You can snag plenty of fish at surf line with shrimp bait

Ryan Rich shows off a nice speckled trout catch.

Whether you are an avid angler or a weekend warrior on the water, one of the most difficult decisions is what bait to choose.

If you are considering fishing the surf, dead shrimp is usually the most popular bait. Everything which feeds along our surf line eats shrimp. If you fish with two rods or a double hook rig, you also can use finger mullet or sand fleas as the water temperature rises to attract pompano, blues and trout. If you are looking for shark at the end of your line, any type of cut bait such as pogy, blue fish or mullet will do the trick.

Backwater anglers targeting trout, redfish or flounder will prefer to use live shrimp, mud minnows or finger mullet for their top choices. Puppy drum will bite live or dead shrimp, and sheepshead prefer, fiddler crabs, clams or mussels.

There are such a wide variety of species available to catch at the north or south jetties at any given of time of the year, you need to bring along a variety of bait also. Blue crabs, clams and large shrimp usually will do the trick for redfish or black drum. Live shrimp floated along the rocks will bring you sheepshead, trout or redfish. The sheepshead also will like to have fiddler crabs, clams and mussels at the jetty. Live mud minnows, or finger mullet also will catch speckled trout or redfish. There are abundant amounts of sharks lurking around the deep holes of the jetties. Cut pogies, mullet or any type of cut baitfish will do the trick when targeting sharks.

With the month of April just around the corner, now is the time to think about cobia. Live pogies, mullet, croakers, spots and large squid are all great choices when fishing for the elusive cobia.

I prefer to use live pogies, cigar minnows or Spanish sardines when trolling for kingfish. Ribbonfish, croakers, spots and pinfish are also excellent choices when fishing for kingfish.

Anglers trolling for dolphin and wahoo should choose to use medium or large ballyhoo.

Knowing the right baits for the right species can be confusing, although making the correct choices will make your trip a whole lot easier.

Until next time ... Capt. Jim.