How To Hook Live Pinfish & Pigfish Like A Pro
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
Do you know the best way to hook live pinfish and pigfish?
To give yourself the best shot at catching fish, your bait needs to look natural, and how you hook it can make or break your presentation.
There’s no one perfect way to hook live baits — it all depends on the current and how you’re fishing them.
In this video, world-record holder Capt. Peter Deeks is sharing two ways to hook live baits in two different scenarios.
These tips work for all types of baitfish, including:
- pinfish
- pigfish
- mullet
- threadfins
- pilchards
To learn the best way to rig live bait to catch more fish, watch the video below.
How To Hook Live Pigfish & Pinfish
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Capt. Peter Deeks usually hooks live bait one of two ways:
- In the back, near the tail
- Through the lips
Hooking live bait through the back
When you’re fishing your bait with the current and you want your baitfish to swim, hook them above the spine and near the tail.
This allows them to swim naturally and it makes them aerodynamic so you can cast them far.
Also, be sure to hook them close enough to the edge of their body so that the hook can tear out easily when a big fish bites, but not too close to where if you cast them far the hook will rip out.
Hooking live bait through the lips
When you don’t want your bait to swim far, or if you want it to swim straight down, hook your bait under the chin and through the lips.
Two examples of this would be if you’re fishing docks or bridges.
Another time you would hook them this way is when the current is really ripping and it’s not possible for them to swim with the current.
Hooking them through the lips will let them face into the current, whereas hooking them in the tail in this situation will cause them to tumble around in it.
Conclusion
When hooking live bait, you need to get it in front of feeding fish and make it look natural.
If you’re fishing on the flats and letting your bait swim around, hook them in the back near the tail.
And if you’re fishing docks or bridges and want your bait to swim down, hook them through the lips.
Have any questions about hooking live bait?
Let us know in the comments below.
Know someone who fishes with live bait? Please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
wasn’t that a pretty large hook for that pinfish? How do you choose the hook size? Thanks
The slack line you and pete were using with the mullet for the trout explains also why a lot of times inexperienced fishermen get nice fish. They arent focused on trying to feel the bait and theres almost always slack in their line with no clue where the bait is so the bait is just doing its thing until it gets ate. A lot of times with mullet if im fishing upcurrent at a bridge or in a boat ill hook them under the pectoral fins and they will go deep and still be able to swim against the current.
That was a nice vid. You shoulda blocked out that dock and boat to the right of yall. I bet theres a bunch saying “i know where that is” lol
What size hook are you using ?
Thanks
Thanks Captain. What size octopus hook ? No loop knot?
Why don’t you use circle hooks when using live bait?
He often uses J hooks for this type of “active” live bait fishing where he’s using big baits and actively feeling for strikes because the J hooks have a slight advantage on getting hooksets when using the bigger baits (and the fish are less likely to get hooked deep because they can’t immediately swallow the bait and he is quick to set the hook).
But if not actively feeling for strikes, circle hooks are definitely the way to go.
Just wondering why we can no longer access live bait mastery course by Peter DEEKs?
That course is only available to people who purchased it directly (or to those who upgraded to the VIP level when joining the Insider Club). Did you perhaps buy it using a different email?
GREAT INFO…!!! GOD BLESS…..STAY SANTISIZED… SOCIAL DISTANCING PLEASE….!!! GOLRY TO GOD…!!! WALK BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT…!!!
Thanks Lee!
Would these to technique work with mid minnows and finger mullet?
Yes. The same concept holds true for mullet and mud minnows too… it just gets a bit tougher to do as they get smaller given that there’s less room in between the spine and the top of the baitfish for the hook to go.
great. Thanks for the prompt response.