Best way to hook live baits........

guys, just a little help on the following topic.

im looking for the best way to hook live baits (4-6" silvers) to get them free movement and live a little longer before nailed.

i hook them as follows and use snap tackle (2 x trebles)

1 hook in the top lip and another hook in the dorsal

if i use small lives 3" for example i use a single treble hook and hook in the top lip...

if theres any advances on the above, please let me know. Anything to improve

I used to hook mine just under the dorsal and never had any problems. It works whether using a single hook or single treble.

If it was a really small fish I'd hook it through the lip.

Grizzly wrote:I used to hook mine just under the dorsal and never had any problems. It works whether using a single hook or treble.

so you hook your lives by only use either 1 single hook or 1 treble hook rather than snap snap?

Yes mate, never had any problems and the bait has full movement.

Grizzly wrote:Yes mate, never had any problems and the bait has full movement.

that is fine, now what about casting this 4-6" live upto about 50yrds?

Tie it on with a piece of pva string or tape and job's sorted. It only needs to hold it for the cast, which it should do. As soon as it hits the water the pva melts and all's good.

Grizzly wrote:Tie it on with a piece of pva string or tape and job's sorted. It only needs to hold it for the cast, which it should do. As soon as it hits the water the pva melts and all's good.

yea i know about the PVA due to being a carp angler, but as your using 1 single treble hook either hooked in the lip or the dorsal, i cant quiet see where im tying it and what to????

Put the string through the eye of the hook then wrap it round the fish and tie off. It should keep everything in place for the cast

Grizzly wrote:Put the string through the eye of the hook then wrap it round the fish and tie off. It should keep everything in place for the cast

nice... will try that one mate, cheers...

No worries mate

tail and dorsal for me used to hook em up around the head pectoral area but a spate of big perch wolfing baits put me off that for fish in that size range

noodle wrote:tail and dorsal for me used to hook em up around the head pectoral area but a spate of big perch wolfing baits put me off that for fish in that size range

wouldnt that hinder the tail movements more rather than throught the top lip and dorsal?

newie2010 wrote:

Grizzly wrote:Yes mate, never had any problems and the bait has full movement.

that is fine, now what about casting this 4-6" live upto about 50yrds?

i use a small bit of elasticband over the barb if you get them off the post man there red

newie2010 wrote:

noodle wrote:tail and dorsal for me used to hook em up around the head pectoral area but a spate of big perch wolfing baits put me off that for fish in that size range

wouldnt that hinder the tail movements more rather than throught the top lip and dorsal?

i think this way a more erratic bait that is less likely to kill any accidental perch i pick up

win every way dont get me wrong for bigger baits then im back in the pec area and smaller baits see me tail hooking with singles

paddy pike wrote:Why would you want to cast a live bait so far, You could kill it when it splashes down, On big waters i tend to hook my live baits dorsal and tail, Then throw them about 2 rod lengths out, They will swim well out from there, Works for me,

the far bank mate is about 50yrds, and its totally tree/reed lined from one end to the other, i put my deads out there, but would like a live bait there, im hunting for the bigger girls thats why.....

spot on paddy lives close in dead far out ....... close in would be upto 25 yards good point paddy

fair comments guys didnt think of it that way...

fishing a far bank at 50 yards with livies is perfectly feasable

drifter if the wind is right
free roamer using the right float
winch rig

i've never managed to kill a livebait by casting it 50 yards, i mean sure its been stunned from water impact and wouldnt move for the first minute or so but once it recovers its fine.
as for hooking? 2 trebles, one in the dorsal and the other through the root of the pectoral fin works every time for me no matter what size of bait i'm using