Rigs For Live Bait

[Tuckahoe Joe]

My girlfriend came fishing with me the other day but didn't have too much luck with my plastic worms and such. She wants to try fishing with live bait. I'm thinking nightcrawlers but im not sure what kind of rig I should fish them on. Should I use a bobber? What kind of hooks/weights? Also how should I fish it? Should I just let it sit and wait for a bite or should I retrieve it slowy? Im fishing a lake thats only about 5-7 feet deep. Recomendations anyone?

[Curved]

If she's fine with catching panfish with the live worms, do a #12 hook unweighted with the smallest size weighted bobber you can find (the ones that are the size of a nickle are what I use). Set the bobber to 18" and its surefire.

[fishking247]

worms 18-24" under a bobber with a #8 hook will keep her busy. let it sit

[J Francho]

Drop shot.

[GeorgiaBassBros]

i got away from using a bobber a long time ago, if i fish nightcrawlers its always weightless on the bottom. I've found that if there are fish there, theyll pick up a worm off the bottom.

[mikey5string]

I dont use live bait for bass but sometimes will use alewife for walleye. Worms if I am fishing with a kid or novice or just messing around. I didnt spend all this money on lures to fish with worms!

For bottom fishing I like split shots about 18" away from the hook so it can float up and move with current a bit. I find trout, perch, eel and walleye take bait from the bottom more than bass.

I use a slip bobber for suspended bait (alewife for walleye but worms work too) You put a bobber stop on the line, then the slip bobber, then a bullet weight, a swivel, a 12-18" leader and finally a hook. Sounds like a lit but its really not. You can then set your bobber stop to the depth you want to fish and the weight will keep the bait down. This allows you to put your bait 10, 20ft down and have the bobber keep it suspended and weight keep it down. The bobber also serves as a strike indicator.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Thanks guys. Ill try a couple of these next time i take her out and let you know how it goes.

[Curved]

I dont use live bait for bass but sometimes will use alewife for walleye. Worms if I am fishing with a kid or novice or just messing around. I didnt spend all this money on lures to fish with worms!

For bottom fishing I like split shots about 18" away from the hook so it can float up and move with current a bit. I find trout, perch, eel and walleye take bait from the bottom more than bass.

I use a slip bobber for suspended bait (alewife for walleye but worms work too) You put a bobber stop on the line, then the slip bobber, then a bullet weight, a swivel, a 12-18" leader and finally a hook. Sounds like a lit but its really not. You can then set your bobber stop to the depth you want to fish and the weight will keep the bait down. This allows you to put your bait 10, 20ft down and have the bobber keep it suspended and weight keep it down. The bobber also serves as a strike indicator.

Slip bobbers are great for crappie! A little known trick is that many normal bobbers can be used as slip bobbers if you turn the wire hook on the bottom around. There are often two indents in the plastic -- a deep one for setting the bobber in one position, and a shallow one for using it as a slip bobber.

A good trick for bobbers is to keep the bait falling slowly. Let the bobber sit still until the unweighted bait falls all the way, let it sit for 5 or 10 seconds, then reel a bit in so the bait can fall again.

Another trick is since it takes more time to set a hook on a bobber, keep very little slack on the line to the bobber. If the bobber floats closer, always keep the line barely touching the water as much as the wind allows.

Lastly, picking the smallest bobber possible is better since fish can overpower and drag it down more easily. As soon as the bobber gets pulled under its time to reel in. The small hooks set easily, so no need to yank the rod, just reel in.

[SirSnookalot]

If the lake is only 5-7 deep I wouldn't worry about fishing the bottom. The live bait of choice may depend on what you plan on catching, small gills and bass I'd be using red or leaf worms, nightcrawlers may be too big. If I were looking for larger fish with less action I'd be using minnows, more costly unless you net your own. The rig would be real basic, mainline to swivel and put your bobber on top of the swivel, it won't move down. 18-24" leader with a small hook on the end, a small split shot an inch or 2 above the hook is an option.

[basscrusher]

Drop shot.

If you use this rig for bass...you'll find your familiarity with it makes it ideal for bait rigging. In fact, it's my go-to rig for fishing squid strips in inshore situations (my desperation rig when artificials aren't working).