
-
![]()
Grouper is common name for all the bass-looking-fish from the Epinephelinae Family. This family also includes sea bass by the way. Grouper are colorful predators who like to live in rocky areas, reefs, wrecks where they can hide.
MORE INFO >Grouper
Best Places to try Live bait fishing
This is another of the fishing techniques that can be used throughout a wide variety of different locations around the world. There is no real right or wrong area to try this style of fishing but it is mainly used in the sea and ocean chasing large predator fish species.
Best Live bait fishing Fishing Charters
Freetime Adventure Charters
Portarlington, Melbourne, Australia
34,45 ft
20
Lavandou Sport Fishing
Le Lavandou, French Riviera
21,33 ft
4
Fishing Aventure Gran Tarajal
Gran Tarajal, Fuerteventura
21,00 ft
4