Searching for the best baits for surf fishing 
is very important. Of course, like any other 
type of fishing, it depends on the kind of fish 
you want to catch.  The most abundant species 
in the area for surf fishing are Speckled Sea 
Trout, Redfish, Pompano, Flounder, White Trout 
and Shark.  Though sometimes you can catch all 
of these on the same bait, generally each fish 
has its own preference.

Speckled Sea Trout - The best live bait I have 
found is live shrimp.  Use a popping cork with 
a 18-24 inch monofilment leader to lure the specs 
from the grass beds.  For the larger specs, small 
live pinfish will also work well.  

Redfish - When the reds are running, they will eat 
almost anything.  I use live shrimp fishing on the 
bottom with a slow retreive.  Live crabs or finger 
mullet will also produce great results.

Pompano - Though I have caught a lot of these on 
live shrimp, the bait of choice is definately sand 
fleas.  I never buy them since they are available 
all year round in the shallow surf.  I use a 2oz. 
triangle sinker with a two hook rig to increase my 
chances.  

Flounder - I have never specifically fished for 
flounder, but I catch them all the time.  They 
will seem to eat about any live bait, from live 
shrimp to bull minnows.  They also like any type 
of cut bait.  Fish the bottom around the tide 
side of small holes.  Flounder like to ambush from 
this point.

White Trout - These small fish are usually caught 
from the bridges here locally.  Most are caught on 
dead shrimp or cut bait.  Though they are small, 
you can catch an ice chest full.

Shark - There are many species of shark that are 
local to this area. From tiger, reef sharks, duskys, 
bullsharks to sand sharks, they are all plentiful.  
Chumming from the beach at night using cut bait works 
best.