Bait

Come in to see us and we will hook you up with the bait of your choice!

Live

Eels, Shiners, Sandworms, Nightcrawlers, Mealworms, Trout Worms, green crabs

Eels: We are talking the American eel, (Anguilla rostrata), here at the Sports Port. It is a catadromous fish (Google that one) and is found on the eastern coast of North America. It has a snake-like body with a small sharp pointed head. It’s coloring is brown on top and a tan-yellow color on the bottom. This baby has sharp pointed teeth but no pelvic fins. Although many anglers are put off by the snake-like appearance of these catadromous fish, eels are in fact exceptionally good fish. The world record weight for the American eel is 9.25 pounds but you won’t find any of that size in our tank.

Shiners: The golden shiner, (Notemigonus crysoleucas), is a cyprinid fish native to eastern North America and introduced throughout the continent. It is the sole member of its genus. The golden shiner's back is a green to olive shade, and the belly a silvery white, but its golden or silvery sides are what gets noticed. There may be a faint dusky stripe along the sides as well, and the lateral line has a pronounced downward curve, with its lowest point just above the pelvic fins. The prominent anal fin is indented in the middle and has 11-15 rays, while the dorsal fin has 8 rays. It is known to reach a length of 30 cm. The shiner is possibly the most widely cultivated in North America; it grows to any desired size rapidly.

Shiners are probably the best bait for catching bigger and better bass, but bass rarely hit bait that can't run away from them. Therefore, you want to handle them properly. You must provide them with plenty of oxygen and if water temperature changes occur, they need to be done slowly.

Sandworm: The Sandworm (Nereis), A.K.A. seaworm, is opalescent green and coppery-brown in color with a well-developed parapodia. The head has four to five pair of tentacles and the eversible proboscis has a pair of large, sickle like jaws.

The name sandworm is given to two kinds of polychaete worm: Here in the US, it is a worm of the genus Nereis (a ragworm) but, in the UK, a sandworm is another name for a lugworm (genus Arenicola)- just in case you wanted to know.

Nightcrawler: The Nightcrawler (Dendrobaena-Veneta) worm is light-sensitive and wiggles around frantically, thus attracting fish and isn’t that your objective? Due to their tough hide, you are advised to use a sharp hook, (if you stick them, they just get mad and want to fight. It's easier to hook a minnow when wearing gloves than a mad Nightcrawler with a dull hook). And, you want to watch the barb for a buildup of hide because when the barb gets a buildup of excess hide....fish find it easy to get off.

Mealworms: Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, (Tenebrio molitor), a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life-stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about 2.5cm or more, whereas adults are generally between 1.25 and 1.8cm in length. For the fishing world (i.e., bait), a juvenile hormone is incorporated into the feeding process to keep the mealworm in the larval stage and achieve an abnormal length of 2 cm or greater.

Trout Worms: (Dendrobaena Eisenia veneta) has a coloring that is predominantly reddish purple and each segment has a dark purple band of pigment, alternating with a clear intersegmental area. They are 50-155 mm in length. Also known as Red Trout Worms, Red Wigglers, Belgium's, Georgia Jumpers and Panfish Worms (which makes it very confusing) but they go by the name Trout Worm here on Cape Cod. Its large size (but not as large as the nightcrawler, which is sometimes considered to be too large) makes it easier to fit on a hook. Although many anglers claim the worm secretes enzymes highly attractive to fish, these remain unsubstantiated. But many swear by this large, robust worm because of their durability and ease of storage. They are very hardy and are easy to keep alive. If you keep them in a refrigerator at around 38 to 42 degrees F, they will last weeks without much care.

Fresh

Sand Eels, Pogies, mackerel

Sand Eel: The Sand Eel (Ammodytes americanus) is also known as the sand lance, sand launce and launce and is an inshore species not related to the common eel. It’s Latin name literally means sand burrower, a typical behavioral pattern when it is fleeing from a predator or resting. Sand eels are recognized by their slender body and a pointed snout. They have a long dorsal and anal fin and are deep blue green to bronze on back with a white belly. They can grow as long as fifteen inches but are commonly found in the four to six-inch range. The Sand Eel is one of the most important staple foods for the striped bass and bluefish ö and, thus make a great bait. However, using them as a bait can become quite frustrating due to their very soft skin, which makes it tricky to keep them on the hook. But, they are still considered by many to be the top bait for Bass.

Pogies: The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is found in coastal and estuarine waters from Nova Scotia to northern Florida. Besides Pogy, Menhaden are also known as mossbunker, bony fish, chebog, hardhead and whitefish. This small (up to 15 inches long), blue-black fish with metallic flanks and deeply forked tail is the ‘breadbasket' of Southeastern New England, as it is one of the favorite foods of striped bass, bluefish, sea trout, tuna and sharks.

Menhaden swim in large schools close to the water's surface during the spring, summer and fall. Throughout the spring, the schools stratify by size and age along the coast. During the fall and early winter, most menhaden migrate south to North Carolina, where they remain until March and early April. Menhaden are not anadromous fishes; they spawn in the ocean.

Etymology of Pogy: Alteration of dialectal poghaden, perhaps of Eastern Abenaki origin. Eastern Abenaki is an extinct language once spoken by the Penobscot in the coastal area of the state of Maine.

Frozen

Squid, Bunker, Chum Bucket, Butter Fish, Sea Herring, Mackerel, Clams

 Mackerel: The Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the pelagic zone down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.

The Atlantic mackerel's body is elongate, steel-blue marked with wavy black lines dorsally and silvery-white ventrally, its snout long and pointed. It possesses two spiny dorsal fins, which are spaced far apart, two pectoral fins, and small caudal and anal fins, also spaced far apart. 4-6 dorsal finlets and 5 anal finlets are typical among members of this species. The fish's body tapers down its length, ending with a large tail fin. Typical size for a mature fish is 30 cm (0.98 ft), but individuals have been caught as large as 60 cm (2.0 ft). The maximum published weight is 3.4 kg (7.5 lb). Reproduction, which is oviparous, occurs near the shore in the spring and summer, during which a female can produce as many as 450,000 eggs. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at around 2 years of age and can live to be 17.

A highly commercial species, the Atlantic mackerel is sought after for its meat, which is strong in flavor and high in oil content and omega-3 fatty acids among other nutrients. Nearly 1 million tonnes of Atlantic mackerel are caught each year globally, the bulk of which is sold fresh, frozen, smoked, or canned. Despite its highly commercial status, the Atlantic mackerel is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and global catch has remained sustainable.

 Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 304 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles. Squid are strong swimmers and certain species can "fly" for short distances out of the water.

The main body mass is enclosed in the mantle, which has a swimming fin along each side. These fins, unlike in other marine organisms, are not the main source of locomotion in most species.

The skin is covered in chromatophores, which enable the squid to change color to suit its surroundings, making it practically invisible. The underside is also almost always lighter than the topside, to provide camouflage from both prey and predator.

Under the body are openings to the mantle cavity, which contains the gills (ctenidia) and openings to the excretory and reproductive systems. At the front of the mantle cavity lies the siphon, which the squid uses for locomotion via precise jet propulsion. In this form of locomotion, water is sucked into the mantle cavity and expelled out of the siphon in a fast, strong jet. The direction of the siphon can be changed, to suit the direction of travel.

Inside the mantle cavity, beyond the siphon, lies the visceral mass, which is covered by a thin, membranous epidermis. Under this are all the major internal organs.

The basics of fishing are simple: find the fish, and bait a hook with something they will eat. Any good angler can find fish. It is the latter that baffles most of us. Chumming can solve this problem.

Chum Chopped up fish dropped overboard to attract gamefish. We sell 1 and 4 gallon bunker based chum. Anglers often use a mesh chum bag or a weighted chum pot left hanging overboard to create a ‘slick’.

Chumming A fishing technique by which bait or scent is released into the water to attract fish to take a lure or baited hook. Chum consists of live, dead, ground-up or prepared baits and scents and is used in fresh and saltwater.

A good chum slick must have the right combination of fish oil and meat.
The practice of using chum offshore must be about as old as fishing itself. Who wants to just sit there and wait with nothing going on when there's every chance that just a little extra effort and expense will likely turn the whole day around? Even something as simple as a mesh bag of frozen mush dangled behind the boat can spell the difference between fishing and catching. All game fish respond in varying degrees to chum. For some anglers chumming has become an art form, even a science. One thing is sure, effective chumming techniques produce more fish. Chumming is a standard, integral part of fishing in many locations, while in others, it is non-existent.