Mastering Live Bait and Kite Fishing for Billfish: Pro Tips from the Helm

Mastering Live Bait and Kite Fishing for Billfish: Pro Tips from the Helm
After decades in the offshore fishing charter business, working with a wide range of captains, mates, and anglers, I’ve learned that the harshest critic isn’t standing in your cockpit—it’s the billfish watching your bait with laser focus. These apex predators have honed their instincts over a lifetime. If your live bait presentation isn’t perfect, you’re not getting the bite.
That’s why the most critical factor in successful kite fishing or trolling for pelagics isn’t just your gear—it’s the quality of your bait. In this guide, I’ll break down key tips on catching, storing, rigging, and presenting bait to give you the edge next time you're chasing sailfish, marlin, or any other trophy fish.
How to Catch Live Bait for Offshore Fishing
Catching fresh baitfish like goggle-eyes, blue runners, pilchards, and sardines is the first step in any productive day on the water.
Top Tips for Using Sabiki Rigs:
  • Add the right weight: Use 1–3 oz sinkers for small bait and 4–32 oz for larger or deeper bait. This helps keep your Sabiki rig vertical and reduces tangles.
  • Pause the drop: Baitfish often strike while the rig is falling. Brief pauses let you detect bites early and prevent the rig from twisting.
  • Gentle retrieval: Slowly wind up the rig and give it soft jigs—often, multiple baits will stack up before reaching the surface.
  • Deck equals downgrade: Any bait that hits the deck should be considered a “day bait” only—best used within a day or two, not for long-term storage.
Keeping Live Bait Alive: Bait Pen and Livewell Tips
Proper handling separates premium live bait from throwaways. Here’s how to ensure your bait stays strong and active for kite fishing or trolling:
  • Use a wet net: This special net retains water, helping preserve the bait’s slime coat—a crucial factor in live bait survival.
  • Feed your bait: Within 3–5 days, quality baitfish should start eating krill or fish roe. From there, you can introduce chum, fish flakes, or pellet food.
  • Avoid overcrowding: Transfer bait gently, ideally one at a time if you’re not using a wet net, to prevent rubbing and injury.
Feeding bait in captivity doesn’t just keep them alive—it builds resilience, thickens slime coats, and improves their performance during fishing.The wet net being used to transport bait.
Choosing the Right Live Bait for Kite Fishing
When it’s time to fish, I like to run a variety of species based on the wind and bait position.
  • Larger baitfish like goggle-eyes and blue runners are ideal for kite long lines, especially in windy conditions where their weight keeps them stable.
  • Smaller baits such as pilchards, sardines, cigar minnows, and threadfin herring work well closer to the boat, on flatlines or mid-depth rods.
  • For flatlines, I use an old-school phone wire as a trip release—simple, effective, and it never fails.
Kite Fishing Presentation: How to Trigger More Strikes
Many anglers fish their kite bait splashing right at the surface—but I prefer a more natural, subtle presentation.
  • Keep the bait just under the surface: This lets the bait move more naturally, like a dog quartering through a field. It’s active, enticing, and triggers more strikes.
  • Watch the cork: Small twitches usually mean a nervous bait. A hard, fast dip? That’s likely a strike. Learning to interpret cork behavior is a huge part of kite fishing success.
  • Use the right clips: Poor clip release can cost you fish. That’s why I designed the M2 kite clip—long, narrow, and aligned with the direction of the fish for consistent release.
Fighting Fish on the Kite: Boat Handling and Safety
Once hooked up, moving forward with the fish gives you control, protects your spread, and improves angler safety.
  • Stay in gear: Chasing the fish forward lets you keep tension, avoid tangles, and stay safe. A friend once took a bill to the arm on a dead boat—don’t be that guy.
  • Steer at an angle: Keep the fish slightly off to the side to avoid running over the line and to allow for better gaff shots or releases.
Releasing or Photographing Billfish: Do It Right
Catch-and-release etiquette is critical for billfish conservation:
  • Keep it wet: Legally, a fish must remain in the water to count as released. Hold it boatside for quick photos and avoid lifting it onto the deck.
  • Grip tip: When grabbing the bill, thumb toward the tip—this helps you flip your grip smoothly if the boat comes out of gear.
Final Thoughts: Why the Details Matter
Everything from bait care to clip tension takes time, patience, and practice—but that’s what makes it so rewarding. Fishing teaches patience, sharpens instincts, and creates memories that last a lifetime.
Whether you’re chasing Atlantic sailfish, Pacific striped marlin, or just trying to master your local waters, remember:
🎣 You could have worse habits than fishing.
👊 Fish hard, fish smart, and pass on what you’ve learned.