Target Fish and Bait

from A Guide to Tropical Seaside Fishing

Gone Fishing

Target Fish: Typically, the most common fish available are Snappers and Jacks - specifically, Mutton & Lane Snappers and Pompano & Crevalle Jacks. Other fish such as Grunt, Tarpon, Snook and Barracuda can also be found, but takes a little more work.

Snappers and Grunts live near rocks or other underwater structure and tend to eat fresh cut bait off the bottom of the ocean. They can also be found along grass beds. Snappers can be quite common, Grunts less so. Crevalle and other Jacks feed at all levels and prefer live bait or shrimp & crabs. Tarpon and Snook love live baits or flashy artificial lures pulled swiftly through the water. Barracudas feed anywhere they like and will eat almost anything.

Bait: The fresher the bait the better. If you wouldn’t eat it, neither will the fish! There is a large variety of bait available: Sprat (Pilchards), Bang, Mullet, Bonito, Shrimp, Squid, and small Sea Crabs. Live bait and Soldier / Hermit Crabs are hard to catch, but do make excellent bait. Artificial baits are only for cast & retrieve type of fishing or trolling from a moving boat.

Here’s an important note: Make sure your hands are as scent-free as possible before handling your baits. Wash your hands thoroughly after applying sun block, insect repellant and hand sanitizer. I use seawater and a little sand to try scrub off the scent.

Mutton Snapper

Red Snapper

Dog Teeth Snapper

Lane Snapper

Grunt

Snappers & Grunt: Feeds off the bottom, near rocks. Best bait - live Stripers, cut Sprat or Bang, Shrimp, Mullet chunks, Bonito chunks and Squid. Easy to moderate fighting fish. Typical weight from 2lb to 16lb

Pompano and Crevalle Jack: Feeds at all levels. Best bait – live Stripers, shelled out Soldier Crab, Shrimp, cut Sprat. Heavy fighting fish. Typical weight from 3lb to 20lb

Tarpon: Feeds near top of water. Best bait – live Stripers or any sliver / flashy artificial pulled at good speed. These are extremely heavy fighting fish, known to jump. Typical weight from 15lb to 100lb

Snook: Lies in waiting in dirty water. Best bait - live Stripers or any sliver / flashy artificial pulled at good speed. Careful of very sharp top of gill plate. Moderate fighting fish, known to jump. Typical weight from 4lb to 12lb

Barracuda: Usually feeds near top of water, but has been known to feed off bottom under extreme circumstances. Best bait - live Stripers, cut Sprat or Bang, Shrimp, Mullet chunks, Bonito chunks and Squid. Moderate fighting fish, known to jump. Typical weight from 2lb to 20lb. 48 CAUTION: Barracuda has been known to carry the ciguatera toxin. Ants, insect or small animal test is unreliable / refuted. I only the smaller ones –

Sprat (a.k.a.Pilchards) are oily, flavourful fish. The bigger the better and firmer, longer-lasting they will be. They are widely available. I buy mine at any fishing village, directly from the fisherman as he picks them from his net. If you buy from the vendors, you will pay an inflated price. They will also usually be soaked on water and therefore very soft.

Bang look almost the same except for a slight bluish color.

Bonito are meaty, bloody fish and will put nice scent in the water. Generally available at fishing villages.

Mullet are very tough fish - excellent for lazy fishermen who can’t be bothered to change their bait too often. Generally available at fishing villages. Make sure to scale the fish before you try to cut a slab or put your hook through.

Fresh Shrimp are considered premium bait. Generally available at fishing villages. They put excellent scent in the water. If stored properly, the leftovers can be had for dinner when you get home.

Squid are good bait. Available at any of the retail seafood stores in cleaned or raw form. Make sure to keep in lots of ice, as they turn bad quite easily.