Saltwater and Freshwater Bait Species That Inhabit NYC Waters

Gear links below earn a commission and directly support Bob Aquatic

Shrimp 

Shrimp is a universal fishing bait. It works to catch fish in both fresh and saltwater. Fresh, frozen, salted, live. It all works as excellent bait around the world. 

It also works as a great introductory bait to fishing because it catches most species and is easy to purchase. 

The Hudson, East River, Jamaica Bay and New York Harbor all have native and non native species of shrimp depending on the time of year. The most common being the grass shrimp in the brackish water beginning in Spring.  

Sand worm

Sandworm (Nereis) are native to NYC and can be found in the mud flats as the water warms in the Spring. In Winter they burrow deeper but are in the city year round. 

A great alternative to live Sandworms are the Gulp! Sandworm. They work.

Gulp! Sandworm 6" (Camo) - Link 

Blood worm

Bloodworm (Glycera Dibranchiata) are native to NYC and can be found in the mud flats at low tide. The bloodworm have fangs and can bite an angler. The venom the bloodworm has is similar to a bee sting reaction. The bloodworm's fang are comprised of part Copper that the worm builds from the ocean floor. Bloodworms have the highest amount of Copper in any animal. 

Lug worm

Lugworm (Arenicola Cristata) are native NYC worms and can be found in sandy bottom flats and areas where sand bottom meets muddy bottom. 

Green Crab

European Green Crab are and invasive but established crab species in NYC. They make great bait for Tautog, Striped Bass and a variety of game fish. Green crab damage shellfish populations, grass beds and have the ability to breed quickly. They are a major threat to overall coastline aquatic ecology. 

Blue Crab

Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) are native to NYC water and can be found in brackish water. They make excellent bait in the Summer for larger fish but smaller chunks can be used for a variety of species as well. 

Asian Shore Crab

Asian Shore Crab are found throughout the Northeast extending from Maine to North Carolina. You can find them in NYC in rocky areas as the tide is going out. Flip rocks and they will be hiding underneath. 

Atlantic Ghost Crab

Ghost crab are native to NYC and can be found along the sandy beaches. You can see the small hole burrows they create just above the high tide marker. They do come out during the day but are primarily nocturnal. The ghost crab has nearly 360 vision and are fast moving, making them difficult to catch. 

Fiddler Crab

Fiddler crabs are native to NYC and can be found in the salt marshes and mud flats. Typically within the grass flats that meet the waters edge. The male fiddler crab is characterized by one large claw, its "Fiddle" claw. 

They are fast and hard to catch but you can build a trap by digging a hole. Place a plastic bucket tall enough that they cannot crawl back out. Then bait the bucket, and use a PVC pipe to build a pipe that extends over the bait bucket with a slight pitch toward the bucket. The fiddler crabs will crawl through the pipe and fall in. Just keep an eye on the bucket, most birds and wild life will find it quick.

Mole Crab (Sand Flea) 

Sand Flea's feed on plankton. They can be found within the first few feet of wash at the beach shoreline. They burrow into the sand and as the water pushes back into the sea, they grab organisms with they're antennas for food. They are a multi-species bait and work year round. Very easy to catch your own and can scrape them with your hand in the summer time when they are prevalent. A sand flea rake is also a quicker way to grab a bunch at once. 

Mole Crab Sand Flea Rake - Link

American Eel

There are a lot of American Eel throughout NYC. American Eel are catadromous, which means they live in freshwater but swim to the ocean in saltwater to spawn. The American Eel is the only catadromous species in North America. 

Hermit Crab

Hermit crab are native to NYC water and can be found in tide pools, bays, estuaries, mud flats. They make great bait for bottom fishing species. Remove them from the shell first. 

White Legger Crab

Jonah Crab and Atlantic Rock Crab make excellent Tautog bait, especially for deep water fishing. They can be found in deeper water but do come closer in shore to spawn during the Spring & Summer.

Hickory Shad

Hickory shad are anadromous like Striped Bass. This means they live primarily in Salt Water but spawn up river in Freshwater. They can be really fun to catch as sport along the rockaway beaches in the Fall. They also make great bait. There are also American Shad which used to be common in the Hudson River. However population decline has made them prohibited from fishing or using as bait. 

Atlantic Herring

Atlantic Herring are a cold water Winter fish in NYC. They can be caught inshore between Fall and Spring with small Sabiki rigs. They make great bait for the Spring Striped Bass and also taste great. 

Hayabusa Sabiki Rig Size 8 Hook - Link

Snails

You can find the Eastern Mud Snail all over Jamaica Bay in the mud flats and tide pools. There are several species of snail in NYC. Land based, saltwater and freshwater. 

Snapper Bluefish

Snapper are juvenile bluefish. They are very oily and make great local NYC bait during the Fall fishing season. Most back bays, rivers and harbors will fill up with Snapper bluefish around September every year. Bluefish grow very fast and reach 6" by year one. By year two and three they are already 12". Later in the season the Fluke feed pretty heavily and it coincides with the snapper season. Right at the beginning of the Fall run the bluefish start to leave NYC harbor and the snapper follow. So there is a short window of about a month or two where snapper makes a great local bait. It works both live lined and chunked. Very universal for different species and larger bluefish will even feed on them. 

A small metal spoon like a Kastmaster works great for catching Snapper Bluefish in the Fall. 

Kastmaster 3/8oz Lure pack - Link

Atlantic Silverside

Silversides or Spearing are small transculcent white species of forage fish. Usually around 2-5 inches long they school up all over NYC in the Spring - Fall months. You can purchase Spearing at bait shops or cast net them yourself. 

Bay Anchovy

Bay Anchovy are an important species for game fish. They are abundant in the lower New York Harbor during the Summer when they spawn. You can often see them on the surface feeding in large schools and looks like the top of the water is being rained on. "Rain bait" a common nickname for them. 

Mullet

It doesn't last long but the mullet run in NYC can be great fishing. Usually happens between September and October. It coincides with the start of the Fall run. Mullet make great bait and you can cast net them from shore along the beaches, inlets and bays. 

Sand Eel

Sand eels or Sand Lances (Ammodytidae) are a group of eel like fish that inhabit NYC water every year. They can be found along the beaches and inlets burrowed into sand feeding on copepods. They great part of sand eel hatches is they tend to not move far for a few weeks. Once you find an area with sand eels, the fishing can be consistent for long periods of time.  

Mussel

Mussels are native to NYC and were a major part of the shellfish industry. This was until over harvesting and pollution between 1914-1920. Today there are many thriving mussel beds throughout NYC. These are not for consumption but for filtering and cleaning the water like Jamaica Bay. These species of mussel are mainly Ribbed Mussel. The stacks and clusters of mussels throughout the bay provide habitat for fish, clean bacteria from the water and prevent shoreline erosion. 

For bait: Mussel is pretty affordable and accessible to purchase. Most seafood shops and grocery stores will have it. Works great for most bottom structure oriented species but is universal in saltwater. 

Clam

There are different species of Clam throughout NYC but the most common is the Quahog, which you can see scattered shells of along most beaches. The Quahog is native to NYC and live in most sandy bottom bay environments. 

Oyster

New York Harbor used to be a major shellfish industry and lower Manhattan was full of Oyster markets and stands lined along the waters edge selling them. Piles of shells all over. It was a major local food source. This has since changed with pollution and overfishing. In 1916 Typhoid fever broke out in NY and was linked to contaminated shellfish like Oyster. The New York Harbor lost its shellfish industry mainly from human waste and over fishing. 

However recently there has been the Billion Oyster Project to re-introduce and clean NYC water to what it once was. Eastern Oyster (local species) inhabit NYC water and are filter feeders. The oyster reefs filter water but also provide ecosystems and structure for fish species to thrive. 

Lobster

There are lobster in the New York Harbor area. Mostly on wrecks and deep structure. Although they are not as common, you can use them for bait if purchased from a market. 

Mantis Shrimp

Mantis Shrimp inhabit NY harbor, estuaries and ocean. They burrow into mud and are nocturnal, rarely seen by humans. Mantis Shrimp have an impressive punch and strike aggressively by hitting prey. The strike speed can break aquarium glass in captivity. 

Squid

Longfin squid (Doryteuthis Pealei) is a fairly common squid species in NYC water. Less commonly caught although they are in there and move through NYC water. You can get squid at tackle shops or grocery stores. There are other species of squid but the most frequent is the Longfin. 

Killifish

Killifish or Mummichog fish can be found in the estuaries and muddy salt marshes in NYC. They make great live bait for Fluke and many other predator species like Striped Bass. They are hardy fish and can breathe air when out of water. During the Winter they burrow into the mud and deeper pools, then emerge in the Spring when the water warms. 

Mackerel 

Atlantic and Spanish Mackerel migrate to NYC water every Spring, Summer and Fall. They can make great bait for a variety of species. Atlantic Mackerel in the Fall can be great live bait for Striped Bass and Bluefish.

Atlantic Croaker/Spot

Spot are in the same family as the Croaker and Drum. They are prevalent in the Summer time in NYC. For cut bait and live bait, they work pretty well for a variety of species. Atlantic Croaker is another option for local cut bait. You can catch them along the beaches and bays with a variety of bait like shrimp, worms, sand fleas, clam. Use small pieces and small hooks like size #6. 

Owner SSW Size #6 Cutting Point Hook - Link

Earthworms 

There are pretty much no native nightcrawlers in NYC. This is true for most of the Northeast and the worms in NYC are European and Asian. Around 10,000 years ago the ice age wiped out all worms and the current ones were introduced between the 1600-1800's by the early settlers. 

Earthworms work best in freshwater and work for pretty much all species. They are a natural bait and can be rigged many ways. A simple hook, bobber and split shot is all you need to get started. You can use nightcrawlers in saltwater as well. They do not stay on the hook as well as alternatives like sandworm/bloodworm but they can work. Nightcrawlers are easy to purchase at most fishing stores.  

Golden Shiner/Minnows

There is a decent amount of Golden Shiners in the NYC ponds and lakes. There are other small bait species like the Fathead Minnow but the main NYC bait in the ponds is the Golden Shiner. They get pretty big and are actually fun to target in the Winter. The Golden shiner is very cold water tolerant and can handle low oxygen. Same with warmer water in the Summer. So they make a great baitfish species for NYC and can acclimate to a wide range of water temperatures. If you want to try targetting them you can use size #12-14 mini magnets and little flys/plastics. Powerbait floating trout worms rigged on a float work great too. 

Berkley PowerBait Floating Trout Worm (Pumpkinseed) - Link

Leland Lures Mini Magnet Kit - Link

Trout Magnet Float Pack - Link