Surf Fishing Bait Showdown: Sand Crabs vs Gulp Sandworms

I grew up surf fishing almost exclusively with sand crabs. For nearly an entire year, that’s what I did. I learned the method and tried to master it. As time went on, I began branching out and trying new baits to see whether I might catch more fish, different types of fish and so on.

Today, we’ll be talking about the two most commonly used baits in So Cal’s surf: sand crabs and Gulp sandworms.

Which Bait Will Catch More Fish?

To cut straight to the point, Gulp sandworms will most often catch more fish than sand crabs. This is especially true in the transitional months where surfperch are the most common catch.

Even more specifically, Gulp sandworms have a superpower that attracts small surfperch. If all you want is to make sure you catch a fish (and potentially lots of them), go fishing with Gulp sandworms.

However, sand crabs aren’t too far behind in this category. And, if you’re fishing the months of May through August, sand crabs become more likely to catch you more numbers.

Variety in Species

Sand crabs catch a wider variety of species. It’s the true natural bait that’s out there, and fish love them… almost all fish love them.

Gulp sandworms will likely catch 90% surfperch and 10% something else. On the other hand, sand crabs will catch a variety of different species that really comes down to what type of fish are in the area at any given moment.

If you head over to the page on this website that overviews the most common species of fish you can catch from the beach in So Cal, about 80% of the species on that list will frequently be caught by an angler using sand crabs for bait.

Do Sand Crabs or Gulp Catch Bigger Fish?

Once again, sand crabs take the W in this category. Surfperch are the smallest of all the surf species and that’s the most common catch for Gulp sandworms. Using sand crabs for bait is the number one way to catch big corbina and spotfin croaker.

And, to take that one step further, it’s not uncommon to catch 3 to 4-foot shovelnose guitarfish with sand crabs.

Bottom Line

My recommendation to every surf angler interested in using either of these baits is to use both. It’s good to try it for yourself and understand where and when each might be a good bait to use.

Also, it’s a no brainer to always have Gulp sand worms in your tackle box or bag. They’re reliable and easy to use. It’s especially good to have them during the early spring and late fall when finding sand crabs might not be a guarantee.

I hope you guys found this helpful and as always, feel free to drop any questions in the comments below.