Small Bait?

[snapperbluefish101]

What small bait do we have around? This is what I believe we have around in some areas...

In tight to beach surf- Calico Crabs, Sand Fleas, some scattered Sand Eels, maybe some bay anchovies(rain fish) and spearing(not sure please update me).

1 mile off the beach to 10 miles off (the mud hole basically)- Sand Eels and Rainfish?

In between( channels up by Raritan Bay and Shark River and Manisquan inlets)- Spearing, Anchovies(maybe??), mantis shrimp, assorted baby crabs, some grass shrimp, and maybe some baby sea bass , blackfish ,and bergals from the structure near by at the inlets jetties and structure by the channels.

Lastly the back bay (Manisquan, Shark River, Shrewsbury, and Navesink)- killies, spearing(maybe), assorted native small bay baitfish(forgot species names), baby blue claws, baby green crabs, grass shrimp, baby blowfish, baby fluke and winter flounder, plus others that a would take too long to mention.

Just a survey for the present bait around now.
I would appreciate you guys commenting and mentioning anything I missed. Would be much appreciated!!

SNAPPERHEAD

[jimmythegreek]

raritan bay and out front is loaded w bunker, havent seen much else in the few times Ive been out.

[dfish28]

Netted some 3-4" herring in shark river a few weeks back, there's now a lot of extremely small spearing shaped bait that looks like smaller herring but haven't netted any to confirm, and small Eels

[torchee]

I throw a fine mesh cast net before most trips in an effort to save money as well as to "match the hatch..."

Friday I stopped near Belford inlet before heading out to the hook. I caught about 100 bay anchovies. They were about the size of the average spearing.
They are a favorite bait of mine to drag. I caught a 19" and a 23" on them Friday. I was dragging the anchovies on a small hook with nothing else. Too bad they can only be used immediately due to being so soft.


Sunday I was Kayaking out of Staten Island. Before I launched I caught anchovies, tiny peanuts, tiny little sardines and a few huge spearing. The spearing must be just arriving, they had to be breeders. The spearing were about the size of a smelt. I caught a really nice 24" fluke on one of those spearing.

The horseshoe crabs were in breeding making it difficult to go where I know I'd find the spearing.

[kmaty]

Tiny mullet any day now

[torchee]

Oh,


Every fish I caught in the bay has been spitting up shrimp.

One or 2 shorts spit up anchovies.

[jmurr711]

lings & sea bass were coughing up a ton of shrimp yesterday & there was bunkers along the beach & capt ken of the mimi said he has seen some sandeels

[thefishermanmechanic]

Last week Cbass/ling 1"-2" sand eels 6 miles out!