My best luck seems to be when I use a 3" yellow curly tail SCENTED grub for black rockfish. Bottomfish don't seem to be very picky about what kind of natural bait you throw their way as long as it is fresh, impaled on the hook in a natural position and presented in a natural way. I use prawns and squid for the most part and seem to catch just about any kind of bottomfish. You ought to pay attention to bait/hook size if you are looking to catch perch or flounder. The other guys seem to have cavernous mouths that can easily swallow a 2/0 hook. Using a larger hook size will not only allow you to use whole baits, but will also reduce hook swallowing. I can't think of a time where the fish discriminated against the size of your hook.