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Random Quote: We all have issues, some more than others.
I am interested in learning how to catch skipjacks or other good baitfish for marlin/sails/tuna. Is it possible to cast net for skips? When I see a school of skipjacks, they are usually moving at a pretty fast clip, changing directions constantly.
What would be the best way to catch or net them? I was thinking of a Calusa 12ft net, I've heard that the skips will bite on feather jigs as well. How do you position yourself to get at them? I will be on a boat exclusively, there are some flats where I will be (south pacific) but the flats are a bit of a boat ride away. I do see schools of small tuna frequently.
What other bait should I be targeting? Thanks, I'm a green-horn, I figure that if netting is a good way to go, then I should start practicing now so that I will be ready for the summer session. Much thanks.
Also, I was thinking that just about any fish that I net would be good for Giant Trevally fishing. So I'm open to all ideas and suggestions.
Fastest way is to use a heavy rod and sting 8 hoochies or so with hooks into a daisy chain to troll the lure through the school and pick up a few at a time.
It would be very interesting to hook a couple of Skipjacks at the same time on a sabiki rig.
They average about 12 lbs each here, and pound for lb fight like crazy. Think the WRecord is about 48 lbs.
Like I said, take about 12 feet of 100 lb mono and string about 5 hoochies with 6/0 hooks on the leader. Using a heavy rod and wait untill 3-4 hook up on every pass to one side and in front of a feeding boiling school, then back down on them to make the landing easier on you and them.
I put 2 livies in the tuna tubes and take another dozen to stick head down in a couple of buckets to use for chunk.
Try to gently unhook the ones that you want to use for live bait.
Jerking them into the boat while hooked hurts them internally, and they expire quickly. A wet towel will calm and make them easier to handle.
I suppose it differs in different areas but the skipjack around here (Hawaii) seem to favor flurescent red/pink squid skirts (3 inch or so rigged on 15-30 lmb line - heavy line sometimes puts off the bite) on a appropriate head, or else those pink and white king-kings.
When I fished Kona the skipjack were shy enough to need 30 lb mainline straight to the hook and a tiny pink squid lure. In Phuket they are dumb enough to hit a multi-hook 5 3/4" squid daisy chain tied on 150 lb mono (so the rig doesn't pull apart when two or three good sized fish grab hold and pull in opposite directions) running behind a 9" bird teaser. They definitely fish a little different from place to place. I guess it depends on boat pressure, water clarity, what they are feeding on, etc etc etc.. Try the more stealthy rigs first and if they are biting hard and easy to catch, go to the dumb rigs.
You'll never cast net skipjack but the cast net is useful for ballyhoo, mullet and other inshore stuff. Ask the locals to show you how.
Does a cast net have to hit bottom for it to trap fish? I always thought it did.
Draw strings can help in deep water, but usually a large opening in the net will catch them by the gills, and is a lot more effective.
Gilling will kill a lot of bait or make it slow swimming and less desirable for live bait fishing, but some species such as mullet, goggle eyes and large spanish sardines seem to survive ok, especially if you can push them forward instead of backing them out of the loop.
Another tip on catching multiple skippies is using a small planer to get the lures down. They will usually go down as the boat nears and the plner helps, especially if you like to keep the lines close.
Remember to pull them in slow and provide at least 300 gph funneled directly into their mouth to keep them vigourous. They are more delicate than they look, especially around the gills.
We use a heavy cord hand line attached to a diving board (parvane), with say 5 yds of 80lb mono to a small lure. Swim the planer in close (say 10 - 15yds) to the transom. The heavy cord line is tied off to a rear corner cleat, and has a bungy cord section to act as a shock assorber so that the lure doesn't rip out on the strike. This setup allows you to land small tuna faster than playing them on a rod, and we don't normally need to stop trolling (just slow a little).
Cast Netting for SkipJacks? 
