I fished the flats on an evening dropping tide and decided to embark on a small test to see what would be more effective, cut bait or lures.  It wasn’t a scientifically controlled test by any means, and would have to run multiple times.

I was using a bait casting rig that let me fish the lures and bait slowly, near the bottom.  A spinning setup would’ve worked also.

The three bait choices were:

• cut bait
• Makata strip lure (clear ice)
• Kastmaster (3/8 oz gold with trailer), untipped and tipped with cut bait

The trade winds were strong and the fish activity was low.  Unlike the previous trip to this spot where various reef fish were caught, only the small 4 – 6 inch omilus were chasing the baits.  All the omilus were caught on the cut bait and a surprise 14 inch kaku was also hooked in the shallows on that setup.  That kaku made two runs right at me and I had to jump out of its way!

The Makata strip lure was chased by the omilus but they just nipped at the tail of the strip and didn’t get hooked.  The Kastmaster also got bumped but perhaps the single siwash hook I was using was too big for their little mouths.  The cut bait on a smaller hook fit in the mouths of the fish easier.

Summary: On this day where the bite was slow, cut bait reigned supreme.  If the fish were feeding voraciously, lures may have done better.