In bait fishing, small accessories decide whether the bait stays on the hook. In this group you will find bait elastic for binding soft baits to the hook and baiting needles for threading baits onto the trace. You will also find bait knives for cutting fish strips and fillets.
Sea bait fishing is tough on bait. A long cast, the current and small fish picking at it will strip a soft bait quickly, and an empty hook on the bottom catches nothing. Bait elastic is a thin, stretchy thread that you wrap a few times around the bait, hook and trace. It works especially well with mussels, worms, shrimp and fish strips, and it barely shows in the water.
A baiting needle lets you thread bait neatly onto the trace or pull the line through a bait fish. The needle usually has a hook or an eye at the end for attaching the line. That way the bait sits straight and does not spin in the current, which also reduces line twist.
A bait knife is sturdy and easy to clean. It cuts fish strips and fillets to an even size, so they sit on the hook the same way every time and give off scent evenly. Keep the blade sharp, and rinse all your bait tools in fresh water at the end of the day so salt does not damage them.