How to recognise it
- Rarely more than 6 in long.
- The upper jaw does not stick out past the lower jaw.
- A clearly yellow tail; anglers call them "yellowtails."
Habitat: where it lives
- Usually in the top 5 ft of water, more often where there's a noticeable current. Common in East Texas streams and stocked statewide as forage in many reservoirs.
Habits: behavior, spawning and growth
- Spawns from spring, at about 70°F, into summer.
- Very sensitive to cold: die-offs happen below 45°F.
Where and when
- Usually in the top 5 ft of water.
- Dies off when the water drops below 45°F.
Why these baits work
- Rarely bites a hook, so it's netted. It's what stripers, hybrids and white bass are chasing, which makes it top live bait for them.
How to get it for bait
- A cast net, up to 14 ft across per TPWD. Cast nets are legal for nongame fish and other aquatic life, not game fish.
- Look around marinas and dock lights early in the morning.
- Keep them alive in an aerated bait tank.
Use it as bait for
- Striped bass and hybrid striped bass, live
- Catfish, whole or cut
Tips
- To fish a whole threadfin for catfish, hook it through the top of the head, turn the hook, and hook it again near the tail.
Texas bait rules
- It is unlawful to use any game fish, or part of a game fish, as bait. Nongame fish, such as shad, are legal bait (TPWD).
- Live bait may not be carried away from the lake where it was caught, in or aboard a boat, in that lake's water. Keeping it in lake water while you fish from a boat on that same lake is allowed (TPWD).
- Store-bought live bait that has touched water from a public lake or river may only be used on that same water (TPWD).
Size and bag limits vary by state, species and lake. Current limits: Texas (TPWD); elsewhere, your state's fish and wildlife agency. Check before you keep a fish.
