# Holy ladyfish!!!!



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I use a bunch of ladyfish down at Flamingo, mostly... Anywhere there's ladyfish you can bet that big fish (some of them in the "unstoppable" category) are close by and usually jonesing for a meal.... That said, big ladyfish get bit -but we rarely hook up since the fish just can't quite gulp one. We jumped off a big snook in the 15 to 20lb range on one just last week. It ate a bait that was almost 15" long but couldn't stay connected. If you can find smaller ladies in the 12" and smaller range your hookup ratio will go way, way up. The problem you'll face then is that many of your bites will have teeth....


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Sounds Sharky


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

I took your advice from Saturday, Bob....It did take 3 tries but I was hooked up.... I cant believe I had 3 takes in 15 minutes with the lady fish and nothing for over 1 hour on the mullet.

So what is the go to lady fish catching method?


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## swampfox (May 9, 2007)

I used to cuss those dam ladies. Some days they are a nuisance. Never thought about using em for bait.Hmmmmn  when life gives you lemons


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

In warmer weather nothing beats fresh ladyfish (no they don't freeze and even keeping them over night on ice is tough...), either live or dead - period. We catch them every day in places with a bit of current (they pretty much live in places where you catch small jacks, mackeral, and trout). For reds you cut fresh chunks that seem almost a bit too big for a small red to eat. For big fish if you're fishing chunks you want then the size of the palm of your hand (that way a catfish will pick one up but not be able to swallow... As far as live ladies go we fish them one of two ways - a free swimmer with a float or cork set about five to seven feet above the bait (and we allow the lady to swim away from the boat - casting tears them up (but sometimes you just have no choice....). The other way is right on the bottom with a 5/0 #85 Eagle Claw hook on an 80lb mono leader with just enough egg sinker (somewhere between 1/2 oz and 11/2oz) as a knocker rig right down on the hook.. No matter how you rig them live or dead, swimming or on the bottom.... leave that rod in the rodholder and in gear, period. The fish will do the rest...

Every year the biggest fish we get will come on a live lady or just a chunk... redfish 35lbs, snook 25lbs, tarpon up to 150lbs, triple tail 18lbs, gag grouper 12lbs... Sharks, sawfish, goliath grouper can't seem to leave them alone either... For a real thrill pole into big tarpon so that your angler can toss a lure or fly at them....while towing a floating lady about 100 to 150 feet behind you, locked up in a rodholder... More than one double header of tarpon was taken on that way year after year...


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## Lowtidelowlife (Aug 19, 2014)

GTSR: Giving away the secrets already?!


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

Heck, I wouldnt have learned if someone had not told me....


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## snooks (Sep 21, 2009)

> Heck, I wouldnt have learned if someone had not told me....



We didn't get to hookup when you were in mingo.....next time ill show you where to get more than enough ladyfish and we'll take them to the coast.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Today, every drain in the Little Shark River held ladies on the falling tide... we were tripping over them for hours while trying to hook a tarpon on fly... It was a great day to have put away our fly gear but that wasn't on the cards... We'll be back after the silver critters for the next three days, but with all the bait around (ladies were crushing glass minnows and small pilchards.. tarpon were crushing ladies..). and so it goes...


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

Snook, I had a nice supply of ladyfish while in the back country, I just couldnt get them again that night up my way.

Had I know that the mullet wouldnt have gotten a look, I would have tried harder.


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## Capt Dan Medina (Apr 28, 2008)

Fresh lady fish is one of my favorite cut baits. Some of the biggest snook I've hooked and caught have come on 10-12 inch lady fish. They hold up ok in the livewell as long as you've got good water flow. 

They also are great offshore bottom bait in big chunks. Like stated above, they don't hold up particularly well if you try to freeze it. Turn to mush as soon as it defrosts. 

Still my bait of choice for cutbait


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

Come to Tampa, ladyfish capital of the world, lol. Also my cut bait of choice, that and mullet.


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