For generations, anglers have known that fresh bait has a powerful advantage. Shrimp, squid, minnows, and other natural baits release the scents and signals that fish recognize as food.

Artificial scents attempt to imitate what real bait naturally provides. Mossyhead Bait Company was created around a simple question: instead of trying to make artificial lures smell like bait, why not design a lure that allows anglers to use real bait?

THE BIG PLUS! This entire concept takes full advantage of the most powerful scent attract in nature: That of an injured prey

The Mossyhead Solution: Artificial Action. Real Bait Attraction.

Mossyhead Bait Company created a new way to fish artificial lures by combining the advantages of both artificial lures and natural bait.

Our Swimbait and Jig Jackets are designed to hold real bait such as shrimp, squid, minnows, and other natural baits while allowing anglers to fish with the movement, casting ability, and versatility of an artificial lure.

Instead of adding an artificial scent to imitate bait, Mossyhead allows anglers to use the real thing.

Explore Mossyhead Swimbait‍ ‍Explore Mossyhead Jig Jackets

How It Works: Bringing Real Bait to Artificial Lure Fishing

Mossyhead Bait Company makes it possible to combine the advantages of artificial lures with the natural attraction of real bait.

Using a Swimbais or Jig Jacket is simple:

1. Choose your bait

Use fresh bait that matches the fish you are targeting. Shrimp, squid, minnows, and other natural baits can all be used depending on your fishing conditions. Some natural baits turn very nicely into past like Fresh peeled Shrimp or Squid. If using fish then cut the meat off the bones first (may not be necessary if using very small minnows)

Shrimp: The Universal Natural Bait

Shrimp is one of the most versatile natural baits available to anglers. Shrimp are found throughout many saltwater environments and are also an important food source for many freshwater predators.

Because shrimp are recognized as food by a wide variety of fish species, they are an excellent starting point for anglers experimenting with real bait inside an artificial lure.

Shrimp is easy to obtain, easy to prepare, and can be used by itself or combined with other natural baits to create custom scent combinations. A BIG pluse with shrimp is how easy it blends into a perfect bait paste which makes it a snap to inject into the lures.

When prepared for use inside a Mossyhead lure, shrimp provides more than just a smell. It releases natural scent signals into the water that can help predators identify the lure as a potential food source.

Squid: A Powerful Saltwater Option

Squid has been a trusted bait choice among saltwater anglers for generations.

Its strong natural marine scent and durable texture make it an excellent option for many saltwater applications. Squid also blends nicly into a paste

Squid can be used alone or combined with shrimp and other natural baits to create a unique scent profile designed for the species and conditions being fished.

Fish Flesh: Matching the Local Food Chain

The flesh of fish is perhaps the most flexible of all the natural baits. The anglers can obtain baitfish from the local waters and turn that into paste for injection into these lures.

Fish flesh gives anglers the ability to customize their presentation based on the natural forage available in their own waters.

Preparing fish flesh requires more work because the meat must be removed from the bones before it can be minced or prepared for use. However, that extra effort creates an opportunity that artificial scents cannot provide: the ability to match the natural food source predators are currently feeding on.

A baitfish species common in one area may not be the same as the forage available somewhere else. By using locally available fish, anglers can create a presentation that closely matches the environment they are fishing.

A great example of this is mullet. Mullet is one of the most common foods predatory fish hunt. The mullet is in both fresh and salt water and a big bonus is fresh mullet can be bough at local fish markets and they are very cheap to buy. The fish monger can even fillet the mullet for you now all that is needed is mincing the meat. Menhaden (Bunkers) is another prey most all fish will take. Most often this can be bought frozen. Once thawed the meat peels very easy from the bone.

Creating Cocktail Baits

One of the most exciting advantages of the Mossyhead system is the ability to create custom bait combinations.

Anglers are no longer limited to one scent product from a bottle. They can combine different natural baits to create their own "cocktail baits." or even add the many artificial scent products available to boost the scent trail.

Shrimp, squid, fish flesh, and other natural ingredients can be blended together to create a scent profile designed for specific fishing situations.

This allows anglers to experiment, adapt, and develop combinations based on their own experience and the waters they fish.

2. Prepare your bait

Turning your real natual bait into a form that with ease injects into the cavity of our specialized swimbait and Jig Jackets is the goal. You can accomplish this very easy with a Kitchen blinder, meat grinder, or manual veggie chopper. Here is a video to watch that shows using a manual veggie chopper to do the job but the blinder or meat grinder works, the veggi chopper is highly mobil and cheap to purchase. Click here to see video You will also see how additional fish attractants can be added to the real bait to give it an extra boost. If you want to see all our videos click here

The Scent of Vulnerable Prey: Nature's Feeding Signal

Every predator knows that an injured or struggling prey item is an opportunity for an easy meal.

In the natural world, wounded prey often becomes the first target because it represents a vulnerable food source. A struggling baitfish, injured shrimp, or damaged prey item creates a combination of visual, movement, and chemical signals that predators are designed to detect.

Scent plays a major role in this process. The natural scent released by injured prey helps predators locate and identify potential meals in their environment.

This is the principle behind the Mossyhead approach.

A traditional artificial lure can imitate the appearance and movement of prey. Mossyhead adds another critical element by allowing anglers to include real bait inside the lure, creating the natural scent signals associated with actual prey.

Not Just the Smell of Food — The Signal of an Opportunity

Predatores are not simply searching for something that smells like food. They are responding to a combination of signals that indicate a feeding opportunity.

A lure that looks like prey, moves like prey, and releases the real scent of wounded creates a more complete presentation.

The goal is to imitate what predators encounter in nature: a vulnerable prey item that can be found, tracked, and eaten.

Four Years of Testing: Creating the Perfect Real Bait Delivery System

The Mossyhead concept was not created overnight. It came from years of testing, experimenting, and refining a simple question:

How can an artificial lure deliver the natural attraction of real bait while still providing the performance anglers expect from a lure?

Hundreds of hours were spent on the water testing different designs, materials, and bait-holding methods. Every part of the lure had to be considered.

The material had to be strong enough to withstand repeated casting and fishing, yet flexible enough to move naturally in the water. It needed to be soft enough to hold bait securely without interfering with the lure's action.

Most importantly, the material had to allow the natural scent and tiny bait particles to be released into the water so predators could detect the presence of real prey.

Finding the Perfect Mesh

Early in the development process, mesh became the obvious choice because it offered the ability to hold real bait while allowing scent and natural particles to escape.

However, finding the right mesh required years of experimentation. Different mesh materials were tested for strength, flexibility, softness, durability, and their ability to release natural bait signals.

After four years of testing, the ideal material was discovered: a translucent plastic mesh formed into a flexible tube.

The design takes advantage of a unique flexing characteristic similar to the mechanics of a Chinese finger trap. As the mesh flexes and moves, the openings can change size, allowing the material to expand and contract naturally while maintaining its shape.

This creates a unique balance:

• Securely holds real bait

• Allows natural scent release

• Maintains flexibility and movement

• Adapts to different bait sizes

• Provides durability for repeated fishing

More Than Function: A New Way to Customize Your Presentation

The translucent nature of the mesh created another unexpected advantage.

Because the material allows light and color to pass through, anglers can customize the appearance of their bait. Natural bait can be colored, enhanced, or modified while still being visible through the lure.

This gives anglers the ability to experiment with different colors and bait combinations while maintaining the natural scent advantages that make real bait so effective.