Pickers / Bait stealers...what can you do about them

[M1100S]

So was out on Sunday drifting to find the elusive snapper i am trying to catch and my baits would get demolished by pickers.... i was using mullet and slimey strips, and also strips of cuttlefish.

 

Would drop my baits and then when i bring it back up all i am left with is the skin of the strip or a small piece of cuttlefish only. I see bites on the rod as there are small hits but thats all there is, yet to get the massive hit of a big fish lol. Even had the wiggly tail of a soft plastic bitten off and had one of the hooks bitten off the dropper.

 

So is there anything you can do about this.... Does it mean i am fishing in the wrong spots? a bigger bait/strip make a difference?? or is it something you juts have to deal as part of finding the big ones.

Edited July 14, 2020 by M1100S

[kingie chaser]

1 hour ago, M1100S said:

or is it something you juts have to deal as part of finding the big ones.

Yep.

Or try avoiding baits all together & try using SP's.

[GoingFishing]

The bait stealers and pickers can be a problem, especially on days like Sunday where there is bugger all wind and a very slow drift. I find on days when there is a better drift the pickers and jackets are not as big a problem.

There are a few things you can do to help the situation, i try to use larger baits, this means that they last a little longer in the water with some extra time to allow the bigger fish to find them. Some baits are more durable too such as squid, cuttle fish etc. I find the best baits are flesh fillets from slimey mackeral, sargeant bakers and other ooglies. On my boat if they come on board they will usually get filleted for fresh and durable bait.

Also, if i am getting hammered by jackets i will usually pack up and move and keep moving until i find a suitable spot without them (though, after 30-40 mins they usually find me again). some people use wire trace to get around the jackets but i find that spooks the fish