Making bait

[Fomen]

So there's a gentleman on here who recently posted a thread about having trouble making bait. He's making custom sabiki rigs to help. They look great, but I don't think the problem is the sabiki. The sabiki rig it tried and true. The trouble is finding schools of bait fish to toss your sabiki rig into. Well, it's a lot easier to make bait if you bring the bait fish to you instead of randomly (and sometimes aimlessly) looking for the school, or ambiguously tossing around you in hopes that your sabiki will find a school or a few random members.

I've known Tommy Gomes for about a decade now. If you don't know who Tommy is, if you use Uni Butter fish attractant, he's the guy who invented it and manufactures it. He also makes another product called "Uni Goop". Tommy is affiliated with catalina Offshore Products. They are one of the main suppliers of restaurant grade sushi products to businesses and the general product. When Tommy and his crew were harvesting the uni out of the sea urchins, he noticed that the uni only comprises about 2% of what is inside of the urchin. So he started putting the remaining 98% into gallon sized mesh sacks, freezing it, and selling it to local fisherman as a chum/attractant. If you've never seen it work, here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ySFp9f4zCc

I used to own a 18' Sea Pro center console. There were several occasions that I used Uni Goop, and believe you me, you will have a school of hundreds of bait fish around your boat in 60 to 90 seconds. Drop your sabiki into the school, and you can catch 25-30 of them before they catch on and stop biting the sabiki.

The trouble with the current size of the Uni Goop is it's in a 1 gallon tub. It's too big and heavy for use on a kayak. So after reading a bunch of threads about guys having trouble making bait, I gave Tommy a call. I proposed a kayak sized version of Uni Goop. It would be in a 1 pint container, so it could easily be transported in a kayak. All you would have to do is anchor yourself onto a stringer of kelp, tie a small rope to the sack of Uni Goop, hang it over the side of the kayak, and shake it a little. The current will take care of the rest. You will have a school of bait fish circling your boat in a matter of about minute. Then toss in your sabiki to make some quick bait. The less time you spend trying to make bait, the faster you can start doing what you initially intended to do- RIP LIPS!

I'm meeting with Tommy next week to discuss the proposal. I just wanted to throw out this thread to get some feedback. Would you guys be willing to use the product if Tommy started making it in pint sized versions. The more guys that say yes, they better chances he will jump on board. Once he gets going on it, we can help him get it into many of the local kayak shops and bait and tackle shops. Not sure about the price, but it certainly won't break the bank.

Let me know what you guys think.

[YakDout]

As long as the price point isnt high like you are saying, Im sure I would try it out. Although I make most of my bait far away from the kelp due to sabikis getting snagged and tangled.

[Mahigeer]

Tommy is a great guy. He was very active in fighting MLPA, and every year (about 7 that I have been there) he has donated his time and money to the Shelter Island Kid's Derby. He provides delicious fish tacos to attendees.

He is also on YouTube doing fish fillet with Bubba knife. I bought one because of his recommendation.


Tommy Gomez of Catalina Offshore products, on the left, provides what is needed and pays his crew to come and prepare delicious tacos for everyone.




As to Uni-Goop, I have used it before and it is a great attractant. I live in Los Angeles, so shipping would be costly. Thus, I had to go on Fridays to SD, a day before the derby to get some. Then I had to make room for a lot of it in the freezer.

I would buy it if it was locally available and of course depending on the price.


P.S. When you see Tommy, tell him, Hashem from pierfishing website says HI.

Thanks.

[Fomen]

Originally Posted by YakDout

As long as the price point isnt high like you are saying, Im sure I would try it out. Although I make most of my bait far away from the kelp due to sabikis getting snagged and tangled.

That only happens when you're randomly casting between the kelp lanes in hopes of a bait fish seeing your sabiki rig. When I used the uni goop in the past, the bait fish are right at your boat. You are literally dropping your rig straight down, about 6-10 feet, and all the hooks are getting hit at once. It's VERY simple and effective. You lash up at the outer edge of the kelp. Once the Goop hits the water, and you are stationary, the current will take it into the kelp. Within 60-90 seconds you will start to see the little silver "shimmers" of bait fish. Keep shaking the bag until you see a nice cloud of them around you. At that point, let the sabiki slaughter begin.

[Mwhitcraft]

Count me in

[Pinhead]

I'm all over that goop deal.

[igotpron]

I'd be in to try it out. How does it store?

[DanaPT]

Originally Posted by igotpron

I'd be in to try it out. How does it store?

If Tommy is smart it's used once and purchased again.

[Mahigeer]

Originally Posted by igotpron

I'd be in to try it out. How does it store?

You can keep it for a long time in a freezer. Just take what you are going to use and leave the rest frozen.

[monstahfish]

sounds interesting to me. I would try it.

[anchovie]

I would too.

[buddha]

Would the uni goop be more effective than a pint of mashed mackerel in a container? Are they more attracted to sea urchin than cut up fish? I think maybe if we did a comparison it would be interesting to see the results.

[Fomen]

Mackerel will work fine too. Chum attracts bait fish. However, the Uni Goop in the kayak size makes the process very easy and convenient for you. The product is placed into a tightly knit mesh sack (like an onion sack), deposited into the pint sized container, and flash frozen. When you pull it out of the tub, it's a nice frozen block that has taken on the shape of the container. You simply pull on the top loop of the sack, and the whole chunk pulls out. Tie it off to your rope, then hang it over the side. SZet up your sabiki right after you do this. Byt the time your sabiki is set up, you will already see signs of bait fish activity around your kayak. If you don't use it all, you put it back into the tub, and re-freeze it for the next trip. The nice thing about the goop, is it doesn't stink as bad as chum made of fish. Also, it doesn't contain any blood, so you're less likely to attract undesirable predators. I'm not just shooting from the hip. I've used the product. On my old boat, I had a 15 gallon bait tank. We were targeting sharks one day. So I took some Uni Goop, stopped off of the kelp in La Jolla, and in 20 minutes had enough mackerel, sardines, and smelt to provide chum and cut bait ALL DAY LONG! In a kayak, you need what- 10 mackerel/sardines/smelt tops? The less time you spend making bait, the more time you spend fishing. It exponentially increases your chances of fulfilling your purpose on the water. When I told Tommy my idea yesterday, he told me he thought it was a great idea, and he wanted to meet with me for lunch this coming week to catch up and discuss it further. Since he already makes the product in a gallon size, the transition from concept to product is VERY easy. You guys have my word, the product WORKS! This is a potential God send to kayak fishermen who already spend wayyyyyy too much time trying to make bait.

[HobieScot]

I'd like to see a smaller version. Maybe half a pint or even a single use size so we are not having to store it all day on the kayak and allow it to completely melt each time we use it. Then have to refreeze it.

As a diver I've popped open my fair share of sea urchins for my own amusement to bring in the fish and I know how well they attract fish.

So I'm interested

I just don't like the idea of the product melting each time and having it be refrozen


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[makobob]

So BUY a Gallon and package it in the size YOU want, really easy fix. Then just take what you need for any trip.

Originally Posted by HobieScot

I'd like to see a smaller version. Maybe half a pint or even a single use size so we are not having to store it all day on the kayak and allow it to completely melt each time we use it. Then have to refreeze it.

As a diver I've popped open my fair share of sea urchins for my own amusement to bring in the fish and I know how well they attract fish.

So I'm interested

I just don't like the idea of the product melting each time and having it be refrozen


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[buddha]

Yes I think single use size would be preferable for me.

[HobieScot]

Originally Posted by makobob

So BUY a Gallon and package it in the size YOU want, really easy fix. Then just take what you need for any trip.

I would but I just don't have room for a 1 gallon tub of goop in my freezer

Nor do I particularly want to hear the lil lady say "when are you going to get rid of that thing? it's taking up too much room" every time she opens the freezer lol


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[makobob]

So have a goop/uni party. Get some guys together and share a gallon by making up smaller packages then everyone wins. Problem solved.

Originally Posted by HobieScot

I would but I just don't have room for a 1 gallon tub of goop in my freezer

Nor do I particularly want to hear the lil lady say "when are you going to get rid of that thing? it's taking up too much room" every time she opens the freezer lol


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[skrilla]

Uni-Butter already comes in 2oz canisters both squeezable and twist caps. They usually have the 3 for 20 deal at the shows. Perfect size to stash in the yak and lasts along time. A quick smear is all it takes. When it starts to get solid let it sit in a bowl of hot water or nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds. Then leave before the wife has a chance to smell what you left.

[Mahigeer]

Originally Posted by buddha

Would the uni goop be more effective than a pint of mashed mackerel in a container? Are they more attracted to sea urchin than cut up fish? I think maybe if we did a comparison it would be interesting to see the results.

I would say so.

Long ago, when I first got certification in scuba diving, I would be diving at Channel Islands. I would use a knife to break open an urchin. Fish would swarm me and try to get the little pieces. Once I actually got stung by a spine at my finger tip. It did not hurt at first, but eventually I had to have it opened up to drain the puss. I also had to take a very strong antibiotic, which made me sick.

By the way the urchins kill the kelp by chewing the base of it and make it loose. The less of them the better.