# Piggy perch for bait?



## nixstix (Sep 8, 2005)

Do any of you guys use "piggy perch" for trout/reds/flounder? I catch dozens of them in my minnow trap at my place in Sargent and instead of always buying live shrimp for the kids, I thought about using them since the price is right. I have an O2 system so I know I can keep them alive. Input is welcome.


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## PHINS (May 25, 2004)

Piggy are great bait. I have seen some really big trout caught at the surfside jetty on them. A few star winning trout have been landed on them over the years.


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## speckledred (Jun 1, 2004)

You bet piggy's are a great bait. Price is right too.


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## raz1056 (Jun 16, 2006)

I fished them 20 years ago with a guide out of AP and he would not use anything else. His name was Al Pace and he had a brother named Jackie. Just a short story, we stopped and trolled up to a very large platform in CC bay with 4 boats around it catching nothing. He removed our popping corks and we tightlined the piggies and caught a two man limilt in about 20 minutes, pulled up anchor and trolled away.:dance:


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## cubanfisher (May 15, 2009)

Yea ... Piggy's are great bait for specs! I usually buy my bait over at uncle bucks right before 61st, and and whenever they have them i get me a dozen. ive caught a few good trout off of them back when i used to fish off the flagship!


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## AM Cloutier (Jun 17, 2005)

good trout bait. If you cut the dorsal fin off it makes it easier for the trout to inhale.


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## redfishking11 (Oct 15, 2008)

I used some about two weeks ago on my surf rods live and caught some sharks on them.


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## scwine (Sep 7, 2006)

My wife caught a 29.5" trout on a Piggy Perch.


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

[jedi mind trick]Piggy perch are terrible trout bait. Use dead shrimp.[/jedi mind trick]


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## fwoodwader (Jul 18, 2008)

So I guess the consensus says they are an effective bait...

Do you hook them like a finger mullet or is there a trick to using them?


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

Hook them on the dotted line between the 23rd and 25th dot :biggrin: Or just behind the dorsal if that is easier...


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## rvj (May 14, 2006)

They are great offshore also.....


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## hardhead34 (Sep 6, 2007)

MY 7 YEAR OLD CAUGHT A 7 POUND TROUT USING PIGGIES AND MY BUDDIES KID CAUGHT ONE THAT WENT 8 POUNDS USING PIGGIES. I DONT TELL MANY PEOPLE WHAT BAIT WE USE BUT LOOKS LIKE THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG. WHEN WE GO FOR BIG TROUT PIGGIES ARE ALL WE USE...


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## captinharry (Dec 31, 2004)

I hook them in the top of the back just in front of the tail so they can swim, under a cork they will pull it around a lot, hard to kill, last a long time on the hook, trout sense the distrested movement, easy to get a bunch in a cast net.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

what size do you all use or works better?


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

Piggies are a great bait as stated above for big trout. But you will not get as much action from smaller(keeper) size trout as you do on shrimp. 
When taking kids fishing Action is most important to keep them interested. Hard to beat a live shrimp for action from all types of fish and to keep a kid happy with something pulling on the end of the line. 
Most kids just want to catch fish. They don't tend to care what kind. Have fun and take lots of pictures.


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## Big Mike M (May 29, 2007)

If the piggies are small, don't be afraid to hook two at a time. I know a guide down in Corpus that only uses this method and hammers the fish. Trouts and Reds both love them.


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

{{not}} Gut hook them so they hang upside down. {{not}}


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## haparks (Apr 12, 2006)

wow i wish i had known this last weekend--thtas all i was catching was piggies


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## gp2394 (Jul 1, 2008)

what's a piggy? Is that a swine under 120 lbs.?


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## TOOEXTREME (Jun 23, 2004)

*PERCH PIGGY OR PIN*

Do you know if they are piggy perch or are the pin perch. There is a difference.


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## Lesto (Mar 4, 2005)

Caught a 18" flounder this morning over in Trinity bay. Threw him into the live well, and when I got home, there were two piggy perch, both about 4" long, it threw up in the live well with it.. I'd say they would make pretty good bait.


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## redfish bayrat (Feb 17, 2006)

TOOEXTREME said:


> Do you know if they are piggy perch or are the pin perch. There is a difference.


Exactly! I would catch pin perch in my traps and use them for redfish. They were like candy to them in summer.

Piggies are caught by dragging nets like croaker or in traps set in deep water of the bay. Al and Jackie Pace along with Len Jones and other old commercial guys that turned guide used piggies. They are much easier to keep alive than croaker and just as effective.


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## sweenyite (Feb 22, 2009)

I have caught redfish by freelining them.


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## Z (Sep 22, 2014)

I always seem to catch 2 or 3 of these sneaky little fellas during a weekend. They give the softest nibble, but my size 6 treble is great for that. 

now to get to some deep water, muddy bottom and pull up some "gator" trout


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## agonzales1981 (Jun 12, 2008)

Used to use them all the time with my grandpa when i was little, great bait!!


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## MEGABITE (May 21, 2004)

The wife catches the piggy perch, I put it on a big surf rod under a popping cork. Teamwork!


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## mstrelectricman (Jul 10, 2009)

Holy piggies this is an old thread! FACT: Piggies are fish candy. Every fish in the sea loves 'em.

Back in the day we used to catch them using VERY small hooks and use them for trout bait at night. VERY good bait for large trout.


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## Shallow_Minded (Sep 21, 2004)

There's not a better bait for trout and redfish. I've been using them for over 30 years. If you fish with live bait there's nothing better, and they put croakers to shame.


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## sweenyite (Feb 22, 2009)

Holy Resurrected Thread, Batman!


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## houtxfisher (Sep 12, 2006)

Since this thread was brought back from the dead, I'll ask -- is there a difference (in the quality of fish) that you catch using pin perch vs. piggy perch? In my marina, I only catch pin perch and they have been only so-so effective at AJ's. I have read piggys are much better and I have heard they are both equally effective... Is there a measurable difference?


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## mstrelectricman (Jul 10, 2009)

One more thing here, well, two things.
Offshore fish love 'em too and they are VERY good table fair. You just have to be patient. Fry them with skin still on whole and nibble the meat off the bones. Yum!

You may wanna scale 'em first though.


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## Boatflounder (Mar 12, 2007)

How do you catch them in a trap, what bait what depth? Have tries off my pier but no luck.


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## Cudkilla (Nov 5, 2004)

My favorite bait to use when slide rigging for kings or ling off the pier.


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## Brother Bob (Jul 27, 2004)

*Big Bait, Big Fish!*

This trout hit a big piggy perch so I had the print of the fish with bait made!

BB


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## Its Catchy (Apr 10, 2014)

I started using them because every time I cleaned a flounder or trout it had one in its belly.


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## Oceola (Mar 25, 2007)

They are the preferred bait in Florida...Many people have "Pig" boats they use for running their "Pig traps" then they keep them in floating boxes till they use them for fishing. When a trout comes near a Piggie Perch they start grunting and you can feel it in your fishing rod...get ready to set the hook.


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## Garwood57 (Jul 1, 2007)

As everyone says, piggies are great bait for trout and reds. I have more luck with piggies over pin perch, especillay for trout. Pin perch catch a lot of reds. Sometimes for reds, they want croakers over piggies, just have to try different baits.


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## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

If they are better than croaker get ready for piggy perch soaking bashing on 2cool.


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

Boatflounder said:


> How do you catch them in a trap, what bait what depth? Have tries off my pier but no luck.


Academy has a perch trap. Not sure if that is what it is called though. We use on in the canal and get all we need. Throw a bit of bait in the main chamber and you are good to go. Suspend it a few feet near the pier pilings. Don't get the round minnow trap. It is the rectangular one.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

I love fishing with piggies. Use a sabiki rig around the marinas, tip hook with a tiny piece of shrimp and you can catch them pretty fast.


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