Catching sawbellies/alewife

[BSWINNY]

I have always used a seine net when sawbellies are in close to shore while spawning but once they finishing spawning in the shallows I am left with no way to catch them. The local bait shops I have seen have live sawbellies and I didn’t know if there is possibly a way to catch them while they are deep that is legal these days, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

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[leadcore troller]

Once the sun goes down a lantern over the side will bring them right to the surface, as they start to show up dim the light and they'll come closer. A small hook sabaki rig will jig them up nicely.Put them in a cooler about a 5gallon size with about 1/4 cup of dissolved Kosher Salt, do not use table salt the Iodine will kill them, add a couple of ice cubes to slowly lower the water temp.The Kosher salt keeps a slime coat on their body and keeps them nice and hard not mushy.Salt is the game changer keeping them alive.Also a good aereator , I like to use 2 minnow-misers

[BSWINNY]

Once the sun goes down a lantern over the side will bring them right to the surface, as they start to show up dim the light and they'll come closer. A small hook sabaki rig will jig them up nicely.Put them in a cooler about a 5gallon size with about 1/4 cup of dissolved Kosher Salt, do not use table salt the Iodine will kill them, add a couple of ice cubes to slowly lower the water temp.The Kosher salt keeps a slime coat on their body and keeps them nice and hard not mushy.Salt is the game changer keeping them alive.Also a good aereator , I like to use 2 minnow-misers

Thank you! If I am trying to keep them alive for a couple days what will I have to do to keep them cool?


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[Big Spoon]

Sent you a PM

[JJBat150]

3 hours ago, leadcore troller said:

Once the sun goes down a lantern over the side will bring them right to the surface, as they start to show up dim the light and they'll come closer. A small hook sabaki rig will jig them up nicely.Put them in a cooler about a 5gallon size with about 1/4 cup of dissolved Kosher Salt, do not use table salt the Iodine will kill them, add a couple of ice cubes to slowly lower the water temp.The Kosher salt keeps a slime coat on their body and keeps them nice and hard not mushy.Salt is the game changer keeping them alive.Also a good aereator , I like to use 2 minnow-misers

 

Betcha a dollar that there's lakers down under the sawbellies. 

 

Year ago used to do this with my grandfather on Canandaigua - after we started getting sawbellies, we'd  drop  a Seth Green rig over the side and put the sawbellies on 5-6 ft leaders and wait for the lakers to start smashing em. 

Edited August 3, 2020 by JJBat150

[BSWINNY]

 
Betcha a dollar that there's lakers down under the sawbellies. 
 
Year ago used to do this with my grandfather on Canandaigua - after we started getting sawbellies, we'd  drop  a Seth Green rig over the side and put the sawbellies on 5-6 ft leaders and wait for the lakers to start smashing em. 

Saw this on my screen today looks like a nice laker underneath the baitfish sometimes watching the screen is more entertaining than the fishing haha


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[nickihoyboy]

I fished with a charter captain out of Port Ontario a couple of years ago that told me he caught alewives using small Sabiki rigs when he located large schools of baitfish. One word of caution though, watch out how many hooks you have on your Sabiki rigs,there's a legal limit on the number of hooks if I'm not mistaken.

[Sk8man]

5 per line and most Sabiki's come with 6 so just snip one off

Edited August 4, 2020 by Sk8man

[Scalloper 1]

I have caught 1,000s with a Sabiki rig in the ocean at depths of 2-275'. We just put a 1 lb bell sinker on the rig. Those rigs will catch about anuthing from a 5" elwive to a 6' poorbeagal.

[BSWINNY]

Thanks for all the help! Has anybody had any luck traveling with sawbellies any time I have attempted to transport them I end up with little that survived. I have never tried the kosher salt so that could help. Does anybody knows a good way to transport them alive?


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[Hop]

O2,o2,and more o2.

[Scalloper 1]

Cool water and O2