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While bait choices often come down to personal preference, there are many types of fishing that lend themselves far better to live bait than to top water plugs or heavy diamond jigs. The secret to success with live bait fishing is and understanding of where to find the right live bait for your needs. It is also important to know when frozen bait is sufficient and where live bait will do you more good.

Bait is another investment that you make when you are a regular angler. In fact, purchasing live bait at a local tackle shop can run you into some serious money over the course of fishing season. This is compounded with the inconvenience to you in finding the bait in the first place, and transporting it to the area where you plan to fish. All too often, this process results in you having lethargic bait as the baitfish do not adapt that well to all the shuffling around and they tend to get rather stressed out over this entire process. All this of course is assuming that you were able to find the bait you wanted at the bait shop. Sometimes, your bait is easier to acquire if you make the decision to catch it yourself.

Striped bass fishermen in the northeast have long known that their preferred diet consists mainly of menhaden. Known locally as “bunker”, these baitfish are plentiful in bait shops, but they are also fairly easy to catch with a snagging hook or a cast net. The best part of this is that they can easily remain totally active and alive for several hours in a live well and are practically guaranteed to produce far superior results over frozen or dead bait (or lures). While bunker are typically best fresh, leftovers can also be frozen and used during later trips, in the event that you’re unable to find fresh bait.

Live bait is very helpful if you are fluke fishing as well. While it may be easier to use dead and frozen bait, live bait can often provide an edge over those who are fishing with frozen bait. Mummichogs are the preferred bait for summer flounder. They can easily be found in creeks, the mouths of rivers, and other shallow estuaries that are typically found along the coast. It is not unusual to find these mummies in marinas. Place a trap and simply put a can of wet cat food into your trap, and within 30 minutes if you’ve placed in the right spot you’ll have all the bait you need.

Blackfish season in the Northeast means that many fishermen will be looking for green crabs. While they are easy to find in most bait shops, they tend to be rather expensive. The predicament comes in that blackfish are great at stealing this bait off the hook. Most anglers have discovered that in the long run, they will be far better off financially if they purchase a cheap crab trap. Rocks, jetties, docs, marinas and creeks are hiding spots for green crabs and Asian crabs. They swarm there in the thousands. It is not difficult to catch them, simply throw a filleted fish carcass into your trap and before you know it, you can fill a 5 gallon bucket.

While not everyone wants to take the time to catch their own bait, some find that it’s as much of a challenge as game fishing. It also allows you to learn more about the fish you intend on landing by learning the habits of their preferred prey. Not only can catching your own bait save you money, but it can help you become a better angler.

When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Saltwater Reels, Penn Reels, and Daiwa Saltwater Reels.

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