When I meter bait, the vast majority of strikes on the sabiki occur while the rig is sinking down. Use at least a 5 oz weight to allow the rig to sink fast. The commercial bait catchers in Florida use 16 - 24oz, to deter tangled rigs. If the rig does not get hit sinking through, pump and wind up quickly. Once one bait is hooked, its erratic motion will attract other baits to strike, so wind it up slowly. When I worked on head boats in SoCal, I would often double the average passengers catch following those methods.
At night in Florida, a Sabiki with a 1/4 once crappie jig trolled at 1.8-2 kts along the beach in darkness is very effective for catching bait. When the bait is finicky, A rig of 1/8oz crappie with two 1/32oz crappies above it on 15lb or lighter line will outfish a Hayabusa D119. Slow trolling over submerged sand bars perpendicular to the beach generates more strikes than trolling parallel to the beach. A moving head lamp will scare bait. A light shining steadily into the water on a non-moving vessel will attract microorganisms that will eventually attract bait and the whole food chain.
Good luck
