Best Bait for Deep Sea Fishing

The Best Bait for Deep Sea Fishing is an extensive topic. The world of deep sea fishing is vast and complicated. Similarly to any other type of fishing, the bait you use is crucial.  Join me as I uncover the secrets of the best baits tailored for the challenges of deep-sea angling.

To give a bit of background of my experience deep sea fishing, I worked on a fishing boat for a few years. I learned so much about the world of deep sea fishing through that experience, and of course I learned all about what baits to use. 

The boat would usually fish 10 to 20 miles offshore. Some of the fish species we targeted were Vermillion Snapper, Black Sea Bass, Triggerfish, Amberjack, and so forth. If I wasn’t working on the boat, I would occasionally fish in the Gulf Stream and I will go over the best baits I have used out there as well. I also have plenty of experience fishing on the continental ledge, where we target Mutton Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Triggerfish, Vermillion Snapper, and pelagic species such as Black Fin Tuna and Mahi.

Best Bait For Deep Sea Fishing – Smaller Fish 

Smaller fish, such as Vermillion Snapper and Triggerfish were usually the target species on the boat I worked on because they often school up above bottom structures. Once they got into a feeding frenzy, the whole boat would catch limits of these fish.

The main baits we used to catch these fish were Squid and Boston Mackerel. You can purchase either of these at your local bait shops, and they work just fine for catching these fish. However, the best bait to catch Vermillion Snapper and Triggerfish is cuttlefish. Cuttlefish stays on the hook the best; these fish love it. For the best results when fishing with cuttlefish, you must reel it up off the bottom 5-7 turns to stay away from bait fish. When using cuttlefish, you will often have a by-catch such as Red Snapper and Porgies. 

In winter, Black Sea Bass are an excellent fish to target. These fish are very aggressive and delicious table fare. The right bait for them would be a fillet of a grunt or a piece of squid. These fish could be more picky, so any cut bait works well. Many People in the Northeast U.S. use artificial lures such as Gulp paired with a 1-3 ounce jighead. These fish tend to be hooked right on the bottom. 

Best Bait For Deep Sea Fishing – Bigger Fish 

Amberjack and Almaco Jack:

Some other fish species that we would often run into on the boat are Amberjack and Almaco Jack; both are excellent table fare. Both of these fish are highly underrated. The best baits for deep sea fishing when fishing for Amberjack is live baits, such as a Vermillion Snapper, Pin Fish, whitebait (Whitebait are fish like cigar minnows, sardines, goggle eyes, speedos, etc), and Grunts. They also can be caught on artificial baits such as vertical jigs. Amberjacks are one of the hardest-fighting fish in the ocean and are extremely aggressive. They often get into a feeding frenzy and feed on the surface, and therefore can be caught using topwater lures.

Amberjacks tend to sit on shipwrecks and other high-profile structures. They tend to sit higher in the water column. These fish are very aggressive and frequently tend to be in schools. 

Their cousin is the Almaco Jack, also known as the Bar Jack are another great fish to fish for when deep sea fishing. They are delicious and a blast to catch! Like their bigger cousin, these fish tend to be together in schools and are very aggressive. They can be caught on artificial lures such as jigs and soft baits on a weighted jighead. I have also seen them caught on strips of cut-up Grunt or Tomate just a few cranks off of the bottom.

Vertical Jigs –  Awesome way to catch Almaco and Amberjacks. 

Bucktail – This is an old school way, but highly effective for Amberjacks. 

Trailer for Bucktail – The best trailer on the market for Bucktails. 

Red Snapper, Mutton Snapper, And Mangrove Snapper:

A quick note to make on the notorious Red Snapper is that in recent years, the numbers of these fish have blown up. They come in a wide range of sizes; these fish are mean and aggressive. They eat everything; once the first bait is dropped, these fish move to all parts of the water column. Red Snappers eat everything from heavy jigs to live and dead baits. These fish put up a powerful fight. They are also stronger than Mangrove and Mutton Snapper. 

Snappers were always coming up aboard the boat. On the East Coast of Florida, Red Snapper are a protected species in Federal Waters. It was almost a guarantee that we caught them on the boat. They are not very picky eaters, eating natural baits such as live baits, dead baits, and cut baits. I have also seen them eat jigs and topwater lures when in a frenzy. Mangrove and Mutton Snapper were also caught on the boat. Those were few and far between because of all the Red Snappers; however, they can still be caught. 

Fishing within 130 ft, there are a ton of Red Snapper with Mangroves and Muttons here and there; the best way to catch them is a small live pin fish, grunt, mullet, or white bait. In clear water, these fish can be picky eaters. So, bait presentation is vital. It can be frustrating due to the number of Red Snappers caught using this method, but persistence will pay off. 

Fishing past 130 ft there tends to be less Red Snapper and more Mangrove and Mutton Snapper. I use the same technique in deeper water as in shallow water. I think that White Bait is the most effective bait there is. White Bait is fantastic, but every predatory fish wants to eat it. Many times, Amberjack will eat them when descending to the bottom. But once the bait is down on the bottom, a snapper or Grouper will find it. For my leader material, I use a 60lb Fluorocarbon leader and a small but thick circle hook on the lighter side of line when fishing for them that deep. 

60lb Fluorocarbon– One of the best Fluorocarbons and can be very affordable on Amazon. 

On some structures with a higher concentration of Mangrove Snappers they will come to the surface with some chumming with either dead white bait or a chum block. This will allow anglers to flat line and catch them near the surface. It is very important to use light leader in clear water, making it tough to land these fish. I recommend using a 30lb Fluorocarbon fishing line – learn more about fluorocarbon in my Fluorocarbon Fishing Line vs Monofilament Fishing Line post. Often, these fish can be pulled away from their structure, such as oil rigs and towers, in open water. Once these fish are hooked, pulling them away from the structure is very important because they can and will break you off. Big predatory fish, such as barracuda and sharks, are another issue when flatlining for Mangrove Snapper. They often eat the fish before it comes near the boat. 

Grouper:

When fishing for Grouper, I treat them almost the same as Mangrove and Mutton Snapper. The only things that I changed are bait size and leader size. I like to put on 80-100lb Fluorocarbon leader. Grouper seem to get your bait into structure easier than snapper do. I want a big bait on the bottom so small fish cannot pull it off. Groupers tend to sit either in the structure or on the edge of structure. When these fish are hooked, they will try their very best to break your line at the bottom, so it is very important you try to get them off the bottom as soon as possible. While fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, the go-to bait was dead Menhaden and cut bonita strips. 

80lb Fluorocarbon – One of the best Fluorocarbon’s on the market. 

Cobia:

Cobia are always a popular game fish; anywhere you go, they can be caught from Virginia south through the Gulf of Mexico. They are excellent table fare and a blast to catch. The most consistent way I have seen them caught is with a Cobia Jig. It is a Cobia jig that looks like a squid but comes in different colors, such as white, blue, chartreuse, and purple. They usually come with two hooks.

These fish are not very picky eaters, so it is not uncommon to catch them on almost any type of bait. They can be caught with anything from live bait to dead bait. Ultimately, if you can get the bait in front of its face, it will eat it. 

In the winter months, they congregate on shipwrecks and natural bottom. In the spring, they can be found on Manta Rays, Sea Turtles, and Bull Sharks. They can be seen swimming in open water or sitting on a floating piece of debris. 

Cobia Jigs– These are great, however I do recommend putting an “O” ring on the jig eye. Often times I have had them break. 

Mahi:

While discussing float debris, mahi is a prime example of why you should always stop and check out float debris. Mahi often sits near float debris, eating small bait fish that congregate around it. It is also an excellent idea to jig next to the floating debris because wahoo often sits below it as well. 

 Suppose you were to see free swimming mahi while bottom fishing. It would help to immediately throw chunks of dead bait or smaller baits in the water to keep them close before the fish move on. Usually, a few pieces of squid will keep them around long enough for you to get a bait into the water. The other fish will follow once a Mahi is hooked and near the boat. Once you hook a new fish, bring one in the boat and continue the process. People also troll for mahi, using rigged ballyhoo with skirts and weights. 

**I do not have much experience trolling for mahi, wahoo, and tuna, so I will not go into much detail.**

King Mackerel

King Mackerel are considered pelagic species. I have fished for them a lot, and they are super fun fish to catch. King Mackerel lives in coastal waters just off the beach to the Gulf Stream. They are one of the fastest fish in the ocean and are easier to fish for than you might think. The best bait for king mackerel when deep sea fishing I have found on the East Coast is live Menhaden and ribbonfish. 

The best bait for deep sea fishing when fishing for King Mackerel is Menhaden. They are a popular live bait because they are relatively easy to catch. You can look on the beaches and find the bait; they flip on the surface. You can use a cast net and see them. Now, these fish can come in a wide range of sizes, however, it doesn’t matter much. When you cannot find live bait, an excellent bait is XRAP Rapalas or Yozuri Deep Divers. One of the most basic but very effective ways to catch them is using a drone spoon and a planer. The planer allows the drone spoon to reach deeper water depths than it would if initially pulled behind the boat. 

Rapala XRAP – Fantastic lure to troll and has great action. 

Yozuri Deep Diver – Fantastic lure for trolling. 

Drone Spoon – This is an old school way to catch Kingfish but very effective. 

Planer – This is a must buy if you want your baits to trolled lower in the water column. 

When fishing for king mackerel, using wire is a must-have. Their teeth are razor-sharp and they will cut lines in an instant. People often troll for them using downriggers, which is very effective when fishing over sand, natural bottoms, and wrecks. Some by-catch can be sharks, barracuda, and Jack Crevalle. These fish can also be caught using a flatline with a wire leader and a frozen sardine. 

There are two ways you can catch these toothy critters. The first way is slow trolling; in the summer, female Kingfish lay their eggs very close to the beach in South Georgia and the East Coast of Florida. These fish are usually larger fish, weighing 30 to 60lbs. They prefer 68 to 73 water temperature. These can be caught slowly trolling the beaches. Now, these fish are spread out, and often, there are smaller Kings mixed in with them, but they are super fun to catch. 

If you were to troll the nearshore wrecks and reefs, you also would have a good chance of catching kingfish that way. While doing that, you might likely see some other species of fish. This can be Barracuda, Jack Crevalle, Amberjack, Sharks, Black Fin Tuna, Sailfish, Mahi, or Red Snapper if you are bottom-fishing and have a White Bait or a frozen sardine. On an extra rod, put a wire trace on it and let it drift free behind the boat. I always put a flatline out; you never know what you might catch. 

​Kingfish Wire – I run lighter wire and brown because it is a belief that kingfish cannot see brown wire and allows my bait to look more natural. 

Getting The Best Bait For Deep Sea Fishing:

Now that I have told you the best bait for deep sea fishing, I will tell you how to get them. Pin fish and small grunts are among the easiest. They make pinfish traps that you can purchase online or create your own. Just place them in an area with some structures, and you will have pinfish in there in about a day or so. I like to bait them with various fish pieces or skeletons. You can also take a super small hook, use a selection of shrimp or fish bites, and catch them around the structure. 

Pinfish Trap – Overall great quality and very durable. 

Pin fish are hardy and can last a long time. Some people even put them in bait pens around their docks and hold them until they need them. People catch Cigar Minnows, Sardines, and Threadfin in a few different ways. The first way is using a sabiki rig; often, the nearshore wrecks hold large quantities of these bait fish, and you can catch them.

People chum for them in the Gulf of Mexico around Tampa and catch large amounts in cast nets. Usually, the cast nets are large, so learning how to throw a cast net is a very important skill. These white baits tend not to survive after being caught, so it is essential to have a good livewell constantly running. Now, if you were to acquire Mehanden on beaches, you can either use a cast net or snag them using a large treble hook and an egg sinker above it.

Sabiki Rig – Can buy these anywhere but Amazon sells a large quantity that is rather cheap. 

*When Bottom Fishing it is important to follow all local regulations for your state*

If you enjoyed this post about the best bait for deep sea fishing I would really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! If you use these tips and tricks make sure to share it on social media and tag @tylersfishingadventures to be featured. Thank you for supporting Tyler’s Fishing Adventures.