Collecting live bait is an important element of offshore success. And, while the relatively stiff spinning rods used to horse hefty mangroves out of underwater steel jungles can be rigged with sabikis, they’re not always the best choices.
Sure, they’re fine choices when small baits are coming aboard.
But if a bigger, less-desirable hardtail grabs a sabiki, the rod needs to give a little while the jack tires in its initial runs.
That way, the sabiki can be salvaged for another drop and, more importantly, not need to be replaced.
For this reason, Capt. Darryl Carpenter always brings at least one rod used for inshore trout fishing. The soft tip allows the light line and light wire hooks on a sabiki rig to be salvaged when a large hardtail attempts to muck up the bait-gathering process.
“Having a trout rod aboard can save a lot of tying and retying sabikis,” Carpenter said.