Read the mark before you open the bait box

Shore fishing is a conversation between tide, ground and species, and bait is the language you use. A clean sandy beach fishes very differently from a rocky headland or a muddy estuary, and the bait that performs brilliantly on one can sit untouched on another. Two things should shape your choice above all else: the ground in front of you, and what you are hoping to catch. A ray over a sandy bank, a wrasse among boulders, a winter cod in coloured water — each wants something slightly different on the hook.

It also pays to remember that freshness and presentation will outfish rarity every time. A lively lugworm dug the same afternoon beats a tired, sweaty ragworm that has been in a warm pocket since dawn. Keep your baits cool, change them often, and pay attention to how they sit on the hook. Everything else follows from that.

Ragworm: the all-rounder for estuaries and mixed ground

Ragworm is the bait most anglers reach for first, and with good reason. King rag — the big, blowsy ones — are superb for bass, flounder, wrasse and plaice. Smaller harbour rag will take flatties and school bass on a small hook. If your mark is mixed ground of gravel, mud and broken shell, ragworm is rarely a bad opening move.

Hook it through the head and leave the tail free to wriggle, which is half its charm. If you are casting into a strong tide or distance, bind the worm up the shank with bait elastic so it survives the cast. A cocktail of ragworm and a sliver of squid gives you both movement and durability when crabs are about, and it will often tempt a better fish than either bait alone.

Lugworm: the beach classic

If you are standing on sand, lugworm should be your default. Blow lug, the soft, juicy worms from the upper beach, are ideal for whiting, dabs, flounder and pout through the colder months. Black lug, tougher and darker, is the bait for cod and bass from surf beaches — a big black lug tipped with a sliver of squid or a short mackerel strip is one of the great winter combinations.

Lug works best where there is a bit of surf to carry its scent trail. Fish it on a running ledger or a pulley rig, and do not be shy about using two or three worms on a larger hook. Where the ground is snaggy, a whole black lug bound with elastic will outlast anything soft and loose.

Mackerel strips: movement, oil and a big scent trail

Mackerel is the bait for fish that hunt by sight as much as smell. A strip cut from the flank and hooked once at the top so it flaps and streams in the tide is deadly for bass off rocks and over sand, and for pollack, coalfish and conger in deeper marks. A whole fillet or a flapper makes a hefty, oily mouthful that rays and smoothhounds find hard to ignore.

• Use it fresh. Fresh mackerel is firm and stays on the hook; fish that has been refrozen repeatedly turns to mush and flies off on the cast.
• Leave the skin on. It holds the bait together and gives a flash of silver in clear water.
• Cut strips long and narrow for bass, short and chunky for bottom-feeding species.

Squid: tough, reliable, and better than its reputation

Squid is often dismissed as the bait of last resort. In truth it is a serious contender. It is tough enough to survive a long cast, a hard tide and the attention of crabs, and its pale flesh grips a hook well. Squid is excellent for dogfish, huss, rays and cod, and it makes a superb tip on a worm or fish bait, adding scent and a bit of bulk without masking the point.

Cut the body into wedges or slim strips, and use the tentacles for smaller hooks. Because it is so durable, squid is also the sensible bait when you are fishing a mark where you can only cast every few minutes, or when you simply want the rod to look after itself while you watch the horizon.

Matching bait to conditions and species

• Coloured water after a blow: lug and squid, fished big for scent. Cod, whiting and rays respond well.
• Calm, clear summer water: ragworm and fresh mackerel strips for bass, plaice and wrasse.
• Sandy surf in winter: black lug tipped with squid for cod and whiting.
• Rocky marks: mackerel strip or a whole sandeel, float-fished or on a running ledger for pollack and wrasse.
• Heavy crab activity: favour tough baits — squid, mackerel skin, bound lug — and check your bait more often.

Build a bait box that covers the session

You do not need a tackle shop's worth of bait, but a small, well-chosen selection will see you through most tides: a couple of dozen ragworm, a bag of lug, a squid or two and a fresh mackerel. Carry them in a cool bag with ice packs, keep worms out of fresh water, and only take out what you need for the next cast.

Finally, resist the urge to over-bait. A bait so large that it hides the hook point will miss more fish than it catches. Match the size of the bait to the size of the hook and the species you expect, keep it fresh, and let the tide do the rest.