Articles

Common Baits for the Surf
by Eric Peterson

With the recent ending of the herring season, some people turn their attention towards other baits like bunker, clams, mullet, eels and even crabs. Most tackle shops will carry fresh or frozen bunker. Bunker chunking is a great way to fish for bass or bluefish. Another bait, and my favorite, is the eel. I usually will go through a few hundred eels a year. I buy my eels by the pound instead of by the dozen. These baits can last me to the end of the season. But for the angler who fishes them on occasion, buying them buy the dozen is much simpler, and can keep them alive for 2 to 3 weeks, even longer. There are two ways to keep eels alive, but one thing to remember is to always use a dark colored container. The first way is for people who have accessibility to a dock. Start by getting a 5-gallon bucket with a lid. Drill about (30) 1/4 inch holes around the bucket. Put a few round rocks, the size of baseballs, on the bottom of the bucket for ballast. You can hold 50 to 75 eels at a time. Once every week crush a small, but legal, blue claw crab or two and drop it in the bucket for food. Then you just keep them in water at your dock. On occasion check to see if any eels died and take them out along with the crabs shells and other pieces. The other way is a two-bucket system. This is for the angler who does not have access to a dock, but can keep the eels outside in a cool area. Take both buckets and drill (12) 1/4 inch holes on the bottom. One bucket must have a lid, this will be the top bucket. Put the two buckets together. This will be the setup. The eels go in the bottom bucket, and block ice goes in the top bucket. As the ice melts, it keeps the eels moist and cool, and the water will drain out the bottom of the eel bucket, so not to kill them. It is easy to make block ice, just fill a half-gallon milk container and freeze it. Mullet is another great summer time bait for bass and bluefish. Mullet can be netted yourself or purchased at most bait and tackle shops. You will need a mullet rig to fish these baits. Clams are the most commonly used bait at the Jersey shore. Fresh, in the shell, pre shucked, frozen, or salted. This bait is fished in a multitude of ways. A few of the rigs used are the Hi-low, fish finder, float rig, and the surf rig.

The last bait is for people who want to catch those bass of 20 pounds or more. This bait is the shedder crab. It can be found after the June full moon. The only way to get these baits fresh is to rake them yourself. Some of the local tackle shops carry the crab rakes from Clam Out. Clams rakes should not be used. The best time to rake for crabs is at low tide around the pockets of the jetties or the deep pools of water for around the sandbars. The best time to fish them is on the incoming tide. Using a 7/0 Gamakatsu Octopus style hook, You put the hook thru one of the leg sockets and lay the hook on the bottom of the crab and tie the hook on using elastic thread, the same thread you would use for clams. These are just a few pointers to help get you started. Most of the bait and tackle shops or your local guide service can help you with your set -up.

Eric Peterson is the owner of Peterson Custom Rod & Tackle and High Tide Guide Service. He can be reached at (732) 280-5045 or at Petcustrod@aol.com for information and reservations.