🎣 How to Catch Live Bait Like a Pro: Pilchards, Pinfish, Shrimp & More
Inshore success starts before your first cast. For serious saltwater anglers, live bait isn’t just preferred — it’s essential. From pilchards and threadfins to hardy pinfish and lively shrimp, knowing how to catch and care for the right bait can be the difference between a bent rod and a quiet day on the water.
Whether you’re prepping for a nearshore run or chasing snook around the mangroves, here’s a complete guide to catching the top live baits used by the pros.
🎯 Which Live Bait is Best for You?
Not all live bait is created equal — here’s a fast breakdown based on your fishing style:
| Target Species | Best Live Bait | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Snook & Tarpon | Pilchards, Mullet, Shrimp, Crab | Flashy and active; irresistible near structure |
| Redfish | Pinfish, Shrimp | Hardy and easy to rig near mangroves |
| Grouper & Snapper | Pinfish, Threadfins | Tough baits that survive deep drops |
| Trout | Shrimp, Greenbacks | Shrimp on popping corks = powerful combo |
| Cobia & Kingfish | Blue Runners, Threadfins | Big, bold bait for big strikes offshore |
When in doubt, live shrimp is the universal fallback. Nearly everything eats it, and they are very resilient when kept properly in a system such the Ready Bait Dock Livewell, which cuts down on your bait runs when you always have live bait Ready on your dock.
🐟 Pilchards & Threadfin Herring
Where to find them:
Pilchards and threadfins school up near sandy flats, bridges, inlets, and channel markers — especially at dawn on an incoming tide. Look for nervous water, flicks, or diving birds.
How to catch:
Use a 10–12 ft cast net with ¼" mesh. A bit of chumming (crushed sardines, oatmeal, or menhaden oil) brings them to the surface quickly.
Pro tip:
Keep a sabiki rig ready if they move deep. But a well-thrown net is the fastest way to load the livewell.
🐡 Pinfish
Where to find them:
Common around docks, grass flats, and oyster bars. They love cover — especially areas with seagrass.
How to catch:
Drop a pinfish trap baited with shrimp or squid, or use a sabiki rig with tiny gold hooks. You’ll often get a mix of pinfish, grunts, and other inshore bait.
🦐 Shrimp
Where to get them:
Live shrimp are often purchased from bait shops, but they can also be dip-netted at night using lights around docks, seawalls, or grass edges.
Catch tips:
Use underwater or dock lights to draw them in. Move slow and scoop gently — shrimp stress easily and die quickly in warm, stagnant water.
🐟 Mullet & Greenbacks
Mullet:
Catch them on the flats, creeks, or just offshore using a large cast net (up to ½" mesh). Best time is early morning or just before dusk.
Greenbacks (scaled sardines):
Often confused with pilchards — caught the same way, by chumming and netting schools nearshore. Small sabikis work if they’re deeper.
💧 Keep It Alive: Bait Management Matters
Even the best-caught bait is useless if it dies before you use it.
Once caught, put your bait in the Ready Bait Dock Livewell for unmatched bait preservation. Our system uses a continuous inflow/outflow system that circulates 500 gallons of new water every hour, keeping your bait oxygenated and preventing overheating.
🧭 Final Thoughts
Learning to catch and manage your own bait gives you a serious edge. It’s cheaper, fresher, and far more effective than frozen or store-bought options. Plus, it connects you to the water before the first fish even bites.
Ready to upgrade your live bait game? Check out our Flagship Ready Bait Dock Livewell, made in America with premium, marine grade parts, built to elevate your fishing experience on the water.
