sawbellies vs shiners from shore

[Fisherman14]

i have fished kensico from shore with sawbellies several times hoping to catch a lake trout with no luck, not even a hit. i am starting to wonder if shiners are a better choice from shore since they tend to go deeper than the sawbellies which often swim around in  circles on the surface when free lining, does anyone have an opinion on what is a better choice from shore? i am aware that sawbellies will no longer be sold in a few weeks but until then what is a better choice?

[jimmy1]

I rarely use bait, but in april when the boat season opens, sawbellies are not available untill nearing the end of the month.In the mean time hundreds of lakers are caught on shiners.A 23 pounder was caught on a shiner two years ago. A 17 pounder was caught last march on a shiner from shore.I was out on my boat in mid october with my nephew, using  bellies and shiners and they hit each without showing any preferance.

[jimmy1]

When we have a bad run of luck we tend to doubt all tactic's.Its important to understand trout turn on and off. Sometimes we can't do anything wrong. Sometimes we can't do anything right.I prefer using lures in winter, and from shore because I can cover a larger area,
and sometimes ,you get fish that are not feeding to strike out at it ,because it just irritates them or they feel threatened by it. They may not want to eat, just kill it.

[KenH]

Between November of 2007 and Apr 2008 I caught 4 Lakers on shiners, including a 6 lber.
In April I caught 2 on live lined sawbellies. In other words, I honestly don't think it makes
much difference to the trout if they are hungry. I base my decision on whether I want to
live line or fish with the bait pinned, either by float or sinker. For example if I know I'm going
to have to deal with wind I know I'm not going to be able to live line and I'll probably use
a sinker. In that case I'll go with shiners. Come December I'll use shiners because nobody
carries sawbellies anyway.

[lionpshark]

What do you use to keep them alive if you don't use them all in one day and you want to use some the following day? Is there a portable battery operated livewell system?

[Biz-R-OWorld]

I fish all the time with live bait, and the best thing I ever bought was this.  Instead of the buckets with the holes, etc...this thing works great. Runs on 1 D battery. I have been using it since last year on the same original battery, left it in cold shed all winter, and just tried it the other day and its still going on the same original battery. > http://www.cabelas.com/product/Aerobait-Bait-Saver-Bucket/1164628.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbait%2Bbucket%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=bait+bucket&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

[lionpshark]

Do they sell this at Bobs?

[delfinij]

hey lion,

I use the air-rader Frabil system.. (I think thats what its called) They generate oxygen to keep the bait alive. They def. sell them at any of the bait shops like cross river, wades, bobs etc. As for overnight idk, i think they would but ive never tried it. It sure works great for them for the day and keeps em feisty. Im sure all the guys out here have one and use them..

Easy, quick and kind of cheap..

[lionpshark]

Thanks guys ill look into them

[Biz-R-OWorld]

Do they sell this at Bobs?

I dont think so, I bought mine at Cabela's....Bobs does sell something similiar though.

[KenH]

The bullt-in aerator bucket that Biz is using looks really good.
If I need a new bait bucket I'll definitely go with that. The problem is
that my bait bucket is about 30 years old so I don't know when it's
going to break down. Actually, whoever heard of a bait bucket breaking down?
I use the clip on Frabill airpump and serves my purpose for the relatively few
baitfishing trips I do. Shiners can be kept overnight or longer as they are very hardy.
I think the longest I kept them was from October until January in the garage with
a small aquarium pump. Sawbellies require more care, more aeration and can't
handle warm temperatures. I'm pretty certain we had a thread in here about that topic.

[Biz-R-OWorld]

I have kept shiners and sawbellies overnight without a problem.
In the warmer months, just drop an ice cub or two every hour or so to cool the water down, and the sawbellies last all day.

[KenH]

Have you been able to keep sawbellies alive overnight in the summer time?

[lionpshark]

Maybe ill just give the leftover live baitfish to my turtles. in there 70 gallon tank. and if any survive ill take them the following day.

[canoejon]

I still use an old Mino miser. They'll keep them alive overnight. The Minomizer really cools the water down with the mist it puts out. Do they still sell them?