[MistyTom]

This may have been covered here but I came up empty doing a search.
Who sells the best bait in Suffolk County on the south shore?

I bought some nice large sand eels last weekend and when they thawed out they were rotten in the bellies. I bought spearing in another bait shop and they were tiny. The bait lately is expensive and it is terrible quality. I?m looking for basic stuff like sand eels, spearing, clams, bunker, herring bunker chum etc.

I would like to catch my own but I usually do not have the time.

 

[fish4me]

If you want the best, CYO.

Most of the store bought bait is garbage.

 

[bigfish123]

Bobs Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor.they have good stuff.

 

[brianNY]

i second bobs bait in tackle also!

 

[JC30967]

Combs

Combs is another b&t shop on the south shore in Suffolk that I have had nothing but excellent experiences with

. For instance, I went in for some sandeels last summer, Bill said the ones he had in stock were from an order he personally drove to South Jersey for early that morning. They were picture perfect, as has all bait been that I have ever bought there.

Besides the highest quality bait, Bill and his wife Denise are terrific people, always super polite and willing to go out of their way to help any customer

.

 

[Stoneguy77]

Casting Net?

Can anyone recommend a sound casting net? Also is this adviseable from the shore or is it a bad idea? It just seems to me that if you want to work from "fresh"/live bait you would have to catch your own. Any experiences or ideas would be great.

 

[digga]

JC30967 wrote:

Combs is another b&t shop on the south shore in Suffolk that I have had nothing but excellent experiences with

. For instance, I went in for some sandeels last summer, Bill said the ones he had in stock were from an order he personally drove to South Jersey for early that morning. They were picture perfect, as has all bait been that I have ever bought there.

Besides the highest quality bait, Bill and his wife Denise are terrific people, always super polite and willing to go out of their way to help any customer

.

My buddy Keith works there and he says the same

I'd go there for my bait if it wasnt so far from me

 

[lotsoffish]

east end bait and tackle, hampton bays

they get most of their bait fresh from local fisherman..spearing outstanding quality!

This post edited by lotsoffish 09:00 PM 06/11/2008

 

[MeanBean]

Lon Wansers in seaford, great bait and prices.

 

[cyg819]

Lon Wansers,are they still in business?

 

[JC30967]

Blast from the past!

Lon Wanser's has been out of business, I'd say, at least close to 20 yrs, now. I used to go there a lot for snapper and flounder bait as a kid, it was on the way to most of the local docks my friends and I used to ride our bikes to.

Besides, he asked about Suffolk, Seaford is in Nassau .

 

[crabman1130]

lotsoffish wrote:
they get most of their bait fresh from local fisherman..spearing outstanding quality!
I bought spearing there recently and they were outstanding.

 

[luckylin46]

The Best Fishing Bait on Long Island

The best fresh clams would come from a bait shop that opens them right there on their premises.. The only shop on LI that opens their own clams is Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle. The best spearing would come from a shop that gets them fresh and hand packs them the same day themselves. Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle. The best local squid would come from a bait shop that packs them themselves--Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle. The best striper chum would come from a bait shop that packs their own striper chum. If it comes in a box- it is where everybody gets theirs from a wholesaler--Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle picks up their own chum fresh and packs it in 2 1/2 gallon buckets which is 1/2 gallon larger than the box and has no fillers. As far as sandeels goes--everybody buys them from the wholesaler frozen- never fresh because they come from another country-- Ecuador.--not NJ. There is no local sandeels- in NJ or NY due to permit requirements. The bait you get at Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle is guaranteed to be the best.

 

[KingKeith]

wansers, sure is a blast from the past. has to be closed about 20 years now. i remember going in there with my father when i was a little kid.

 

[Fishing Friend]

LOL...sorry to contribute to the side track but ...I would say Lon Wansers ended in 1985. There was another small bait and tackle shop across Merrick Rd from Wansers which the same owner turned it into a Subway sandwhich shop in about 1988 which is still there today..

Combs has good bait and often has my favorite: Sandeels

 

[tiderunner70]

mr. b's in patchogue recently had the best large local spearing i have seen in many years. i don't know if still has any but its worth a look. he also had some seriously beautiful squid.

capt t's in bayport usually has some of the best sand worms in town. big fat momma's!!!

 

[STRIKERTHREE]

If your buying in bulk Nilsons in bay shore is the best

 

[Bigkeepers]

I guess it depends on how far you are willing to drive. I love to go to Smith's Point B&T which is not far from where I work in Ridge. If you are farther east, East End B&T is great. For western Suffolk I agree with Combs. I've been to all three and I really prefer Smith's Point. He gets his stuff fresh and always has what is hatched at the time. As they say match the hatch. I've gotten sand eels as big as spearing from him.

 

[JC30967]

B&T shop Nostalgia!

Fishing Friend wrote:
LOL...sorry to contribute to the side track but ...I would say Lon Wansers ended in 1985. There was another small bait and tackle shop across Merrick Rd from Wansers which the same owner turned it into a Subway sandwhich shop in about 1988 which is still there today..

Combs has good bait and often has my favorite: Sandeels

I remember that shop , also, I forget the name, though. There was another one, just a few doors down from Wanser's, called Village Sports, if I'm not mistaken. It's a liquor store now. And there is Eastern Reel, just a few lights west on Merrick Rd, as far as I know, that one is still there ( how I have no idea, you never hear of anyone going in there ) Not sure the exact year Wanser's went out, but I am pretty sure he was around a little later than '85.

I also apologize for the sidetrack, just couldn't resist reminiscing a little about tackle shops in the Seaford area from back in the day

.

Mabey a thread about our favorite shops from years ago would be a good idea?

 

[AdirondackBill]

BayRat166 wrote:
With all due respect,

Me and most people I know who have went to Lindenhurst B/T think the same thing the guy is an A-hole, so i really dont care what he has to offer he isnt getting my money.
Why not just say what B & T shop you like and why you like it instead of bashing someone's business ?