The Saltwater Fishing "Bait Matching" Trick For Boosting Your Catch Count

No matter what species of fish you are targetting... no matter where in the world you are fishing... this "bait matching" trick can quickly increase the number of fish you catch. Period.

First of all, and this is pretty obvious: make sure you are fully equipped with the correct rod, tackle, rig, and equipment necessary to haul in the exact species of fish you are going for. This is elementary stuff, and just a little research on Google will tell you all you need to know.

The real trick comes in "matching" all of this equipment/tackle/rigging to your bait...and matching that bait exactly to your species of fish. Sounds easy, but you'd be blow away how many fishermen ignore this.

Let's focus on your bait first.

For most species, live bait is the way to go. Here are the big 3:

1. Bait fish - these include a variety of small prey fish like sardines, shrimp, mullet, pinfish, ballyhoo, eels, herring, menhaden, and squid. There's something in this list for everyone.

2. Worms - these include blood worms, sand worms, and even earth worms. Great for certain species!

3. Squid - the "candy" of the sea. Great for trolling and bottom fishing. Not always easy to come by...but wicked good for getting a lot of action.

You can always test artificial baits, and you an find some success on some species...but as a rule, if you want to catch fish, start with live bait.

And the real key of everything is to "match your bait" to your equipment, to the species of fish.

Do this, and catching them will be a heck of a lot easier. First, you've got to determine the type of species you are targeting. Next, setup the proper equipment and tackle to catch that species... and then pick a bait that "matches" both the fish species (and size), and your equipment and tackle.

It sounds simple and elementary, but I've seen so many people getting it wrong.

Of course, there's another piece of the puzzle...your technique. Here are 4 popular techniques that can work for a variety of fish:

Technique #1: Trolling

I always recommend starting a trip with a few trolling runs through likely spots. You can cover a lot of water quickly with this, and "find the hot zones" quickly. I recommend rigging several rods at several depths with a variety of baits.

Technique #2: Drift Fishing

With this, put yoru boat just "up current' from a good fishing spot and cut your motor. Allow the boat to drift through the spot with the current. Bottom bouncing rigs work great for drifting as they move naturally through the water and bounce.

Technique #3: Bottom Bouncing

For this, just anchor the boat in a good spot. Drop your bait to the bottom, and then bring it up a few clicks one you hit bottom. After several minutes bring it up a few more clicks and wait. Then a few more clicks and wait. Keep coming up this way and you'll quickly find the depth they are holding.

Now get out there and go fishing... :)