Bait & lures

A classic Bay bait — segmented marine worms that stay lively on the hook and draw strikes from almost every bottom-feeding species around.

Where: Piers, bridges, surf, and bank spots fishing bottom rigs.

How to fish it: Thread a small piece (an inch or so) onto a size 4–1/0 hook on a high-low bottom rig — bloodworms are potent, a little goes a long way.

Beginner tip: Buy them the same day you're fishing — they don't keep long.

Storage: Keep refrigerated in seaweed or damp newspaper; they die quickly in heat.

Common mistake: Using a whole worm on a small hook, which just gets stolen without a hookup.

A small marsh crab and the go-to bait for structure-oriented feeders like sheepshead and tautog, which specialize in picking crustaceans off hard surfaces.

Where: Pilings, jetties, wrecks, and other barnacle-covered structure.

How to fish it: Hook through the side, avoiding the body cavity, and drop tight to structure — these species bite subtly, so keep contact with the bait.

Beginner tip: Bring more than you think you'll need — sheepshead and tautog steal bait efficiently.

Storage: Keep in a ventilated container with damp sand or seaweed, out of direct sun.

A blue crab caught mid-molt, prized by drum and striper anglers for its scent and softer shell — easier for a fish to eat than a hard crab.

Where: Inlets, oyster reefs, and bridge/pier structure on an incoming or outgoing tide.

How to fish it: Cut into halves or quarters and fish on a fish-finder or Carolina rig with enough weight to hold bottom in current.

Check the rules: If you catch your own: Virginia allows taking crabs by dip net, hand line, or up to two commercial-style pots with no license, up to a combined daily limit of 1 bushel of hard crabs and 2 dozen peeler crabs per person, for personal use. A peeler must meet a minimum size (3.25" March 17–July 15, 3.5" July 16–Nov 30) — VMRC's own rule ties minimum peeler size to the season, not a single year-round number. If fishing this bait live/chunk specifically for striped bass, Virginia also requires a non-offset circle hook — see the Striped Bass Bait/Chunk Rig on the Rigs page.

Storage: Keep cool and slightly damp; peelers spoil faster than hard crabs.

One of the most versatile inshore baits — fished free-lined, under a popping cork, or on a jighead, it draws strikes from nearly every grass-flat predator.

Where: Grass flats, creek mouths, marsh edges, and piers.

How to fish it: Hook through the horn (the hard point on the head) or tail, depending on presentation — under a popping cork for trout, on bottom for flounder.

Storage: Needs an aerated bait bucket or livewell; shrimp die quickly without oxygenated water.

Common mistake: Letting the bucket water get too warm — shrimp are sensitive to temperature swings.

A baitfish that pulls double duty — small ones ('finger mullet') work for flounder and drum, larger ones get trolled or drifted for cobia and striped bass.

Where: Inlets, channel edges, and nearshore structure.

How to fish it: Hook through the lips or nose for a slow drift/troll presentation, or through the back ahead of the dorsal fin for a livelier free-swimming bait.

Check the rules: If fishing this bait live/chunk specifically for striped bass, Virginia requires a non-offset circle hook — see the Striped Bass Bait/Chunk Rig on the Rigs page.

Storage: Needs a well-aerated livewell or bait tank; cast-netted fresh is best.

A big-fish bait for cobia and striped bass — the erratic swimming action of a live eel triggers reaction strikes other baits don't.

Where: Nearshore structure, buoys, and open water while sight-casting or drifting.

How to fish it: Hook through the lower jaw and out through the top of the head, or through the eye socket; a light egg sinker keeps it near bottom without killing the action.

Check the rules: If fishing this bait live/chunk specifically for striped bass, Virginia requires a non-offset circle hook — see the Striped Bass Bait/Chunk Rig on the Rigs page.

Storage: Keep in a cool, aerated tank — eels are hardy but do better handled with a rag (they're slippery).

Oily baitfish, fished cut into chunks — the scent trail is a workhorse bait for striped bass, bluefish, cobia, and several shark species.

Where: Bay structure, inlets, piers, and surf.

How to fish it: Chunk and fish on bottom with enough weight to hold in current, or use as chum alongside a hooked chunk.

Check the rules: When fishing this bait for striped bass, Virginia requires a non-offset circle hook (see the Striped Bass Bait/Chunk Rig). When fishing it for sharks, federal NOAA HMS rules require the same for anyone with a shark endorsement — see the Shark Bottom Rig.

Storage: Freezes well; thaw only what you'll use in a session.

A tough, scent-rich bait that stays on the hook well — a reliable bottom-rig standby when live bait isn't available or isn't holding up to current.

Where: Piers, bridges, and any bottom-fishing spot with moving water.

How to fish it: Cut into strips and fished on a bottom or high-low rig; tip a bucktail for extra durability.

Beginner tip: A good backup bait to keep in the cooler — it doesn't spoil like fresh cut bait can.

Storage: Freezes well and keeps for months.

A soft, scent-heavy bait that black drum and tautog key in on around shell bottom and structure.

Where: Oyster reefs, shell bottom, and structure with moving current.

How to fish it: Fish a whole or half clam (with the tough foot piece, which stays on the hook best) on a fish-finder rig.

Storage: Keep refrigerated; use fresh or previously-frozen, not spoiled.

Small burrowing crustaceans that live in the surf wash — a favorite of pompano and whiting, which naturally feed on them.

Where: Surf, especially sandbar troughs.

How to fish it: Hook through the tail/underside on a small hook, fished on a pompano or high-low surf rig.

Beginner tip: You can rake your own out of the wet sand right where you're fishing — no tackle shop needed.

Check the rules: This project did not find a Virginia-specific license or daily-limit rule for personal, hand-collected mole crabs/sand fleas the way there is for peeler crabs — that's a gap in what's been researched, not a confirmed 'no rule applies.' Confirm with VMRC directly if you plan to collect in quantity.

Storage: Keep cool and damp in wet sand; they don't last long out of the surf.

The classic freshwater all-rounder — cheap, widely available, and effective on nearly every panfish and catfish in the region's lakes and rivers.

Where: Freshwater lakes, ponds, and slow rivers, fished under a float or on bottom.

How to fish it: Thread onto a small hook, leaving some free to wriggle; fish under a float or on a light Carolina rig.

Beginner tip: One of the easiest, most forgiving baits to start kids or first-timers on.

Storage: Keep refrigerated in their bedding; they die quickly in heat.

Small live baitfish that trigger reaction strikes from freshwater and tidal-river predators looking for an easy meal.

Where: Freshwater lakes, tidal creeks, and river structure — brush piles, dock pilings, standing timber.

How to fish it: Hook through the lips or just under the dorsal fin, fished under a slip float around cover.

Storage: Needs an aerated bucket; change water if it gets warm or cloudy.

A weighted jig dressed in deer hair (or synthetic fiber) — one of the most versatile lures in the region, effective bounced, jigged, or tipped with bait.

Where: Inlets, channel edges, bridges, and nearshore structure.

How to fish it: Bounce along bottom for flounder, or cast and retrieve through moving water for striped bass and bluefish; tipping with Gulp! or a strip of bait often out-produces bare bucktail.

Beginner tip: Start with a 1/2–3/4 oz white or chartreuse bucktail — a genuinely all-purpose starting size for most inlet fishing.

Common mistake: Retrieving too fast for flounder, which prefer the jig hopping slowly along bottom.

A soft-bodied lure rigged on a jighead — the paddletail's kicking action or a jerkbait's darting retrieve imitates a fleeing baitfish.

Where: Grass flats, marsh edges, and freshwater cover.

How to fish it: Rig on a jighead sized to the water depth and current; work with a steady swim or a twitch-pause retrieve.

Beginner tip: A weedless (Texas-rigged) version helps a lot around grass and cover without constantly hanging up.

A simple metal lure whose wobble and flash imitate a fleeing baitfish — a longtime favorite for sight-casting to red drum on the flats and trolling for mackerel and bluefish.

Where: Shallow flats (cast) and open water (trolled).

How to fish it: Cast and retrieve steadily over flats, or troll behind a planer or trolling weight for mackerel and blues.

A wire-framed lure with spinning blades and a skirted jig body — a staple freshwater search bait for covering water and finding active fish.

Where: Freshwater lakes and slow rivers, especially around vegetation and laydowns.

How to fish it: Cast past cover and retrieve at a steady pace, slow-rolling it deeper or burning it just under the surface.

Beginner tip: Its wire arm makes it naturally weedless — a good choice for fishing tight to cover without snagging constantly.