 |
| Various Kinds of Bait Baskets |
There is an easy way to cast shrimp bait a
long distance and deliver a hook threaded through shrimp to catch fish. A bait
basket allows efficient use of small shrimp to attract and gather fish. Simply load
the shrimp into the basket along with the fishing hook baited with a larger
shrimp . This bait basket or container is a prime tool that gives you the
edge when many others are after the same fish.
 |
| Left: Large Holes Right: Rocket Shape Top, Few Small Holes |
There are various bait baskets. Here are a
few examples.
The best choice is the hard plastic type
with a rocket shape on top and a few small holes in the body. Not having many
large holes in the body results in better casting distance and the shape cuts
wind resistance. Being able to use different sizes of bait shrimp is another
advantage. The soft plastic semi transparent type limits you to loading very
small shrimp into it because the basket does not open up to release the bait.
 |
| Soft Plastic Type |
Most hard plastic bait baskets have an
insulated wire section going through the body with a loop at the top to attach
to the main fishing line, a sinker at the bottom exterior, and a small loop or
swivel below that to to attach to the hook line. This insulated wire is fine
for a while, but it eventually wears out, causing the thin wires within to
fray. This prevents the basket from opening and shutting freely. Due to this weakness,
I modify the bait basket by replacing the insulated wire with a stainless steel
rod.
 |
| Wire Cutter with Hole Between Cutting Edges |
A wire cutter with a small hole between the cutting edges is a tool
which makes working with the stainless rod much easier for me. If you want to
modify a bait basket and this tool is not available, improvise with a sturdy
needle nose and standard pliers.
 |
| Loop Shaping with Wire Cutter |
 |
| Loop Formed |
A thin rod slides easily into the wire cutter’s hole, and it can be
bent at five or six points without much effort. After this is completed, spread
the cutting edges of the wire cutter apart, hook the first bent part of the rod
to one edge of the hole and the last bent part to the other edge, squeeze
slowly and evenly to gradually form a loop. Be very careful as the rod can slip
easily off the holes and the cutting edges are sharp. The reason for shaping
the loop is that it will be used later to attach the bait basket to the snap of
the main line. The loop does not need to be perfect, just functional. There
will probably be a small gap at the end of the loop. Solder it to seal it, or
block it with a small stainless nut or washer.
Do not proceed to the bottom loop of the rod, yet. There are a few
things to insert between them. In fact, you may find it easier to start at the
bottom loop!
 |
| Sinker to Anchor at Bottom Oblong Loop |
A larger oblong loop needs to be shaped at
the bottom to anchor a sinker. The sinker is hammered or tapped firmly into the
loop. It does not matter if you start from the top or bottom. I always start
from the bottom when I do this because it is easier for me to anchor the
sinker.
 |
| Customized Bait Baskets |
The stainless rods I buy are 20 inches long, and this allows me to
use a bar for two baskets.The thickness is about 0.075 inches because my sinker
is quite heavy at about 2.6 ounces. Most people use a 1.3 to 1.6 ounce sinker
so a thickness of 0.06 inches is sufficient.
 |
| Bait Basket Position in Setup |
There are friction and resistance when I slide the rod through the
bait basket's center after anchoring the sinker because my stainless rod is
rather thick. There is a long tube or sleeve within the upper part of the
basket causing this. I widen the hole of the tube with a thin drill bit, but
the tube usually breaks off. Do not be annoyed if this happens to you. If
there is about an inch of the sleeve left, this is enough. I use a shortened
shish kabob skewer that is just a tad thicker than my stainless rod. After
heating it for several minutes, I use it to expand the hole in the sleeve with
the help of a sturdy wrench and gloves on my hands. I keep working until the
bait basket slides smoothly down the stainless rod. This prevents bait release
problems later in the water when casting and fishing. As I modify the bait
basket, I ensure that it can slide open about two inches to load the shrimp
bait and baited hook.
 |
| Nut & Stopper Usage |
If you soldered the end of the loop at the top, there is no need of
a small stainless nut. If not and there is no nut, there will be times when the
hook line will enter this gap.
Some people like to put a little rubber stopper above the top of
the basket. The stopper should provide some friction but it should not be tight
or it will prevent the basket from opening. Load the bait to scatter and
attract fish into the bait basket and insert the hook with the main bait into
the basket too. Fill the basket to 70 percent capacity and make sure that the
hook is not facing toward the stainless bar for best results. After closing the
basket, if you are using a stopper, slide it down to the top before casting.
After the fishing float sets, pull up with the fishing rod to release the bait.
Happy Bait Cast Fishing!
No comments:
Post a Comment