AS SEEN IN THE MARCH/APRIL 2005 ISSUE

Anchovies, or glass minnows, are small, oily fi sh that make excellent baits or chum. Anchovies are found in temperate waters from New England to the Gulf of Mexico. They are pelagic and feed on copepods, zooplankton, and tiny fi sh and crustacean larvae. Adult anchovies are rarely larger than three inches long.

They have large eyes, an under-slung mouth, and a translucent body, hence the glass minnow moniker. Anchovies are usually found in shallow coastal waters, estuaries and bays throughout Floridas east and Gulf coasts.

Schools of thousands of anchovies can be seen during the calm summer months along both coasts of Florida. These fi sh move inshore in the warm summer and farther offshore in the cool winter months. Glass minnows appear as silver shimmers in the water close to shore. When they are feeding on the surface, the surface resembles tiny rain drops hitting the water. These schools make excellent targets for well-aimed casts, as feeding snook are frequently close by.

Anchovies can be caught using a fi ne-mesh cast net or seine, but are not a hardy bait and will die quickly in the livewell. In addition, their small size means that they can quickly clog even the best wells. However, both live and dead anchovies make enticing bait and chum. Tossing handfuls of anchovy chunks is an excellent way of a t t r a c t i n g predatory fi sh to the boat. Anchovies are commonly sold in large frozen blocks and are sometimes packaged as either glass minnows or silversides. They are cheap at around fi ve dollars for a fi ve pound block at your local tackle shop. These large frozen blocks should be thawed, and then the bait is ready to use for a variety of inshore and offshore species. Post-thaw anchovies tend to get soft and mushy, so they should be used while as fresh as possible.

Fish these small baits on a jig or multiple hook bottom rig. It may be necessary to hook the silverside more than once, as they have a tendency to fall or get nibbled off the hook without much resistance. One of the best ways to employ anchovies is to cut them into small pieces for chum. Simply thaw the anchovies and cut them into tiny pieces with a sharp pair of stainless steel scissors or bait knife. Toss out a handful behind the boat or stick some in a chum bag. Dont over-chum though; the idea is to entice fi sh, not feed them.

There are several good artifi cial imitations of glass minnows. Small jigs and spoons imitate anchovies well as long as they are close in size and have some silver fl ash. These lures should be worked along the edge or through the schools of minnows near shore. Jigs and spoons can also be cast out into the chum line and retrieved to invite a bite.

Flies provide perhaps the best imitation of the small silversides. The action and size of minnow fl ies so closely resembles the real thing that fi sh cant tell the difference. Small 2 to 3 inch streamers tied on #1 or 2 hooks with lots of fl ash will defi nitely draw strikes from fi sh feeding on glass minnows. Flashy silver Clouser minnows work well in deeper water, such as when Spanish mackerel are feeding near shore in 15 to 20 feet of water. The natural action of a stripped fl y lends itself to perfectly imitating glass minnows, and strikes are usually frequent and swift. Flies should be fi shed near or through schools of glass minnows. Dock lights can also attract schools of silversides. Jig and fl y imitations tossed underneath docks will inevitably draw savage strikes from hungry snook or tarpon.

There are two schools of thought regarding glass minnow imitations. The fi rst theorizes that the artifi cial lure should match the color and size of the prevalent bait as closely as possible. This way the predatory fi sh cant tell the difference between a fake lure and a real wounded fi sh. On the other hand, the second school of thought theorizes that the lure should be slightly different in size, shape, or color. Some believe the slight difference in appearance allows a predator to single out the artifi cial bait from the rest of the school. The difference may convince a predator that the lure is a wounded, deformed, or helpless fi sh.

Both theories have valid points, so it is best to have both a perfect anchovy imitation, and one that is slightly off. This way it is possible to adjust the lure and presentation to the predatory fi shs particular feeding pattern at a given place and time. This applies not only to anchovies, but just about every other bait as well.

Anchovies are a delicious little bait that fi sh (and some people) cant resist. Their delicate fl ash and oily fl esh are defi nite fi sh attractants. Using anchovies and their imitations in your game plan is a ticket to consistent success.

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