What do you use for bait when pier fishing in salt water? We have been to this pier several times and?

Question

everyone is using live or dead shrimp but no one ever catches anything. Any other suggestions?

Answer 1

Piers can be VERY boring when fishing in salt-water. When fishing a pier you are in "ambush" mode waiting for the tide to bring fish to YOU.

Sometimes the Tide will bring a bonanza of fish, but most of the time the Tide brings "Nadda", or the fish are acclimated to seeing every kind of 3 way rig, Pomp rig, Jig, lure , they just "turn their noses up" to any bait-offering, (unless your using 6 LB line and then ,OF COURSE, they break off!).


There are usually 3 fishing "zones" on a pier in saltwater, (in FLA). "Wave-breaking zone", Middle Zone", & the "Offshore fishing area".

You can catch anything anywhere, BUT, your odds are good that Pomps, Reds, Trout, Sand-Trout, Sheepshead, Angels, Whiting, Snook, Snapper, Flounder, are going to be in the Wave-Zone OR Middle Zone.

Kings, Tarpon, Grouper, Spanish, Wahoo, Dolphin, Etc are gonna almost always be caught at the end of the pier where the "pro pier guys" hang out.

Of all the times I've fished on numerous FLA pier's, I caught more "rays" than fish. Other than a school of 'Macks coming through or the occasional Sheep or schoolie Red, having a "banner day" at a local pier ain't easy. 75 people "lined up" elbow to @ss on a giant "bridge" jutting out into the ocean, ain't my idea of fishing. I've seen people lose some NICE fish because Joe/Janice Blow brought a "snoopy" Rod & Reel to an "elephant hunt".

In other words, go find "greener pasture's" ,(jetty's, river outflows, swamp's, Etc)! You may not catch any MORE fish but at least the "hunting" is fun! (lol)

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Shrimp is a good bait for fishing for pompano in the surf line area as with trout and reds too.I like to fish a live shrimp for snook off piers and bridges so I dont think it is because of the bait!
Other good baits are mole crabs(sand flea's) or small live bull minnows.
What lb test line are you using I use 12 lb for most fish with a lighter or heavier leader as needed.Also use just the needed weight to hold bait on the bottom but not anchor it!
I would try a dropper rig to vertical fish the pilings of the pier for spade fish,sheepshead and other types of fish.
A good thing to do is fish the flows of the tide for some good fishing then hit the surf line for pomps,reds or trout at slack!You will find these fish will cruise the surf line and bars looking for a feed.

Answer 3

Shrimp is an excellent bait for saltwater. Chances are there simply not many fish at the pier. You need to find the fish. If they were there, the shrimp would hook them. If you still don't like using shrimp, you could use salted calms, worms, or shiners. Believe it or not, most who fish don't bring that much home to the table. Outside of the HYPE in local publications, which tells about the ones who did catch something, many catch nothing. For some being outdoors is enough.

Answer 4

What makes salt water fishing thrilling is that no be counted what you're fishing for, you will capture regardless of takes place to be interior the water on the time you're fishing and lern what they are feeding on. there's a brilliant fishing pier on the brink of severe Island on the Texas Gulf Coast that I fairly have fished often with my husband who's now deceased. it fairly is salt water and an quite good fishing pier. we've caught each thing imagineable from that pier. there is not any trick in salt water fishing. We constantly start up with lifeless shrimp and fish with that until eventually we caught a croaker. For loss of a greater proper description, a croaker is a salt water perch. we'd cut back the croaker up into valuable length chunks and fish with that. The trick to catching game fish is in the shape you rig out. Take a pair of one million ounces.swivel sinker and tie it securely to the top of your line (it fairly is greater proper in case you have a steel chief as many salt water fish have tooth or a minimum of an abrasive mouth and could rather cut back your line). next, flow up approximately 18-20 inches from the sinker and securly tie an prolonged loop approximately 18-20 inches long. Pinch off this loop so as which you will feed the whole factor by using a #5 long shank steel hook and then feed this hook back interior the process the loop which you only pulled interior the process the attention. this helps the hook with the bait to choose the flow close tothe backside yet not the on backside of the waterway you're fishing. I fairly have cought in all probability hundreds of speckled trout and reds making use of this methodology. be conscious: the main suitable bait is often the bait complication-loose to the waterway you're fishing. do not understand what this is? seem for a cut back the place the water is flowing out of a slough, marsh, or circulate and throw a forged internet numerous circumstances. you are able to desire to get an theory of what the sport fish are feeding on with this methodology. good success and God bless you.

Answer 5

here in n. carolina and on a lot of other fishing piers shrimp is a popular bait,but,see if you can buy some bloodworms...they are probably the most popular bait on piers in n.c...................

Answer 6

Shrimp,Finger Mullet,Squid,Sand Fleas,Blood worms and any cut bait

Answer 7

I use anchovy but seem to have the best luck with mussle. The problem with mussle is that it falls off easily. You can get a piece of nylon and tie it around it to make it stay though.