bait needle

Hi lads. It may sound an easy question to those in the know, but how and when do you use bait needles.
ope you can help cos i have heard them being used so often in sea fishing but have no idea how.

Thanks

You can use a bait needle on all the worm baits that I know of, it is easier to thread the worm onto a needle, than it is to thead the worm onto a hook (small hooks are harder)

I mostly use a bait neede on small sand eels. Stick the point of the needle through the mouth and out about 2/3ds down coming out at the belly of the eel, this way the eels does not split as you thread it from the needle onto the hook.

btw.....if I use a bait needle for a worm, I always use a bait stop above the worm on the hook snood. I find worms that are put on with a needle tend to ride up the snood otherwise.

Tom.

have to agree with tom on that one, apart from that they generally have little need, handy for lugworm and ragworm if you have no sucess threading them on normally without bursting them sometimes.
fish baits are normally fine to work with , with no need of the baiting needlre, apart from delicate sandeel

it may come in handy for some to have all baits for a 2 or 3 hook rig ready on a 12 inch needle ready for use in speed fishing match situations as well...

thanks for that lads.

I will definately use it on sandeels cos as you said they often split when on a small hook.
Thanks again

They can be handy for crab baits too - especially thawed out mushy ones. Split the crab in half thread the baiting needle right up the centre of the two pieces, whip it all down and then just slide onto the hook with the needle and you have a lovely sausage shaped crab bait with half the messing!

I actually use them (only got to grips with it really this winter) when presenting fish/mackerel baits for whiting on small hooks like sz 2 aberdeens or below. Rather than trying to thread/sew a chunk of mackerel on and it ending up as a ball of mush with the hook stuck through the skin in a few places here's what I do.

Take mackerel strip maybe inch and a half by half inch wide whatever.

Stick the baiting needle through the skin on the top of the strip then slide it down through the flesh at the back and pop it out again through the skin at the bottom of the strip.

Now slide onto the hook and whip with elastic, perfectly presented mackerel, no mush, the hook shank is completely buried inside the flesh and it actually allows you to cram much more bait and sent onto a small hook. Presentation is improved as well I think...

Just some food for thought there lads :-)

Liam