Island Free Press ...Fishing

A guide to natural baits for surf fishing

By JOE MALAT

"What’s biting and how do I catch ‘em?"

Those are two basic questions that are asked hundreds of times each week in tackle shops on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

Some species of fish commonly caught from the surf, piers, or small boats along the Outer Banks will frequently prefer artificial lures, but most cannot resist the offer of a fresh, natural, or live bait. Why settle for an imitation when you can have the real thing?

There are many types of locally popular natural baits, but I would like to highlight a few of the most popular that are used during the summer and early fall.

Squid is versatile because it can be prepared in a variety of different ways for several different species of fish. Local bait shops sell squid that has been frozen in half- pound packs or one-pound boxes. Squid takes a bit of time to properly prepare.

First, lay the squid flat on your bait board. Next, cut off the head and tentacles, then cut the squid lengthwise down its body and scrape out the insides. Turn the squid over and scrape or peel off the outside skin.

Finally, cut the white, firm piece of squid meat into strips or chunks to fit the size of fish you are seeking or size hook you are using. The head, with tentacles attached, can be used whole for cobia or drum, or the tentacles can be cut up and laced on a hook for spot, croaker, or sea mullet.

Squid strips are excellent for flounder and gray trout, but just about anything that swims will eat squid. Leftover squid will re-freeze well, if it has been kept cool and out of the sun.

Bloodworms are the old standby as bottom-fishing bait for pier and surf anglers. Bloodworms are sold alive, usually in packs of 10 and will stay alive for several days if kept cold in a cooler or refrigerator. Be careful not to let them fall down in the fresh water at the bottom of the cooler, since that will kill them in short order.

Oddly enough, the bloodworms we use for bait do not come from North Carolina. They are harvested from saltwater marshes along the coasts of New England and Canada, then shipped to the regional bait distributors, who in turn package them and distribute them to the bait and tackle shops. A tiny bloodworm covers a lot of territory before it ends up on your hook.

Bloodworms are excellent for bottom feeders, such as spot, croakers, and sea mullet. Fish with them on small hooks and cut them into pieces of about an inch long. Simply thread the worm on the hook, past the barb. It's not necessary to hide your hook point.

Locally, any kind of cut fish used for bait is called "cut bait.” The most popular cut bait along the coast is mullet, an oily fish with very tough skin. These are also known as "jumping mullet," and shouldn't be confused with sea mullet, a completely different species that is an excellent table fish and not a baitfish.

Mullet range in size from finger mullet of only a few inches long to giants that may weigh two or three pounds. They are caught in gill nets or cast nets in the sound and ocean. Most tackle shops will sell them fresh when they are available, but fresh mullet may not always be available, depending on the weather and the season of the year. For me, frozen mullet is a poor second choice, and I’ll only buy it when nothing else is available.

Mullet can be filleted and then cut into strips to fit your hook. The small mullet can be filleted, steaked, or used half or whole. I prefer the first two options. If I am going to cut the bait in chunks or strips, I scale it first. This doesn't make any difference to the fish that might eat the bait, but it is so much easier to put a hook through the bait if it has been scaled. Mullet scales are like armor plating.

Some Hatteras and Ocracoke shops also sell menhaden, especially during the fall when big stripers and drum are around. Menhaden is great bait, but the oily flesh and skin are very soft, and it doesn’t stay on the hook as well as mullet.

Shrimp is excellent bait for surfcasters, boaters, and pier fishermen, especially during the warm water months of June through September. I use shrimp in the surf only when I'm targeting pompano or sea mullet. Many shops sell frozen shrimp, but fresh is by far the best bait because it will stay on the hook much longer than frozen.

I use shrimp often when fishing on the soundside of Hatteras and Ocracoke, because shrimp is a natural food for the fish that live in these waters. Shrimp works well on bottom rigs for croakers and spot, and a bucktail or lead head jig “tipped” with a bit of fresh shrimp is a good teaser for speckled trout.

Mole crabs, commonly called “sand fleas,” are at the low end of the budget on the bait menu. These small bug-like crustaceans live in the damp sand along the ocean beach between the low and high tide marks. Tackle shops don't usually sell them, because they are relatively easy for anyone to obtain for free. They can be dug by hand or captured with specially made wire mesh scoops.

Sand fleas are prime bait for pompano, but I have caught sea mullet, flounder, puppy drum, croakers, and speckled trout on them.

Sand fleas will stay alive for several hours after being caught, if they are kept in a bucket of cool, damp beach sand. Don’t put them in a bucket of water. They will die quickly.   They may be hooked from either the top or underside of their shell but will live only a few minutes and small fish will easily nibble them off your hook.

Fish can be fooled into eating just about anything, but there is no substitute for fresh or live baits. The major appeal of natural bait is the smell and the appearance of the offering. Fresh bait will stay fresh if it is kept cold and out of the sun. Experienced anglers take good care of their bait, and they will change their baits when they become old, washed out and lose their scent.

(Joe Malat lives in Nags Head and is a professional outdoor writer and book author, and he operates the Outer Banks Surf Fishing Schools. He writes about saltwater fishing along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and is published regularly in national and regional magazines. To order his books, or request information about the Outer Banks Surf Fishing Schools, visit Joe’s web site at: www.joemalat.com.)