How to Use baitfish in a Sentence

baitfish

noun
  • The lights draw in baitfish, which in turn attract whale sharks.
    — Peter Guest, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2017
  • Live shad or small baitfish under a popping cork are the best bet.
    — Frank Sargeant, al, 28 Feb. 2020
  • Bull reds are schooling off the beach and will hit all sorts of spoons, jigs and live baitfish.
    — Frank Sargeant, AL.com, 6 Oct. 2017
  • Just as in summer, bass will prowl the weeds in pursuit of baitfish.
    — Dr. Jason Halfen, Outdoor Life, 2 Jan. 2020
  • As the baitfish head shallow to soak up the sun, the bass won’t be far behind.
    — Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2026
  • As long as there are baitfish to replicate, the A-rig will do the trick.
    — Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The fish uses it in the wild by swinging it back and forth through a school of small baitfish.
    — Ed Killer, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2022
  • Of course, live bait such as worms, crawdads, and small baitfish work well for catching both species.
    — Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Target the edges of deep holes or eddies where baitfish can rest out of the current.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 13 June 2024
  • Small live baitfish can be effective for blue and channel cats, too.
    — Popular Science, 1 June 2020
  • For baitfish, there has been goggle eye jacks and ballyhoo around the pier.
    — Alan Sherman, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
  • This means that come early spring, cats waking from the cold have lots of dead baitfish on the bottom to eat.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
  • When a baitfish hits the water, however, the bass kicks into high gear and grabs its lunch.
    — Todd Masson, NOLA.com, 19 June 2017
  • Chartreuse over white, olive over white, and blue over white are just a few staples when trying to match baitfish species.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Once the sun goes down the walleye head for the rocky shallows to feed on gizzard shad and other baitfish.
    — D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 12 May 2022
  • In both lakes and rivers, catfish get in tune with spring migrations of baitfish like shad and herring.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Catfish are meat eaters, and in the case of flatheads, live baitfish are preferred forage.
    — Popular Science, 1 June 2020
  • Both species, however, use their massive dorsal fins—or sails—to herd baitfish.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 9 Nov. 2023
  • The slicks result from trout and other fish attacking baitfish.
    — Frank Sargeant, al, 2 Apr. 2020
  • Large redfish are also running along this bar, and can be caught on live croaker or other baitfish.
    — Frank Sargeant, al, 27 Aug. 2021
  • Sheepshead are crustacean eaters and have no interest in a lively baitfish, a fresh piece of cut bait or chunks of frozen squid.
    — Brent Gaskill, Tampa Bay Times, 21 Feb. 2017
  • The effect when retrieved is a small school of baitfish hurrying through the water.
    — Frank Sargeant, al, 29 Sep. 2019
  • Large schools of baitfish, juvenile anchovies and krill, have arrived.
    — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2018
  • After the storm rolls in, fish are less likely to suspend in the water column and will move around with the baitfish.
    — Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
  • These baits are designed to mimic gobi, shad, herring, and other small baitfish.
    — Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 25 May 2023
  • Figuring out the tides, learning about the baitfish present, and learning to read the beach can keep anyone’s hands full.
    — Alberto Knie, Field & Stream, 22 June 2023
  • On bright sunny days, schools of baitfish will move to the top of the water column to feed on phytoplankton.
    — Kubie Brown, Outdoor Life, 3 Oct. 2024
  • The baits are cast unweighted into the thick of the schooling baitfish and allowed to drift with the current.
    — Frank Sargeant, AL.com, 21 May 2017
  • Don’t be afraid to try oversized swimbaits and umbrella rigs for fish that are focused on eating baitfish.
    — Jeff Gustafson, Outdoor Life, 6 Jan. 2021
  • In white or silver a grub can represent a baitfish when reeled quickly through the middle of the water column.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baitfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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