Cryptic crossword clue
Odd bits of gold we found reflected in a standard piece of bait 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word ANGLEWORM

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
A
N
G
L
E
W
O
R
M

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "piece of bait" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case piece of bait = angleworm.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

Crossword Answer definitions

Latest crossword clues with full explanations