by gerald » Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:15 pm
Welcome to the world of Saltwater fishing and the "new" boat.
I hope your "learning" experience for saltwater fish will be good.......but keep in mind, right now fishing conditions are not good. There has been a lot of rain and the water is "fresh" and still a little muddy. This makes fishing tough right now. People that fish a lot are still catching Trout, flounder and redfish...you just need to know where to go to catch them.
As for gear......your bass fishing rods and reels should be good. But, keep in mind that saltwater can be very hard on cheeper quality reels. Recommend that you search post on this site [and other sites] of fishing reels to learn more. Most people use ~12 lb mono. Some like braid line.
As for baits [soft plastic and hard].......there are 100's to choose from. Most will catch fish. The important thing to remember is how you work the bait is probably just as important as what bait you use. As a rule of thumb......cloudy and/or dirty water, use darker color baits. If the water is clear [10"+ visibility] and it is sunny, use lighter color bait.
When it is cold......sloooooooow down the way you work the bait. Also using 1/8 or 1/16 oz jig heads will generaly catch more fish during the winter. Suspending type baits worked slowly are good to use right now. In a month or 2 the water will warm up some and the fish will start to get more active.
Using live or "fresh" bait you will generally get a lot more bites......but also catch more catfish and other "trash" fish. Use fresh [or frozen] shrimp and you will catch some fish.
Good luck and have fun. Generally......on a bad saltwater fishing trip, you will catch more fish than on a freshwater trip.