# Whiting as bait?



## tkpaul

I know there are probably better baits, but would whiting be a decent bait for sharks. Caught 6 of them this morning. Also caught 3 small catfish. Want to catch some bluefish or ladyfish for bait, but too much grass to throw a Gotcha. Probably catch some more. Any store bought bait worthwhile? Frozen menhaden or cigar minnows? Just want to catch a shark, but not after the big boys. A 3 footer would make me happy. I wil be casting from the beach. Any thoughts on bait would be appreciated. 



Tommy


----------



## -=Desperado=-

> *tkpaul (7/27/2009)*I know there are probably better baits, but would whiting be a decent bait for sharks. Caught 6 of them this morning. Also caught 3 small catfish. Want to catch some bluefish or ladyfish for bait, but too much grass to throw a Gotcha. Probably catch some more. Any store bought bait worthwhile? Frozen menhaden or cigar minnows? Just want to catch a shark, but not after the big boys. A 3 footer would make me happy. I wil be casting from the beach. Any thoughts on bait would be appreciated.
> 
> 
> 
> Tommy


they are way better to eat than use for shark bait.i personally hate sharks.caught several last week including a very large one.I got pretty disguted hooking them and wasting hooks and tackle on em.best bait for sharks is bloody and stinky.that whiting you talking about is probably the best eating inshore fish IMO.


----------



## konz

Will is right they are pretty good to eat, but if your short on fresh bait they will work in a pinch. I prefer ladyfish myself but I would use fresh fish before frozen in my opinion!


----------



## User6882

i prefer bonita or bluefish


----------



## dwmeyer98

I do a lot of landbased shark fishing. Here are my rankings of Shark Bait.



1. Stingray--works year round and there have been many sharks caught on ray that has been in the water for 24+ hours. Crabs and catfish don't pick it apart. I know of at least 6 sharks over 9 ft that were caught on large pieces of ray.



2. Sheepshead--It is tough and works most of the year.



3. Kings and Spanish--Laugh if you want to but they are tough and oily. Hammerheads love Kings.



4. Ladyfish--fairly tough and plentiful but become washed out after a few hours in the water.



5. Bluefish--Oily, the oil is more important than the blood I believe.



6. Bonito--Hard to beat for Makos in the winter if you can get it fresh. Frozen can work but is not as good as advertised. Crabs will pick it to pieces so you need to check the condition of the bait every 2 hours. Wrap in panty hose to keep the crabs off of it.



7. Mullet--Easy to get. That is good because it seems that it starts falling off of the hook as soon as it is in the water.



I've never used Whiting but I know that some guys have had great luck with it. It should not be treated as a last resort. If you are there to shark fish you just need to drop the idea of worrying about the table fare of various species. I know of one guy that uses hardheads as bait very successfully. It all depends on what the sharks are interested in. 



Sharks are not garbage disposals or maggots. They don't just swim around eating rotten dead things. Your best bet is to find what is plentiful where you are targeting the sharks and to use that for bait.


----------

