Shrimp

You can’t really go wrong with shrimp. Shrimp will always catch some type of
saltwater fish. You can use live or dead shrimp and you can fish them with a jig
or on the bottom with a pyramid sinker. With dead shrimp, cut the tail and head
off and just use the meat portion of the shrimp. Live shrimp will work fished on
the bottom, drifting and another method is to let a live shrimp swim freely with the
incoming or outgoing tide. Just hook the shrimp in the back and use just enough
weight to get it down.
The shrimp doesn’t have to be on the bottom, but you don’t want it floating along
the surface either. Some of the fish you will catch with shrimp are snook, permit,
jack crevalle, bonefish, redfish and cobia. These are just a few as you can catch
many other saltwater fish on shrimp.

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Sand Fleas

Sand fleas are the top bait among most surf anglers. The sand flea is not actually a crab, but it looks like a small crab and has many similarities. Sand fleas are often referred to as a mole crab. They can be caught all along the beach in the sand. As the wave recedes from the beach, look for v-shaped ripples in the sand. These are sand fleas that have dug into the sand. Dig them up by hand or with a sand flea rake. Pick up your sand fleas and put them into a container with some moist sand. If you submerge sand fleas in water, they will drown. Keep the container covered in hot weather. A damp cloth will work just fine. Now that you have your bait, set up a bottom rig with a diamond sinker, hook and a sand flea and you are ready to fish the surf. Sand fleas will catch a variety of species such as pompano, whiting, blackfish, redfish, striped bass, black drum, croakers and others.

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Eels

Eels are hated by most fishermen. They can be a mess and they are hard to handle. However, eels
can be an incredible bait, especially for targeting big fish. Eels in the 8 to 16 inch range seem to work best for bait, although fishermen have success with much larger eels. Some of the fish that eat eels are striped bass and tuna.

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Crabs

Crabs can be very effective for many different fish. Most anglers go catch their
own crabs for bait. Some fishermen know how to catch them by hand, but it is
much easier to catch them with a fishing line and a fresh piece of chicken or even a
chicken bone. Drop your chicken down and you will have no problem catching
plenty of bait. Shallow bays, creeks, canals and marshes are the best places to
find crabs. Hard-shell crabs and soft-shell crabs work well for a variety of species.
Hard-shell crabs will catch tarpon and black drum. Soft-shell crabs are great for tarpon, black drum, snook, redfish and blackfish. Pieces of crab will work for many smaller fish.

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Clams

Clams are great baits for saltwater fishing. Some anglers don’t like using them
because it’s tough to keep them on the hook. If you are using fresh clams, the
meat will stay on the hook better. Once clams die, the meat deteriorates
quickly and it will be hard to keep the bait on the hook. Frozen clams can be
effective, but the fresh clams do a better job of staying on the hook.
Clams will catch many species including flounder, sea trout, blackfish, striped bass, porgy, whiting, rockfish and surf perch.

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Clam Worms

Clam worms, often referred to as ragworms or sandworms, are reddish brown
with 4 eyes, 2 sensory feelers and 8 tentacles. You can find clam worms at bait
and tackle shops. Some of the species of fish that will eat a clam worm are
flounder, sea trout, blackfish, striped bass, porgy, whiting, croakers, rockfish and
surf perch.

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Bloodworms

Bloodworms have a pinkish color as their pale skin allows their red body fluids
to show through. They can be found on the bottoms of shallow marine waters.
Bloodworms are poor swimmers, but they are very good at burrowing into the
sand and silt bottoms.

Bloodworms work well for bluefish, sea trout, striped bass, whiting, flounder,
porgy and others.

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