Best Bait when fishing from the rocks?

As I wait quietly in the airport lounge (I am flying back to Abu Dhabi after a spending Christmas & New Year in the UK with my family - great time, but no fishing!!), I got to thinking about what bait works best when fishing from the rocks. I have always found that shrimp is very attractive to the fish, but is difficult to keep on the hook - especially when there are lots of smaller fish around to grab at it as it sinks. I also sometimes use squid, which works well when the fish are biting, but doesn't seem to be as attractive to the fish as shrimp.

I usually fish with a couple of hooks paternostered to the line with a medium-heavy lead weight at the very end. I always loose a lot of tackle this way, since I fish quite close to the shore, but there are more fish there!

Tomorrow should see me back fishing again - more after that! I will try using a different technique tomorrow - allowing the weight to slide up/down the line a few feet from the end (and with only one hook). Will let you all know how well it works (or doesn't!).


Barry.