How to Catch Bait Fish in Dubai

12th Apr 2023

Unless you were lucky enough to have someone share their professional fishing experience in Dubai with you, you probably need to know how to catch bait fish if you are planning to attempt big-game fishing in Dubai, whether you are targeting Kingfish, Cobia, or even large Barracudas. This blog provides you with further insight into how to successfully catch big-game fish in Dubai.

First and foremost, it is recommended to attempt to catch bait fish in Dubai offshore from a fishing boat, especially one with an available live bait tank (sometimes referred to as an aquarium). Using a boat is the most efficient way to catch as many bait fish and to keep them alive until they are to be used for luring big-game fish. Using a fishing boat in Dubai allows you to use fishing lines with multiple hooks with a relatively low risk of tangling, and allows you to keep the caught bait fish in a live tank with constant water flow to ensure the water remains sufficiently oxygenated.

When fishing for bait fish in Dubai, the two most popular species to target are small Barracudas and Orange-spotted Trevallies, the latter being the most popular. Both Barracudas and Orange-spotted Trevallies are common in the waters of Dubai near visible rocky structures that rise above the surface of the water, such as near wave breakers or manmade islands, at depths between 7m to 12m. However, such bait fish are only common within the time period starting 30 minutes before sunrise up to one hour following sunrise

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Live Orange-spotted Trevally Swimming Underwater - IG @scuba.solhefa

The easiest way to catch bait fish is to attach a bottom rig to a fishing rod and keep jigging it (moving the rod up and down). Such bottom rigs should consist of 6 feathered hooks and should be of size 14 or 16, which are commonly found in fishing stores in Dubai. At the end of the line, attach a sinker to keep the line on and near the sea floor.

Once you hook your first bait fish, be sure to reel the line in gently. Sudden dramatic changes in depth may result from reeling in the fish too quickly and may cause the fish to die. Once the fish is reeled in, handle the fish gently without applying much pressure when unhooking the fish. It is even preferred not to touch the fish at all, if possible, while unhooking. Once unhooked, put the fish into the live bait tank. It is okay to keep both Barracudas and Orange-spotted Trevallies in the same live bait tank, as the Barracudas will not attach the Orange-spotted Trevallies within a live bait tank. However, exercise care when handling Barracudas as they have a tendency to attempt to bite fishermen.

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