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Sandeel can often be the make-or-break bait for the angler during a trip and can entice fish to feed when other baits are totally ignored. Predator stocks packs of sandeels in three basic sizes, small medium and large to suit all requirements.

Whole small or medium sandeels are most effective for rays, huss, whiting, turbot, brill, dogfish, pollack and bass in clear water.

There are various ways of presentation, but most effective is to use a thin baiting needle passed through the tail to the head. For drift fishing aboard a boat and for shore bass fishing, have the hook positioned towards the tail so that the sandeel looks more natural. For fishing a sandeel as a dead bait and static ledgered, then the hook is better placed towards the head. Some anglers prefer to just pass the hook through the head once, but this can result in missed bites. For casting, a few wraps of thin elastic bait thread around the body helps secure the bait and maintain good presentation.

Sandeel has plenty of scent and is a good bottom fishing bait. To get the best out of it cut the backbone out of a whole sandeel but leave the fillets attached to the head to create a flapper presentation. Slide the hook through the mouth and out through the gullet between fillets and slide the flapper above the hook on to the trace. With the baiting needle, slide on another whole sandeel head first making sure the hook leaves the body just below the mid belly area. Slide the flapper sandeel down over the one on the hook and bind them together with elastic thread. This looks like a whole sandeel, but gives maximum scent from the cut fillets. This is especially good for rays, huss and dogfish.

Sandeel can also be used as a whole fillet for smaller species like whiting, dabs, and makes a good bait to tip worm off with to target bigger whiting amongst the passing shoal and larger than average dabs. A flapper sandeel over a king rag bait, called a “Rocket bait”, is a top competition bait for shore dogfish.