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Dead Bait #1
Dead Bait
A husband hell-bent on revenge hunts a Wereshark...A Russian mail order bride with a fishy secret...Crabs with a collective consciousness...A vampire who transforms into a Candiru...Zombie piranha...Bait that will have you crawling out of your skin and more. Drawing on horror, humor with a helping of dark fantasy and a touch of deviance, these 19 contemporary stories pay homage to the monsters that lurk in the murky waters of our imaginations. If you thought it was safe to go back in the water...Think Again!
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
43 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
David Dunwoody
56 books59 followersDavid Dunwoody writes subversive horror fiction including HELL WALKS, THE 3 EGOS & the EMPIRE series, as well as dozens of short stories. His fiction has been published by outfits such as Gallery, Shroud, Dark Regions, Belfire, Evil Jester, Permuted and Chaosium.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 9, 2025
An anthology of ocean / fishing themed horror stories. Below are my ratings for each story. Sadly, I didn't get too much enjoyment out of it, with only one (Piraya) being one I really liked, a few fine entires, and a whole lotta mid and weak ones.
Fox Goes Fission - 3⭐
Chum Bucket - 3⭐
The Test Drive - 2.75⭐
The Old Man and the Puddle - 3⭐
Brunch - 2⭐
Crawlies - 2⭐
Jungle Rot - 2⭐
Under the Boardwalk - 3⭐
Noodlers - 2.5⭐
Grim Adaptations - 3⭐
Blood in the River - 2.5⭐
Piraya - 3.5⭐
The Hanged Man - 2⭐
Something Fishy is Going On - 1.5⭐
Topwater - 2.25⭐
Dawes - 2.75⭐
Searching for a Sea Monster - 2.25⭐
Lobster Stew - 2.75⭐
Death Roe - 2.75⭐
Fox Goes Fission - 3⭐
Chum Bucket - 3⭐
The Test Drive - 2.75⭐
The Old Man and the Puddle - 3⭐
Brunch - 2⭐
Crawlies - 2⭐
Jungle Rot - 2⭐
Under the Boardwalk - 3⭐
Noodlers - 2.5⭐
Grim Adaptations - 3⭐
Blood in the River - 2.5⭐
Piraya - 3.5⭐
The Hanged Man - 2⭐
Something Fishy is Going On - 1.5⭐
Topwater - 2.25⭐
Dawes - 2.75⭐
Searching for a Sea Monster - 2.25⭐
Lobster Stew - 2.75⭐
Death Roe - 2.75⭐
August 7, 2013
WTF am I doing? I already have a deep water phobia. I doubt this is going to improve the situation.
February 5, 2023
A collection of creepy stories about bodies of water.
Stand out story: Piraya - Tim Curran
I enjoyed this collection a lot, it was good at scratching my sea horror itch I’ve been having lately. Everything from zombie fish to killer mermaids - all the tropes to do with water were used here. Very enjoyable and I’m going to read the second and third collections too!
Stand out story: Piraya - Tim Curran
I enjoyed this collection a lot, it was good at scratching my sea horror itch I’ve been having lately. Everything from zombie fish to killer mermaids - all the tropes to do with water were used here. Very enjoyable and I’m going to read the second and third collections too!
December 17, 2015
An anthology filled with stories about all the creepier things in the water. If you like sea monsters, and or looking for a horror novel that isn't just the same ol', same ol' vampires, werewolves and such, this is a good book to get. Stories range from haunted lakes, to evil parasites, to zombie piranhas and more... The authors really think outside the box for some of these stories and you can't help thinking "Where the hell did they think that up from?!".
Most of the stories went pretty fast and were pretty entertaining. One or two of them kind of dragged and I lost interest in those. The stories are definitely not for the squeamish. Plenty of graphic gory descriptions. There are a few nasty sexual situations that are a little uncomfortable to read (Fish vagina. I'm looking at you...). Over all, I was pretty entertained by this book and I look forward to reading the others in the series. If you are looking for something that's fun and a little different, I think you'd enjoy this book.
Most of the stories went pretty fast and were pretty entertaining. One or two of them kind of dragged and I lost interest in those. The stories are definitely not for the squeamish. Plenty of graphic gory descriptions. There are a few nasty sexual situations that are a little uncomfortable to read (Fish vagina. I'm looking at you...). Over all, I was pretty entertained by this book and I look forward to reading the others in the series. If you are looking for something that's fun and a little different, I think you'd enjoy this book.
Want to read
September 18, 2009Haven't got my copy yet, but I've heard "The Hanged Man" story alone is worth the purchase of the book. ;)
April 27, 2020
Fairly good short stories
Some very good some fairly good stories, kept my interest for longer than I expected.
The author were a good range too
Some very good some fairly good stories, kept my interest for longer than I expected.
The author were a good range too
February 1, 2025
This book is one of my new favorite reads, absolutely fantastic for creature feature lovers that are scared of the water. This book despite being written in the 2000's, feels like something from the 80's/90's booms when things like Stephen King's "Night Shift" was popping off (another fantastic book)
Stories that impressed me:
"Fox Goes Fission": About a native-american man plagued to look after an ominous/haunted lake which has claimed the lives of many victims, including his beloved wife and daughter. In order to settle things with this Lovecraftian hellhole once and for all, he goes fishing on the night of a blood red moon to get the king of the lake, ancient catfish said to lurk at the bottom and weigh as much a pickup truck! From cobra-sized worms, tentacle monstrosities, rotting skeletons laughing at him from the decayed dock while he fishes patiently...this is quite the tale.
"The Man and the Puddle": A labelled crazy old man native to New Zealand has become obsessed about hunting down a mythical creature which claimed the life of his father, called the Taniwha. It is a giant human eel creature that is said to live in a small pond stretching hundreds of meters deep called The Puddle. Can he hunt it down or become the hunted?
"Piraya": A group of tourists end up down the Amazon River with a local guide to go piranha fishing. Things go south when they discover a biochemical boat has capsized at one point and infected a section of the river...where now HUNDREDS of veracious zombie piranha are coming to get their unsatiable fill! Imagine Creepshow's The Raft, except way more gorey.
"Grim Adaptations": Some kids discover a zombified catfish that gets taken to a local biologist and unfortunately starts infecting people. To temporarily solve the problem, the kids take the specimen down an urban legend local lake where bodies are dumped and fish have grown in numbers...yeah things go really bad.
"Under The Boardwalk": Some gamblers down on their luck end up on a boardwalk where one of them gets tempted underneath it by a wallet on a string, thought to be a prank by some dumb kids. What is down there is much worse, but FUN ASF!
"Death Roe": A man in Hawaii goes deep sea reef diving around some volcanic formations and finds these beautiful giant pearls which he abducts to sell on the black market. A local guide warns him these are actually Mermaid eggs belonging to the indigenous ocean goddess, and she will do what it takes to get her babies back no matter what. Various brutal ocean-gimmicked deaths happening to all the buyers of these eggs around the globe, and now the robber is left in the Mojave Desert hoping no water is around him to risk his life...
This book was incredible, all stories are pretty fun, unique, and great. Even the bad ones are memorable at least, so a 9.5/10 collection. STAY OUT THE WATER
Stories that impressed me:
"Fox Goes Fission": About a native-american man plagued to look after an ominous/haunted lake which has claimed the lives of many victims, including his beloved wife and daughter. In order to settle things with this Lovecraftian hellhole once and for all, he goes fishing on the night of a blood red moon to get the king of the lake, ancient catfish said to lurk at the bottom and weigh as much a pickup truck! From cobra-sized worms, tentacle monstrosities, rotting skeletons laughing at him from the decayed dock while he fishes patiently...this is quite the tale.
"The Man and the Puddle": A labelled crazy old man native to New Zealand has become obsessed about hunting down a mythical creature which claimed the life of his father, called the Taniwha. It is a giant human eel creature that is said to live in a small pond stretching hundreds of meters deep called The Puddle. Can he hunt it down or become the hunted?
"Piraya": A group of tourists end up down the Amazon River with a local guide to go piranha fishing. Things go south when they discover a biochemical boat has capsized at one point and infected a section of the river...where now HUNDREDS of veracious zombie piranha are coming to get their unsatiable fill! Imagine Creepshow's The Raft, except way more gorey.
"Grim Adaptations": Some kids discover a zombified catfish that gets taken to a local biologist and unfortunately starts infecting people. To temporarily solve the problem, the kids take the specimen down an urban legend local lake where bodies are dumped and fish have grown in numbers...yeah things go really bad.
"Under The Boardwalk": Some gamblers down on their luck end up on a boardwalk where one of them gets tempted underneath it by a wallet on a string, thought to be a prank by some dumb kids. What is down there is much worse, but FUN ASF!
"Death Roe": A man in Hawaii goes deep sea reef diving around some volcanic formations and finds these beautiful giant pearls which he abducts to sell on the black market. A local guide warns him these are actually Mermaid eggs belonging to the indigenous ocean goddess, and she will do what it takes to get her babies back no matter what. Various brutal ocean-gimmicked deaths happening to all the buyers of these eggs around the globe, and now the robber is left in the Mojave Desert hoping no water is around him to risk his life...
This book was incredible, all stories are pretty fun, unique, and great. Even the bad ones are memorable at least, so a 9.5/10 collection. STAY OUT THE WATER
October 9, 2022
I love underwater/deep sea horror so I was pretty excited for this. However, it wasn't as good as I was hoping. Most of the stories were extremely similar so I felt like I was just reading the same thing with one or two differences.
That being said, there were a few stories that blew me away. The first being Fox Goes Fisson by Ron Leming. It was the very first story in the anthology and it hit me in the heartstrings. The descriptions were so artfully done and I could see everything happening as I read it. I really felt for Fox in this one.
Next was Crawlies by David Dunwoody. This was my literal nightmare. Every single cell in my body twisted itself into knots when I was reading this. I've never felt so deeply horrified and repulsed in my life. Piraya by Tim Curran and Something Fishy is Going On by Mark Zirbel made me cringe in all the good ways.
My favourite story was Searching for the Sea Monster by Lance Schonberg. It made me stop and think and it has a lot of interesting things to say about humans as a whole treat things that are "lesser" or "disposable.
There were a few other stories that I thought were interesting and would love to see them expanded upon, but overall, this anthology didn't do much for me. It was an experience, for sure, but not one overly worth remembering beyond a few saving graces.
That being said, there were a few stories that blew me away. The first being Fox Goes Fisson by Ron Leming. It was the very first story in the anthology and it hit me in the heartstrings. The descriptions were so artfully done and I could see everything happening as I read it. I really felt for Fox in this one.
Next was Crawlies by David Dunwoody. This was my literal nightmare. Every single cell in my body twisted itself into knots when I was reading this. I've never felt so deeply horrified and repulsed in my life. Piraya by Tim Curran and Something Fishy is Going On by Mark Zirbel made me cringe in all the good ways.
My favourite story was Searching for the Sea Monster by Lance Schonberg. It made me stop and think and it has a lot of interesting things to say about humans as a whole treat things that are "lesser" or "disposable.
There were a few other stories that I thought were interesting and would love to see them expanded upon, but overall, this anthology didn't do much for me. It was an experience, for sure, but not one overly worth remembering beyond a few saving graces.
December 28, 2024
This was a fun collection. I'm a sucker for anything aquatic themed, so reading a collection of horror stories about sea creatures was a delight. As with many short story anthologies/collections, some stories were better than others. However, even the ones I didn't particularly enjoy were still well written. My top 3 favs were "Test Drive" by Mike Norris, "Crawlies" by David Dunwoody, and "Piraya" by Tim Curran.
March 15, 2014
I was delighted at the wicked quality of the stories in this anthology. In the mood for monsters, "Dead Bait" delivers creatures beneath the water, and it does so with 19 stories that while they could use another editing pass, still manage to chum the water with proper terror.
The ratio of good to okay stories is 3:1 and even those okay stories aren't bad, merely unremarkable. Rather than go through every story, I'll bring up the highlights of what I found to be the bright spots.
The anthology came out strong with "Fox Goes Fission" by Ron Lemming. The story deals with an evil, cursed, rancid, hateful lake and the pages ooze with the sense of it. I could smell the foul rot, see the loathsome menace of it, hear the burbling venom and the flies.
The title of most gruesome and excessive story goes to Tim Curran and "Piraya", where the carnage at the teeth of undead piranha is told with gleeful explicitness.
Most creative is "Blood in the Water" by Steven R. Southard, dealing with a vampire that changes into a candiru.
The man seeking revenge on a wereshark in Steve Ruthenbeck's "Dawes" struck me as surprisingly heartfelt, and the story milked a sigh out of me.
In a book of monsters and death, Lance Schonberg serves up a surprisingly thoughtful and contemplative tale. I won't even nutshell it because I don't want to diminish the story, but the slow and philosophical story stood apart from the others.
The situation of "Death Roe" stands out as most unique of the set; Mark Onspaugh tells the tale of a man hiding in the desert from a mythical mermaid after he stole her eggs. It makes a fine final story.
I was satisfied enough to pick up the sequel Dead Bait 2, which is only available in ebook.
The ratio of good to okay stories is 3:1 and even those okay stories aren't bad, merely unremarkable. Rather than go through every story, I'll bring up the highlights of what I found to be the bright spots.
The anthology came out strong with "Fox Goes Fission" by Ron Lemming. The story deals with an evil, cursed, rancid, hateful lake and the pages ooze with the sense of it. I could smell the foul rot, see the loathsome menace of it, hear the burbling venom and the flies.
The title of most gruesome and excessive story goes to Tim Curran and "Piraya", where the carnage at the teeth of undead piranha is told with gleeful explicitness.
Most creative is "Blood in the Water" by Steven R. Southard, dealing with a vampire that changes into a candiru.
The man seeking revenge on a wereshark in Steve Ruthenbeck's "Dawes" struck me as surprisingly heartfelt, and the story milked a sigh out of me.
In a book of monsters and death, Lance Schonberg serves up a surprisingly thoughtful and contemplative tale. I won't even nutshell it because I don't want to diminish the story, but the slow and philosophical story stood apart from the others.
The situation of "Death Roe" stands out as most unique of the set; Mark Onspaugh tells the tale of a man hiding in the desert from a mythical mermaid after he stole her eggs. It makes a fine final story.
I was satisfied enough to pick up the sequel Dead Bait 2, which is only available in ebook.
November 16, 2020
I was super excited by this collection, and while overall, it was a bit of a letdown, there were a few stories I really enjoyed. Before I cover those though, I want to mention something. All of these stories were written by men. Dead Bait came out in 2009, so I kind of understand. Horror's had a bit of a diversity problem in regards to women creators, and while that's been rectified a lot in recent years, it hadn't really been in 2009. That's not the only problem though. See, women don't really fare well in most of these stories. Several don't have any women characters to speak of, and, in all but two or three of the stories with women, the women die. Often horribly. This is, obviously, a bit problematic.
That note aside, I really enjoyed the final story, "Death Roe" by Mark Onspaugh. It's a melancholy tale of a man driven to obsession by a unique undersea treasure and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her children. This was the perfect story to end the collection on and was easily my favorite in the collection.
I also really enjoyed the giant crustacean tale, "Lobster Stew" by Gregory L. Norris, and "Old Man and the Puddle" by Hayden Williams was a well written tale of the perils of obsession. Meanwhile, "Blood in the River" by Steven R. Southard and "Dawes" by Steve Ruthenbeck, about an immortal vampire fish/man and a wereshark respectively, were at least pretty original.
That note aside, I really enjoyed the final story, "Death Roe" by Mark Onspaugh. It's a melancholy tale of a man driven to obsession by a unique undersea treasure and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her children. This was the perfect story to end the collection on and was easily my favorite in the collection.
I also really enjoyed the giant crustacean tale, "Lobster Stew" by Gregory L. Norris, and "Old Man and the Puddle" by Hayden Williams was a well written tale of the perils of obsession. Meanwhile, "Blood in the River" by Steven R. Southard and "Dawes" by Steve Ruthenbeck, about an immortal vampire fish/man and a wereshark respectively, were at least pretty original.
May 8, 2014
I was really looking forward to reading this anthology as I love horror stories involving denizens of the deep. Not much here other than for horror stories with a link to fishy mayhem - sometimes a vague link at that. The best story here is easily the Tim Curran tale involving piranhas and it is very good as per usual with his writing. The rest is just really average with little shock value which is hugely disappointing to me as I don't read horror just to read horror - I read it for the impact it can have.
This didn't knock my lights out - it gently prodded me into a kind of boredom that had me wishing that I wasn't the kind of reader that has to finish what I start reading.
This didn't knock my lights out - it gently prodded me into a kind of boredom that had me wishing that I wasn't the kind of reader that has to finish what I start reading.
October 12, 2012
I really enjoyed this collection of horror stories, all centered around the water-based macabre. I was on a island, and had brought this collection with me as beach reading and whoa was it appropriate. The editing was a little lacking but that wasn't a distraction from tales of zombie piranha, killer mermaids, monster catfish and more! I eventually discovered that there were sequels to this anthology, but this, the first one is by far the best and the most entertaining.
July 30, 2014
After reading the summary of this book, I had very high hopes for it. Unfortunately, it was a major let down. I wouldn't classify any of the short stories as horror - most were more along the lines of paranormal with an emphasis on the water and I found some of the stories to be absolutely tedious to slog through.
October 16, 2009
Some stories in this book were AMAZING. Some had pretty sloppy writing. But they were all mind-blowingly over-the-top raunchy. If you like gross-out horror, you will enjoy this book!
March 25, 2010
I'm in it, so, you know... Several good stories in here, and now I see there is going to be a Dead Bait 2. Must have done something right the first time around.
April 3, 2010
Hits and misses, as with most anthologies.
If you are a fan of this genre the book is for you, but it wont be converting anyone.
If you are a fan of this genre the book is for you, but it wont be converting anyone.
March 15, 2012
Somewhat low-brow, definitely 'gross out', sea monster horror book full of short stories
August 26, 2012
A good collection - some stories absolutely brilliant, others only fillers but do not regret reading it.
April 9, 2014
Really liked this collection of stories. Totally different from what you'd expect. Some were very well written. "Spider Lake" was one of my favorites.
October 22, 2009
A Dead Good Read
October 16, 2013
Fun & silly - nothing to write home about, but a nice palate cleanser.
January 19, 2014
My review is strung up on lurid-lit.com.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews