Live bait longevity?

[Col. Kurtz]

I'm thinking of taking the middleman ("the pogy guy") out of the equation next year and catching my own live bait (more mackerel than pogies, given my location) for tuna fishing.

For those of you guys that keep bait pens at the dock, what is a reasonable expectation for how long the fish will survive once they are placed into captivity? Also, any tips on how to prolong their life expectancy once in a pen would be much appreciated.

Terence

[codfishshark]

It all depends on a few variables. How much current flow at the dock? How warm does the water get? How deep is the water? Are there sand fleas? I can say this if you are keeping mackeral make sure you feed them every other day otherwise they wont last very long. Pogies will get the red irritation on them after a few days.

[Clint3240]

ya pogies pretty much commit suicide by bashing into the cage, they are more like a catch the day before deal

[Col. Kurtz]

It all depends on a few variables. How much current flow at the dock? How warm does the water get? How deep is the water? Are there sand fleas? I can say this if you are keeping mackeral make sure you feed them every other day otherwise they wont last very long. Pogies will get the red irritation on them after a few days.

I'm in the North River, so we get some excellent current flow (sometimes too excellent when I'm trying to dock!) where I'm at. Not sure on exact temps, but certainly a few degrees warmer than the ocean. Depth will range from 6-10' and there are millions of sand fleas.

I was thinking about throwing a lobster bait bag with chum in there to feed them for a few days...

[Tuna Meltdown]

I have noticed that with all baits being kept in a pen that the first 2-3 days are the crucial days. This doesn't matter if your keeping Mackeral, Pogies, or even Bluefish. You got to be sure to remove any dead or dying baits from the pen ASAP to ensure they don't contaminate and kill the others (and your Neighbors on the dock really don't want to smell rotten pogies on those hot summer days. Trust me I know.) The baits that make it through those first 2-3 days are what I consider troopers, they will usually last a very long time. I have seen Mackeral caught in May get dumped out of a properly cared for pen in November because they were not used! It also depends on how you plan on catching them. Mackeral caught by sabiki rigs are going to far out last pogies that have been snagged or caught in a gill net. Feeding is key too and so is water temp like Rory said. Mackeral and Blues will eat just about any scrap you throw in there including left over cold cuts if you got them. Pogies are filter feeders so best of luck with feeding them. Just hope that there is enough algea or plankton to support them in your marina. Not much else you can do about that. But in reality if you want to fish with bait all season long you got to plan on bait fishing at least once or twice a week. I did not bait fish alot this season but when I did I devoted a Wed. or Thursday night to gill netting my pogies in preperation for fishing the weekend. That way I know my baits are not going to be more than a couple days old.

[Tuna Meltdown]

I was thinking about throwing a lobster bait bag with chum in there to feed them for a few days...

You may not want to do that unless you want a pen full of crabs.

[codfishshark]

Like Dan said you can feed them anything I have always had luck with mackeral feeding them plain oatmeal. You water flow should be good but there will be a big temp change in the river between tides, as long as it doesnt get too hot you should be fine. Putting a bag of chum in there will fill the thing with fleas in less than a day.

[Col. Kurtz]

Like Dan said you can feed them anything I have always had luck with mackeral feeding them plain oatmeal. You water flow should be good but there will be a big temp change in the river between tides, as long as it doesnt get too hot you should be fine. Putting a bag of chum in there will fill the thing with fleas in less than a day.

Got it, I will stay away from the chum bag!

New ground for me, and absolutely loving hearing about cold cuts and oatmeal for the macks...

[Col. Kurtz]

I have noticed that with all baits being kept in a pen that the first 2-3 days are the crucial days. This doesn't matter if your keeping Mackeral, Pogies, or even Bluefish. You got to be sure to remove any dead or dying baits from the pen ASAP to ensure they don't contaminate and kill the others (and your Neighbors on the dock really don't want to smell rotten pogies on those hot summer days. Trust me I know.) The baits that make it through those first 2-3 days are what I consider troopers, they will usually last a very long time. I have seen Mackeral caught in May get dumped out of a properly cared for pen in November because they were not used! It also depends on how you plan on catching them. Mackeral caught by sabiki rigs are going to far out last pogies that have been snagged or caught in a gill net. Feeding is key too and so is water temp like Rory said. Mackeral and Blues will eat just about any scrap you throw in there including left over cold cuts if you got them. Pogies are filter feeders so best of luck with feeding them. Just hope that there is enough algea or plankton to support them in your marina. Not much else you can do about that. But in reality if you want to fish with bait all season long you got to plan on bait fishing at least once or twice a week. I did not bait fish alot this season but when I did I devoted a Wed. or Thursday night to gill netting my pogies in preperation for fishing the weekend. That way I know my baits are not going to be more than a couple days old.

Thanks Dan. I will be hitting the macks exclusively with Sabikis right off of Scituate, throwing them into the livewell for the trip home and putting them right into the pen. I have to admit I'm shocked that mackerel can live for months of a time in a pen, but knowing that- I'm dying to do what I can to fatten them up for their big day on the kite!

[HIGHTIMES]

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