Better Bait = Better Fish

It's no secret that I absolutely despise fishing for skipjack. Don't get me wrong, I love to catch them. It is the endless casts on the days where they are just impossible to catch that I hate. For me, those days happen a lot more frequently than the days where it is possible to catch them one right after another. This has been the case for me over the course of the last month. Skipjack have been tough to find and my desire to fight the heat in pursuit of them has been nonexistent.

Bluegill have become my old standby for bait when skipjack are hard to come by. They are always readily available and easy to catch. On top of that, I actually enjoy fishing for them. A large portion of my fishing time is dedicated to specifically targeting them just for fun. The problem with using bluegill for catfish bait here is that it rarely produces any fish of quality size. I tend to catch similar numbers with bluegill that I do with any other bait but size is almost always lacking.

Fortunately, I was finally able to catch some fresh skipjack and it has made all the difference in the world. In my last two fishing trips, I have landed four TARP (Tennessee Angler Recognition Program) size blues along with several other better quality fish. Bluegill will always be that bait I turn to when times are hard, but skipjack is king here on the Tennessee River. Here is some footage from the last couple trips.