seatrout bait & bites

I'm told that you should never strike a sea trout at the first rattle - let it pick up & run , hit it on the second move. True ???
If so , at which end would you hook on the sandeel ? Assuming ledgering or freeline I'd normally go right thru' the head then sideways thru body leaving hook exposed about halfway down . But then the trout has got to swallow the line when it takes the eel down head first .
Am planning to experiment with hooking the eel by the tail but reckon I may miss more bites because the trout would have to get the eel well down before it got the hook in its mouth . Presentation may not be so good , either .
If it's not a real trade secret I'd appreciate your views .
Many thanks
nick

42 views and no replies . Must be a secret ! I'll let you know what I find .
nick/

Hi Blowin...

Maybe poeple just do not know! It is well known that predators attack the eyes first and I've often thought about hooking from tail to head rather than the more conventional route but then in presentation, it would be "swimming" backwards in the currents etc. which does not sound too clever... but it might be worth a try. Let us know how you get on...

Thanks Kieran , yeah it was the swimming backwards thing that bothered me but this method was recommended to me by someone who seemed to know what he was doing . Will keep the tactic to slackish water to start with . ( has just occured to me that this in itself might prejudice the comparison - maybe the fish don't take so well then ? I don't have enough experience to know yet . Only one way to find out , I guess ).
All the best
nick

Have fished for sea trout on the moy and in courtmac. The most successful method for us was using a tiny treble hook towards the back of the sandeel, wrap the line once or twice round the eels body and hook a free moving (untied) tiny trout hook into the head. Youre right when you say you should let the fish run before striking too.

So let it run when it lifts the sandeel? Wont that result in a lot of gut hooked fish? Small ones even. I don't know as I as I've never fished this method.

Joe

Hi All

I would assume its the same as fishing for pike. when a pike takes the bait, you should allow a couple of seconds to make sure the bait is in the pikes mouth. The reason is, when the pike takes then bait it takes it across the middle, ie looking from the top of the head down, there would be the baits head one side, and its tail the other. The fish then turns the bait ready for swallowing, and thats the part you need to wait for. If not, the hooks will be outside of the mouth.

I would assume this is the same for sea trout, ie dont leave it too long, and deep hooking shouldn't be an issue.

As for hooking a sandeel, when freelining for bass, I always hook the sandeel through the bottom and top lip, so the hook comes out the top of the snout. I have missed very few runs this way. I would say it works well with trout too, as the bait is always swallowed head first.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Matt

Don't want to contradict anybody because I know successful methods are wildly different around the place but any sea trout I've EVER caught have been hooked on the bottom hook (the treble) and NEVER the top one. We really only use it to anchor the eel and maintain its "swimming" shape.
Its a system of trial and error too though so make note of all the variables when you catch.

I have caught Sea Trout on Sandeel I Passs the hook Through the head, then mid way, and last out near the tail. Whip with light elastic. Three hook flapper. rolling lead. I have caught 4 good trout for a 10pack or frozen Sandeel. No striking. they hooked them selves, if you dont see the bite watch for the slack line movement, it may take a few turns to get in contact with the fish. When you have, dont let the pressure off.

Dingbat

I use about 5feet of line with a loop in the end, on the buisness side a 1/0 hook. Using a bait hook thread the line through the sandeel between the gills at the head, takng the line out about where it's arse is,pull the line right the way through so the shaft of the hook goes inside the sandeel, your left with just the bend and the point sticking out. take a couple of half hitchs around the tail with the line. then connect your line to a snap realease beside your weight.

This shows the sandeel very naturally, the long trace also lets the sandeel get washed around in the surf. I have tried many ways including the small treble in the back for fishing sandeels but known better than this.

If you have two made up, it really quick to swap traces and keep fishing.

Hi Guys , many thanks for all the tips . Much appreciated.
Scara - could you possibly clarify how you get the knotted loop through the eel ? I'm not familiar with the bait hook .
Many thanks
Nick

I meant bait needle. sorry.