Depending on the seller, anglers today commonly pay on average $7-$10 for a dozen pieces of trout candy. Croaker began as a novelty bait roughly 30 years ago, as best as I can figure.

The use of live croaker is very controversial. For the most part, your average angler that just wants to go out and catch a mess of fish has no problem with the use of the bait.

Croaker Fish Wash Up After Massive Die-Off L.A. Times Archives Aug. 4, 2004 12 AM PT From Times Wire Reports ...

The croaker craze has not gone unnoticed by TPWD's fishery managers. They are watching and, to date, have seen no indication that baiting with croakers is taking more trout from the population ...

While live croaker can be a very deadly bait for trout, they are not magic. Anglers who use them still must know where and how to use the bait to be consistently successful, skills the average bay ...

Tim Davis said croaker moved into waters off Townsends Inlet and around the 8th Street Jetty in Avalon. Davis works at Moran's Dockside at Avalon Sport Fishing Center, where Miss Avalon docks.

Bottom-fishing for spot, croaker and perch has been red hot in the Chesapeake near Annapolis all month. Thursday, I took Gene Miller and his 13-year-old grandson, Joshua Lindley, out on the Boston ...

Bottom fishing in 180 feet will yield grouper and greater amberjacks. Inshore: Snook, trout and redfish can be caught around the spoil islands and along the west shoreline from Oslo Road to Harbor ...