Bait for Saltwater Fishing

Saltwater fishing is one of the most dynamic environments an angler can seek out. Depending on the type of fishing environment and targeted fish, the choice of appropriate fishing bait can widely vary. Two popular forms of live bait for saltwater fishing are prawns and worms. Barley and cabbage are two other types of popular bait for saltwater fishing whether angling from the shore in surf fishing, in saltwater marsh or from a boat at sea.

Rip Currents

Fishing from the shore is always challenging. To find good runs of fish, locating rip currents increases the odds of a good catch. Large fish loiter in eddies and shallow water close to the rip current, looking for small bait fish to eat. Barley is a popular salt water bait to use when fishing rip currents in the surf zone. By using minimal weight with barley, the bait can be worked out further from shore than normally done, which allows for a greater chance of a good catch.

Cabbage Baiting

Chopped cabbage is a common salt water bait for Blackfish. It can be found growing in the wild between the tide marks in low reef areas, boulders, channel markers, buoys and in rock pools. Before use, the cabbage needs to be bound to the fishing line above the hook with an elastic material such as Bait Mate or fine fishing line using a half hitch knot. Once harvested in the wild, cabbage can be saved for a few days before use but has better results if used closer to the time of harvest.

Green Weed Baiting

Green weed is another common saltwater bait for Blackfish. Before use, it should be chopped. To complete the rigging of the bait, it will need to be twisted about the hook with excess weed trimmed off. The best location to find green weed is in small feeder streams or estuaries on rocks, break-walls, pylons, logs and other flat areas. Sometimes, the weed can be hard to reach but can be retrieved with an extension pole.

Baiting with Prawns

Live prawns make good salt water bait for every variety of fish. Keeping the prawns alive ensures a higher rate of success. As a result, when attaching live prawns to hook, it is usually necessary to pass the hook just under the first shell section to prevent killing the prawn. If using dead prawns, threading the fishing hook through the body of the prawn is common.

Barley Baiting

Many times in saltwater fishing the hardest task is to get fish to come to your area. Barley is a good bait. Some proven ingredients to use in barley are: bread, chicken, dog or cat food pellets, shrimp shells, fish, wheat, tuna and oil and bran. When preparing the barley, ensure that the bait will not fall apart when it hits the water.