Choice of bait and jigs

For coastal and sea fishing, you can choose between bait, jigs, spinners and flies. You can combine these by using different hooks on one line. The fish relies on all its senses in hunting for food, hence it is important to stimulate many senses to achieve a good catch. Fish can see colours but this does not mean the spinners, jigs and flies need to be copies of the fish's natural prey.

Results from catches show that the fish sometimes prefers strong, fluorescent colours. Strong colours can awaken the fish's hunting urge and will also be an «eye catcher» that accentuates in proportion to the fish's natural prey. It is important to choose the right colour on the spinners and jigs depending on the temperature of the water. In relatively cold water (2 to 7 degrees), one generally uses white and silver coloured jigs. As the water warms one can change to green, blue, red, yellow and brown jigs. Black jigs are used in water with a temperature from 16 to 20 degrees.

Bait can be combined with or replace spinners and jigs. Ordinary bait is raw or boiled scrimps and is used to fish cod, coley, haddock, whiting and flatfish. Mackerel and herring is used as bait for cod, whiting, tusk, ling, turbot and halibut. Blue mussels and clams tempt cod, smaller catfish, haddock and whiting while sandworm and brushworm attract flounder, cod and whiting. Professional sea fishermen will also be able to supplement with artificial bait and scented substances that attract the fish. Flies are also useful when sea fishing. Particularly, phosphorescent flies that are used two, three at a time near jigs or weights. The flies can also be used as bait together with mackerel, herring, scrimps or cuttlefish.