The differences between freshwater and saltwater fishing include the types of bait best suited to land your fish. Within the realm of sea fishing, an array of bait choices exist to help effectively land the type of fish that most interests you.
Shellfish
Shellfish such as shrimp, prawns, crab, mussels, clams and oysters tend to attract reef fish, including cod, drummer, snapper and grouper, according to the website Sea-Ex. Additionally, shrimp and prawns serve as effective bait in catching yellowtail, flounder, marine perch and barramundi. Australian salmon have a preference for mussels, abalone, clams and oysters. Hermit crabs frequently show up as bait, but they must be extracted from their shells and should always be placed on the hook tail first.
Worms
Worms are useful bait in sea fishing and many of them can be found in the mud and sand surrounding the water during low tide. Beach worms and blood worms both reliably attract flounder, flathead and Australian salmon, while the king ragworm commonly attracts larger sea fish including cod and bass, according to the Sea-fishing.org. Common lugworms serve well as an all-around bait for most smaller species.
Seaweed, Bread and Cheese
Effective bait is not limited to the creatures in and around the sea. Sea-Ex reports that marine seaweed attracts drummer, mullet and bream. Going away from the ocean as a source for bait, bread has resulted in success going after mullet, yellowtail and slimy mackerel. Cheese also appeals to the yellowtail and mackerel as well as garfish and tommy ruff. While it might not come as a surprise that steak, liver and chicken attract sharks, they also work well with bream, yellowtail and tommy ruff.
Mackerel and Squid
The image of fishing at sea often conjures images of going after larger fish from the back of a boat as it trolls the waters. According to Sea-fishing.org, mackerel and squid are effective baits if trolling for larger fish. Mackerel, the site reports, is the most important of all baits and can be used effectively for nearly every species of fish, whether working from shore or a boat. Squid also helps with larger fish such as cod or bass and can also be cut into strips for use on smaller fish.
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