CATCHING AND KEEPING LIVE BAIT

• When you’re fishing for any pelagic species, it’s hard to beat healthy live bait, especially in South Florida where kite fishing is king. Merely catching enough bait for a single fishing trip can be tricky, and depending on weather, tides and moon phase, it’s sometimes necessary to catch your bait well ahead of time. Add tournament fishing to the mix and it becomes downright challenging. The best live-bait teams catch—and pen up—their own bait weeks, or sometimes even months, in advance.

BAIT WELLS AND PUMP SYSTEMS

The first step in keeping your live bait lively is having a good livewell and saltwater pump system. The shape and size of the livewell is vital, with the