Bass Lures In Salt Water?

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

I'm headed down to Long Island for the weekend and we're going to be next to a salt water bay and I was wondering if anyone has had success throwing any sort of bass bait and caught any sort of salt water fish.

I'm bringing some cranks, a large spoon and some flippin baits just for the heck of it. Oh and some swim baits.

Anyway, I'm just gonna cast and see what happens.

Thanks

[Hanover_Yakker]

They do work - quite well actually.  If you're going to be using soft plastics of any sort, step up your jigheads to salt water grade.  Saltwater species fight way harder than freshwater and can straighten a hook out in a hurry.  If you're going after stripers, 6-10" jerk shads like Hogys, Bass Assassins, BKDs, Zoom Super Flukes, etc in Pink, White and Chartreuse all work.  The trick with spoons and the like is to get them down in the water column using triple rigs or a weighted line using a an eggsinker and a bead about 12" in front of the swivel on the spoon.

 

Other baits that work are gold bladed spinnerbaits, but again they need to be on the heavier side if you are in a boat.  If you're in a kayak or working inshore flats out of a boat then 1/4 - 1/2oz large colorado gold and silver bladeb spinnerbaits work.  Simplest lure though is a white Kalin's 4-5" grub ona 1/4oz red jighead.

 

Good luck!!

[Hanover_Yakker]

Check this out - filmed at Jamaica Bay.....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXuOqkVQlrA

[Diggy]

They work but walmart has some 2 dollar heddon saltwater baits with stronger hooks if you want to budget. You can buy some doa shrimp pretty cheap as well and many other lures. The hooks on many of these lures we buy wont cut it.

[derekxec]

other than the hooks being stronger really any bass stuff will work in saltwater...we use bass crank baits, flukes, swim baits, spoons, and everything else so you should be fine 

[CTGalloway21]

you could go to Wal mart and check the $1.50 bait box and get a couple of Heddon bone colored baby spooks and tear fish up.  

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

Awesome! Thanks for the replies.

[powerduster]

I found this beat up rattl trap on a jetty late last year. Im guessing it was pounded by a school of bluefish, cause it was clipped onto a steel leader. Haven't got to use it yet, but maybe soon.

[derekxec]

they are the best when they are beat up like that hahahaha....at the spillway i fish at we smack flairhawks in the ground to dent up the heads and it seems to get more hits lol

[SirSnookalot]

The primary difference between salt and fresh lures are the hooks.  That said we see guys fishing for moonfish with 10 for a buck crappie jigs and catch a 10# snook, the hooks don't straighten out, reason being is ninja hooksets are not required.  I get many PM's asking me about various types of saltwater fishing, my first response is always this.........think like a saltwater fisherman and not bass fisherman, meaning leave most of your stuff at home, you just don't need 6 jam packed tackle bags.  The important thing is not the lure but if there is a presence of fish or not, 90% of water has no fish and in saltwater it's true.  All you really need are spoons, jigs like the flairhawk already mentioned, jerk shad on a jig head which I would not use for toothy critters and topwater like a like a zoom popper, poppa dog, spook or a mirror lure twitchbait.

 

The difference in Long Island and Florida is casting distance needed to get to the fish, down here most are caught very close to shore.  Up there have to cast past the breakers, a longer heavier rod than can handle a heavier lure is best, buy a diamond jig, hopefully maybe you can find one with a surgical tube tail, I make my own down here with limerick hooks, they destroy stripers and bluefish.  I buy most of my stuff from Terminal Tackle and they happen to be on Long Island.

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

Well I already lost my only spoon which allowed me to get some distance from shore. Got caught on some netting that looks like a crab catching setup. I have some other stuff, a lot of what you mentioned. We'll see!

[PABASS]

Also salt water fish tend to have more and bigger teeth that typical freshwater so keep that in mind with some of your bass baits which were not designed with that in mind, may want to wash all lures off when done in fresh clean water. 

[fl_bass]

Also salt water fish tend to have more and bigger teeth that typical freshwater so keep that in mind with some of your bass baits which were not designed with that in mind, may want to wash all lures off when done in fresh clean water.

Yep lots of toothy fish. Get a metal leader or you may be busy resetting tackle. Lol don't ask me how I know that.

[SirSnookalot]

IMO the chances of toothy critters may be a bit more prevalent in freshwater, pickerel, pike and muskie, even walleye.  The popular fish caught from shore in the Long Island area are stripers and bluefish.  Stripers have similar teeth to snook and bass, sometimes barely noticeable (striper guys get bass thumb), bluefish do have teeth but not the kind that would force me to use wire, although it wouldn't hurt, they have incredibly strong jaws.  I would opt to use singe hooks for them, unhooking a blue with a treb in the upper and lower lips can be difficult, single hook will do less damage to the fish as well.  For size gimme the striper and for fight gimme a 15+# bluefish.

Only time I ever use wire is on my cuda lures that I make, and I don't believe cuda are in those waters.  For offshore fish wire leaders quite often inhibit the bite.  I don't use them and getting cutoff is part of fishing, hardly an outing goes by when it doesn't happen.

[SirSnookalot]

Thought I'd post this if anyone had interest in diamond jigs and tubes.

http://www.fishingunited.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&p=37974

[LARGEMOUTH ANGLER]

bass lures are actually better in saltwater than saltwater lures. I got snook, redfish, trout and even grouper, with texas rigged worm and pitching and flipping jigs. I use same rod, reel and lures in freshwater for bass. keep this in mind- if you know how to bass fish, than you can get any fish that exists, bass are the smartest fish. if you catch bass than you already a pro.

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

Already a pro huh? I'll take it! Kinda makes me feel good about myself, thanks!

[LARGEMOUTH ANGLER]

that's right just use the same applications and techniques In saltwater, a lot of people don't know this but its true.

[SirSnookalot]

that's right just use the same applications and techniques In saltwater, a lot of people don't know this but its true.

X2

Fish are fish, I don't care what they are and where they live.  My jig and trailer sometimes is an old worn out jig with little hair on it and white plastic zoom worm, snook and tarpon love them.

[LARGEMOUTH ANGLER]

I will be snook fishing, very soon and will use bass lures with pictures and will be posting them here.

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

I will be snook fishing, very soon and will use bass lures with pictures and will be posting them here.

Cool! Can't wait to see.

[SirSnookalot]

I prefer to stick with a saltwater lures for saltwater species because the hooks do not rust as quick and are stronger.

[LARGEMOUTH ANGLER]

I only use trokar hooks