What is the best bait for catching redtail? Tips for choosing redtail bait
The redtail fish is a common freshwater fish. Its flesh is delicious and not very fishy, and it has high nutritional value, making it a favorite among many anglers. So, what bait should be used to catch redtail?
1. What bait to use for catching redtail?
1. Live shrimp
It is the favorite bait of the redtail fish. Live shrimp are caught on site at the fishing spot. The method of catching them is: mince pre-prepared beef liver, chicken innards, etc. into a paste, scatter it by the water's edge, and after a few minutes live shrimp will be attracted; scoop them up with a crucian carp dip net and hook them for fishing.
2. Small white stripe
It is also the favorite bait of the redtail fish. Use a fine line and small hook to catch a few small white stripe on site, cut them into small pieces, hook them, and fish.
3. Earthworm
Earthworms are not limited by season. After being dug out, they can be kept in a small wooden box or a large ceramic flower pot with humus-rich black soil. Pour chicken blood from a slaughtered chicken into the pot, so that after the earthworms eat it, they gain a brighter red color and a fishy smell. They can be taken out at any time when fishing, which is very convenient. After August, when the weather turns cool, redtail fish begin to migrate and gather in groups. By choosing suitable places in rivers, quite a few redtail fish can also be caught. Because the river water temperature drops, redtail fish are larger and even fattier and more delicious.
2. Three fishing methods for redtail
1. Hand rod suspended-sinker float fishing method
It is best to choose an extra-hard long hand rod of 6.3 to 7.2 m. Because redtail fish generally move and feed farther from the shore, a short rod makes it hard to catch redtail fish. Use a 0.4 mm thick main line. Because the fish is fierce after swallowing the hook and can easily break the main line, the total line length should exceed the rod by 20 to 40 cm, which is convenient for casting and landing fish. Use a 1.5 to 3 line for the leader and tie Iseama hooks size 7 to 9. A single hook or double hooks may be used, with a size 7 standing float and a slightly heavier sinker, otherwise it cannot be cast out. Fish at a depth of 1 to 1.5 m.
2. Sea rod float fishing method
The length of the sea rod is not limited. Use a main line with a diameter of 0.4 mm, attach a size 7 to 9 string hook, use a sinker weighing about 30 grams, use a large float, and cast about 20 to 40 m into the river, at a depth of 1.5 to 2 m. If the float is dragged into the water or the rod tip trembles, it indicates a fish is biting, and you should quickly turn the reel to take up line and land the fish. Sea rod float fishing can catch large redtail fish, and attention should be paid to playing the fish and netting it to prevent it from escaping.
3. Roaming fishing method
This fishing method is generally carried out on a bridge, and the rod-to-line connection is the same as in the sea rod float fishing method. After casting the string hook, walk back and forth on the bridge, lifting the rod lightly to lure fish to bite. After a fish is hooked, if it is a small fish, you can turn the reel to take up line and bring it ashore; if it is a large fish, do not be impatient. After tiring the fish out, lead it to the bridge bank and land it. If you often fish on a bridge, preparing an inverted dip net makes landing fish much easier.
Making an inverted dip net: use a net tube 50 cm long and 30 cm in diameter. At one end, put on thick iron wire coiled into a circle (30 cm net opening), symmetrically tie on plastic rope and then connect the main rope (like a Y shape). One end of the main rope is tied to a bridge pile, and the length depends on the height of the bridge; the other end of the net tube is threaded through and gathered with fine nylon rope (movable). When a large fish is hooked, pass the net opening through the sea rod, then tighten the bottom line of the net, let the dip net opening slide downward along the fishing line, trap the hooked fish, and then pull the main rope to bring it ashore.
Redtail fish are relatively alert fish. Even after biting the hook, if they sense something is wrong, they will immediately flee. Therefore, when fishing for redtail fish, achieve the “four fasts”: fast rod lifting, fast fish removal, fast bait hooking, and fast rod casting.