What Is live bait?
What is live bait? Is Mamun used as fish bait? In this article, we provide a detailed explanation about everything you’d want to know about live bait.
What is live bait?
Live bait is a mud crab species with the scientific name Upogebia sp. Native to the shores and estuaries of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, mamun is a crustacean.
Seen as a valuable food source, mamuns are commercially harvested in some areas (such as fish bait). Overfishing and habitat destruction are issues, leading to rapid declines in their population.
Features
Live bait has a greenish-brown shell. Its legs and arms (claws) can be green or brown. They have claws that open towards the tips in a color close to cream. In appearance, they resemble more of a shrimp than a crab, and they can be up to 10 cm in length and 8 cm in width. So, where does mamun live?
This burrowing species lives in marshes, tidal streams, and soft sands of muddy plains. They feed on detritus (a community of microorganisms) and other small organisms. Live bait is also a crucial food source for water birds and predatory fish species.
Their reproduction results in larvae. Carried by currents, the larvae settle in estuaries and shores, where they mature. During this process, they molt several times.
Can live bait Be Used As Fish Bait?
Many anglers say they catch more when using live bait. It’s commonly used in the Aegean Sea region and is an essential part of the fishing tackle there. Its lively behavior on the hook attracts fish, making fishing easier.
Thanks to their hard shells and bodies, they can last a long time when used as live bait. They should be correctly attached to the hook to prevent them from falling off during casting. So, how should live bait be attached to the hook?
How to Hook live bait?
If you want to use live bait, you must attach it correctly. How it’s attached can even affect the size of the fish you catch. It’s also recommended to use bait string to ensure they last longer. The answer to the question “How is live bait attached?” can be understood clearly in the following video.
Which Fish Can Be Caught Using live bait?
Live bait is commonly used to catch the following predatory fish species:
- Sea Bream
- Sea Bass
- Whiting
- Saddled Seabream
- Black Sea Bream
- Boops boops
- Red Sea Bream
- Bluefish
It’s also important to consider the bait preferences of the area where you’re fishing. Live bait is known to be commonly used along the Aegean coast.
Price of live bait
How much does live bait cost? Mamun bait is considered to be among the more affordable live baits. Live bait prices vary depending on whether they are alive or dead and their sizes.
FAQs
Where Can Mamun Be Found?
They are found in shallow parts of the seas, in estuaries, and in muddy, sandy areas. Additionally, there are various methods to catch them.
How Is Mamun Bait Caught?
Enter the water in estuaries and muddy areas up to about knee level. Then, as if hitting the ground, stir up the bottom with your feet, and using a scoop, capture the mamun that appear in that area.
