Common baits used for Surf Fishing

For fishing locally, there is a wide range of baits to be used. All the baits featured here are available locally, and a good fraction of these can be collected at piers and jetties using tamban jigs, I'll try to give a short write-up on most of the baits that I've used before. Here we go.

1. Live Prawns

Live Prawns

Live prawns is a universal bait and Barramundis, Garoupas & Chermins won't resist a live prawn presented to them. Hook them through the last segment of the tail, avoiding the dark vein. Locally, the price for a kilogram of live prawns is around $35. Places where you can get them are Changi Pro Fishing (located at Blk 1, Changi Village Road, #01-2038, Singapore 500001, Tel: 6542 3775) and Tian Yuan Bait & Tackle (located at Blk 95, Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, #01-64, Singapore 310095 Tel: 6356 6828).

2. Squid

Squid

Fresh squid is known to be one of the most effective baits, for Snappers, Stingrays & Catfish, to name a few. The above picture shows 2 squid which has just been scooped from the sea. Fresh squid is characterized by bright shiny eyes, and shimmering spots on it's skin. Fresh kelong-caught squid can command a high price of up to S$25 per kg.

3. Cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis)

Cuttlefish

If fresh Squid is rare, the cuttlefish will make a fairly good subsitute also. I know of old sea salts who prefer a live cuttlefish over squid in their hunt for tasty Garoupas. Now, that is something new to me!

4. Tamban (Sardinella fimbriata)

Tamban

Tambans can be jigged at Bedok Jetty and Labrador Park Jetty during daytime. They will not take feathered jigs at night. When jigging for them, one should face the current. If one jigs along the current flow, results tend to be very poor. At Bedok Jetty, seasoned anglers float out a live tamban and the bait has proven effective, with Spanish Mackerals, Spotted Mackerals and Queenfish being some of the species landed.

5. Big-eyed Herring (Pellona ditchela syn. Ilisha hoevenii)

Tuabak

In Hokkien dialect, this fish is called Tua-bak, meaning 'big-eyes'. It can also be jigged, albeit at night. Having a strong scent, this bait fish has known to snare Barramundis, Stingrays, Barracudas & Queenfish, among other target species.

6. Selar (Atule mate)

Selar

Extremely good bait for Marlin & Sailfish, this bait has met with little success so far locally. Selar takes jigs readily also.

7. Kembong (Rastrelliger kanagurta)

Kembong

This is an extremely effective bait, be it for paypond fishing or for surf fishing. Queenfish & Cobia snack readily on this baitfish. Kembong fillet is also a proven bait at local payponds. Again, this fish can be caught on jigs. For faster results, bait the Tamban jigs with prawn meat if they are around. This fish is also known as the Indian Mackerel.

8. Kuning (Selaroides leptolepis)

Kuning

Also known as the Yellowstripe Scad, this fish takes jigs too. It's quality as a fishing bait is comparable to the Kembong.

9. Beltfish (Trichiurus lepturus)

Beltfish

Named for it's resemblance to a belt, this fish is a hardy bait in the water. The juveniles ones shorter than 30cm are usually used as bait. It's shiny appearance helps in enticing predators. The Beltfish, also known as the Largehard Hairtail, appears in large numbers during the months of Dec - Mar every year. During this period of time, squid will not surface readily as they will be immediately munched on by patrolling Beltfish.

10. Assam (Anodontostoma chacunda)

Assam

The proper name for this baitfish is Chacunda Gizzard Shad. Like the beltfish, it is a hardy bait in the water. Speaking from personal experience, Garoupas can't seem to resist this snack. Often hard to get on jigs, this particular specimen was found to have been accidentally hooked when jigging for Tambans.

11. Reebok (Hilsa kelee syn. Clupea kanagurta)

Reebok

Reebok is the local lingo for this fish. The Five-spot Herring, takes jigs and is often mistaken for the Assam. One thing though, I can't seem to see why it shares the same name with Reebok, the shoe maker. This fish appears in large schools from around July to late November in Eastern to North-Eastern waters in Singapore.

12. Juvenile Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson)

Juvenile Spanish Mackerel

While the adults fetch a good price in the market, juvenile Spanish Mackerels make great bait. Once in a while, this baitfish can be jigged as they appear among Tamban schools, presumably to feast on small Tambans. There was an incident when a fellow angler hooked onto an unknown fish and he was almost stripped of 300m of 30lb line on a heavy surf outfit when he used a 7" one as bait.

13. Wolf Herring (Chirocentrus dorab)

Wolf Herring

Another fish known for it's palatable qualities, the juvenile Wolf Herrings have stunned anglers when Golden Trevallies & Threadfins have been landed using cut fillets of this fish on more than one occasion. 

14. Beach Worms

Though these worms are fragile, they are deadly for John's Snappers & Grunters. Some places where you could get them include Poh Huat Trading Fishing Tackles and Live Prawns (located at Blk 721, #01-128, Clementi West St 2, Singapore 120721 Tel : 68736079). They usually come packed together with sawdust.

15. Beach Worms (Wat Wat)

Some veteran anglers swear by this worms, known as Wat Wat in the Malay language. They have been known to snare humongous stingrays, among other species. One can buy this type of Beach Worms for fishing at Changi Pro Fishing (located at Blk 1, Changi Village Road, #01-2038, Singapore 500001, Tel: 6542 3775). Be careful though, when using these worms, their juices will stain anything with a crimson red colour, which need some hard scrubbing to get rid of.

16. Sarong/Tube Worms (Pom Pom)

Tube worms are common baits found at most tackle shops that sell baits. They are known as Pom Pom in the Malay language and are also called Sarong worms, as the worms have a protective tubing around the body, the same way as the Sarong (a piece of garment used to wrap around the body) is worn. The tube worm is an exceptional bait, especially when Snappers and Grunters are around. The skin of the worm itself reflects light very well, and it could be a reason as to why it is so effective. When hooking the worms, one need to be careful of the pincer-like jaws of the worms, as they are known to pack a nasty bite and can puncture skin easily.

17. Whiting (Pasir Pasir/ Swa Chiam)

This little baitfish sits pretty high up on my list of preferred baitfish. It is hardly and leaves a good scent, not to mention that anglers targeting Stingrays like to use the humble little whiting as bait. It has also been known to snare other fishes like the Threadfin Salmon. Known as Pasir Pasir in the Malay language and Swa Chiam in Hokkien, it can be found in shallow water on sandy shores. Using small prawn hooks baited with prawn meat or beach worms, Whiting can be fished for with relative ease. One thing to note, to fish for them successfully, fish on the incoming tide. They do not seem to feed actively on a receding tide.

That's all for now, this page will be updated frequently. There are still quite a number of baits to cover. Hopefully, this page will be of use to fellow anglers who wish to know more about the different types of baits to use when targeting different species of fish.


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