Saltwater fishing may require both fresh bait and artificial lures.  While there are some times that a 16 ounce diamond jig sinking quickly to the bottom is sufficient to stir up school of bluefish, there are other times when fresh live bait is exactly what you are looking for.

Fresh bait can be extremely expensive and quite a nuisance. First you need to spend a small fortune at a live bait shop, and then you have to transport it to the boat to get to live fishing grounds. Unfortunately, all of this moving tends to upset the fresh bait, and by the time you arrive at your fishing spot, but they could be very stressed. This is of course assuming that you are able to find the live bait you with looking for at your local bait shop. There are times, when it’s preferable to gather your live bait yourself.

Anglers in the Northeast love chasing striped bass. Fortunately, the favorite food of the striped bass is menhaden which is known locally as a bunker. The good thing about bunker is it is usually readily available in nearly all bait shops. The downside of this is that it’s nearly always frozen.  However, rather than purchasing frozen bait that could be very old, you can find fresh bunker fairly easily. These bait fish can be caught using hooks or nets by the hundreds. Any leftovers you can freeze them in the event you’re unable to locate fresh bait for a future fishing trip.

For those who enjoy fluke fishing, you’ve probably already discovered that fresh bait wins hands down over frozen or dead bait, or in fact over artificial bait. In fact, almost any angler will tell you that the opportunity to fish with live bait gives them an advantage over their fellow fisherman who have resorted to frozen bait or plugs. Fortunately for these anglers, fluke enjoy mummichogs (more commonly called mummies).  They’re easy to locate in river mouths, shallow estuaries and creeks along saltwater shores.  In fact, if you are fishing near a marina, you can easily use a minnow trap to get more mummies than you can use.  Simply drop the trap into an area where they are schooling with canned cat food in it and before you know it you’ll have hundreds of mummies.

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 Fishing Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Reels.

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