MikeOGNR Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 Hey Guys, Just seeing if anyone has any tips as to live bait meaning shiners as like how to fish them more or less like rigs to fish them on and where to fish them such as which types of cover are most efficient to fish them next to. Quote
Super User Teal Posted February 17, 2013 Super User Posted February 17, 2013 Theres so many ways to skin a cat--heres how me and my buddies do it. Remember, you are still bass fishin, so youve got to be able to get on the fish. Same places that you would fish shallower. First off if im fishing live bait, it is live shad. I like to nose hook them with a #2 or #4 bait holder hook. And then i "free swim them" the reason i use such a small hook is so that live shad can carry the hook around awhile before he gets gased. Use too big a hook and he wont go far. Quote
Super User Teal Posted February 17, 2013 Super User Posted February 17, 2013 Just pitch the bait out to the same places that you would anyother bait, and let the little guy guy do all the work for ya. A cheap trick ive done, before u flip ur bait out, drop a dozen live shad out of your shad barrell in the lake. (If your in the right spot, youll start a feed frenzy) Quote
OkeechobeeAngler Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 Same here. Either shiners or bluegills. I use a 2,3 or 4# circle hook. Run the tip through inside of his mouth and out the nostril. This way the bait is able to open its mouth and gulp water to get oxygen. When you go through the bottom lip out the nostril they can't breath as good. Also there is less resistance on the hook when hook setting, I'll either free spool or use a small balloon. The less weight/stress placed on the bait makes them last longer. I use them this way in all types of cover. Quote
Super User WRB Posted February 17, 2013 Super User Posted February 17, 2013 I have no idea what your state regs are regarding the use of live bait for bass fishing, check before you try anything. You can drop shot or split shot rig live bait fish or fly line (no weight) them for bass depending on the depth you plan to fish. Modern circle hooks will save gut hooking a lot of bass. Don't over look the lowly live Canadian night crawler 6" to 8" long. With live bait the hook should be small size appropriate for the bait size; size 4 to size 1 should be a good range for line between 6 to 10# FC. Slip bobbers about 3/4" diameter by 3" to 4" long cigar shaped work for suspending the smaller size live baits. The key word is "live" bass do not like dead bait, the livelier the better, so only lightly hook the bait ounce, do not thread the bait onto the hook. Tom 1 Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted February 17, 2013 Super User Posted February 17, 2013 We fish a variety of live bait on the Tennessee River. Shiners for smallmouth; gizzard shad, threadfin (yellowtail) and skipjack for stripers; crickets for gill and baby crawdads for white bass. The most important tip I can offer is switching to Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks. The circle hook will reduce hand-ups, but most importantly they virtually eliminate gut-hooks! For bass we use a split shot rig with a #4 or #6 hook. For stripers a 3-way swivel, 3 oz weight and 4/0 octopus circle hook. Baitholder hooks are fine for bluegill and white bass that are being harvested. We use the split shot rig for this. too. Quote
jhoffman Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 I havent fished live bait for bass in a LONG time but one of my tactics was right after post spawn before they left the area completely. Buy the biggest shiners you can get. Hook them through the back. Smack them off the water to stun them. Throw them out with no weight. When they start to wake up... GAME ON! Quote
FloridaCracker Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 If your fishing with Shiners and buying them from a tackle shop, make sure they're WILD Shiners. Farm raised shiners don't react the same way to a Bass coming up on it. They just kinda sit there and don't have that nice Oh My God I'm Gonna Get Ate reaction that really triggers strikes. Quote
JigMe Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 I like to use a very small slip bobber with a split shot (use different weights depend on the depth I am fishing), then let it run freely. Make sure you buy some BIGGER minnows, or you are going to start picking up all sort of stuff. Quote
wademaster1 Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 I've used live bait with nothing but a split shot and had lots of luck, floats can avoid snagging if it becomes an issue.....I've had more luck using large live bait with a large hook to match, tail hooked.....fish it in all the same areas you normally would locate bass in...... Quote
MikeOGNR Posted March 17, 2013 Author Posted March 17, 2013 Thanks for the help I also might try live perch and or bluegill as well seeing as how up here in the northern states that's their natural forage Quote
Fish Chris Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 A live bait thread, and nobody mentioned crawlers ??? I LOVE fishing live bait fishing, and have done a ton of it. But shiners are WAY down on my list, far behind crawlers and crawdads. One thing though, with the spawn coming shortly, I have found artificials to be MUCH more effective for sight fishing. Then I'll switch back to live bait for finicky post spawn fish. Peace, Fish Quote
MikeOGNR Posted March 17, 2013 Author Posted March 17, 2013 Right and when you say crawlers you mean Canadian Night crawlers???? I never had a clue how to fish those for bass without catching a lot of sunfish if you could go more in depth on it that be great. Quote
joetomlee Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 I've had some good success with crawlers on gang hooks: Quote
jhoffman Posted March 18, 2013 Posted March 18, 2013 The best live bait for bass will forever be a hellgramite in moving water with stone cats being a close second, a bluegill in a lake and a goby or emerald shiner in the great lakes Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 18, 2013 Posted March 18, 2013 haha my pb bass 9lb 2ozs was caught when i was 8 years old, on a lake 400 feet away from my house.There was a river on the side of the lake which that year they stocked with thousands of shiners, i took about 4 shiners and put them all on the biggest hook i had. shortly after i threw them out , i caught my PB. Never got a picture which haunts me a lot, back then cameras were not available to us like they are today. Quote
MikeOGNR Posted March 18, 2013 Author Posted March 18, 2013 Where can you catch shiners??? Just any old river or?? Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 18, 2013 Posted March 18, 2013 It was just a random river that feed into multiple lakes,it was stocked with thousands of them, so much you could grab them out of the water.I don't really think you can catch them unless you know a spot where they are stocked.Also i wouldn't put multiple shiners on one hook even though i caught my pb like that because i think luck had more to do with it then the setup i was using.When ever i use live bait i usually go to my local tackle shop and get 2 dozen large shiners and that usually gets me some big fish.Using live bait is alot about luck and placement of the bait you are throwing, you really have no control what it does. Quote
Fish Chris Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 xxjoker, just curious, how did you hook 4 live shiners on 1 big hook ??? Tell you what though, I used to think that more than one crawler on a hook was goofy, and unnatural. Then, one time I was fishing for a big spawning catfish, with a blob of crawlers, and instead, a 4 lb bass ran in and grabbed it Peace, Fish Quote
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