What kind of saltwater fishing are you doing? I do some inshore kayak fishing for that, live bait is always good if you have a good way of transporting it and keeping them alive (live shrimp works well for reds, snook, trout). I don't always have time for live bait, so i usually use artificial bait. I was having some luck with a jerk bait hard plastic, caught some ladyfish with it, which then you could use for cut bait. I also use soft plastics with a jig head. I haven't had much luck recently with the soft plastics, but i know it can be done. I'm still learning.
Hope that helps.
