Sea Bird Marina now carries oats for yellowtail fishing, in addition to its regular bait supplies. In response to popular demand, the marina began carrying oats as bait for yellowtail. Beyond that, the marina also carries a wide variety of frozen and live bait, great for both yellowtail fishing and anything else you may be fishing for.
For our live bait, we have live shrimp, crabs, and pinfish. Live shrimp are arguably the best bait for fishing in the Florida Keys, as they work for just about everything one could want to fish for in the region. We typically have shrimp, as it is delivered every morning around 9 am. Another kind of live bait we have is live crabs, specifically blue crabs, that we have declawed, so you do not have to worry about getting pinched by them. While not as versatile as live shrimp, they are great for specific kinds of fish like tarpon, permit, and yellow jack, which are currently being caught in the area of the Florida Keys around Sea Bird Marina. The last live bait that we always have is live pinfish. They are also effective baits, good for a wide variety of fish, including tarpon and snook. The snook season starts tomorrow, February 1.
Beyond the live bait, we also sell a wide variety of frozen bait, which includes but is not limited to frozen shrimp, squid, ballyhoo, chum, and many more options. Frozen shrimp and squid serve a simpler role as bait for live shrimp. We also sell squid in a variety of sizes: 1 pound, 3 pounds, and 5 pounds. Another bait that performs a more specialized role is ballyhoo, both rigged and unrigged. The rigged ballyhoo is great for trolling, while the regular ballyhoo functions as regular bait, or you can rig it yourself. Chum, although not a traditional bait, is one of the single most important baits that we have available, as its function is to draw fish to the boat so you can catch them more easily. We typically stock tournament chum in both green (thick) and blue (finer).
Oats, while neither live bait nor frozen bait, are simply grain oats. However, they function very similarly to chum, as their purpose is to draw fish to the boat. They’re primarily used when yellowtail fishing, as yellowtail love them more than regular chum. They’re mixed with regular chum and formed into balls, which are used as chum for yellowtail snapper. While a bit messy, they’re worth the mess, as when it comes to chumming for yellowtail, there’s nothing better to use. Give them a try during your next visit to the Florida Keys. Make sure to stop by Seabird Marina and purchase some, along with any other bait or tackle that you need. The marina also has boat rentals, vacation rentals, and tackle rentals. If you have any questions related to the oats or just anything else related to the Keys or fishing, do not hesitate to ask, as we are more than happy to answer them.
