Live Bait

[papajoe222]

Not to start a debate, I'm just curious.  Do you use live bait? If so, is it your primary presentation?  I rarely do and when I do it's always on a second rod out behind the boat (the bait, not the rod)  Uncle Homer put me on to this tactic and it's produced some great catches, especially in the fall.

[slonezp]

Depends who I'm fishing with.

[Dwight Hottle]

Musky fisherman often soak a sucker behind the boat will they cast a second rod with artificial baits. Very doable for bass. I personally either fish artificialls 99% of the time or all live bait 1% if the time.

[Under the Radar]

WHEN I fish live bait, that's all I do. I have had several buddies on the boat at different times fishing live bait. I  will normally out fish them simply because I'm paying attention to the bait, not trying to cast a second rod. It's a personal thing with me, I fish artificials or live bait but only one at a time. Stay focused.

 

If I'm going to invest the time and effort or time and money to get live bait, why would I short change myself by not focusing on the live bait. I'm not going to fish live bait if I don't think it will produce.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Nightcrawler on #4 hook no weight is great for sight targeting cruiser bass or any bass. I did this for about 3 years 90% of the time on my favorite lake.  A river near by flooded into the lake and many a bass must have left cause didnt see still dont see bass near shore cruising like before floods but getting better.   

[Sam]

On,y when I take kids do I use live bait to make sure they catch something.

[F14A-B]

I like to use live bait, I find it's relaxing and quite productive, I like artificial too, as well as cut- bait, I enjoy all aspects of the sport...

[BassinLou]

Nope. 100% artificial all the time. Last time I used a live shiner for bass fishing I was 16 yrs old. The only time I use live bait is when I do offshore fishing. 

[Catch and Grease]

I like using live bait occasionally...

[Raul]

Mexico isn´t like the States, here you don´t go to the tackle store and purchase a bag of minnows or a handful of earthworms, so live bait is really hard to find ( of course you can go and hunt for worms in your garden or in the pots ), the next problem is ( or at least where I live ) trying to keep the "live" bait alive ! man down here when it´s not cloudy it can get really hot and cooks live bait.

 

The only live bait I use is mealworms for bluegill fishing.

[NDH Fishing]

Its hard to not catch fish with live bait. Let it sit long enough and you're gonna get something.  

[OntarioFishingGuy]

Never have used live bait, and probably never will.

[Catch and Grease]

I think its very fun to go to a place to fish and catch your own craws with your bare hands then put them on a hook weightless and catch bass!

[Bluebasser86]

Craws are my favorite livebait to use for bass. A whole crawler can be a killer if you can get it past the bluegills. Fathead minnows or shiners are great when the water is really cold and soaking a minnow is about the only way to get a bite. Bluegills are a good option for big bass. Leeches are like candy for smallmouths whenever they can be found. I fish artificial a vast majority of the time, but I'm not at all above fishing livebait. It has it's advantages, but it also has some big disadvantages, Raul mentioned one being keeping it alive. You still have to find the fish and have a basic understanding of the fish. If all you had to do was cast it out there and wait then bucket fishermen should be yanking fish out left and right, but when you set a minnow 2' down under a bobber the size of a baseball and float it around over 20' of water, you're going to be there awhile waiting for a bite. 

[SirSnookalot]

I have fished nearly 700 days in the last 2 years, the majority of those days has been some sort of saltwater fishing in the mornings and freshwater in the PM's.  I have used live bait maybe 4 times, none for any freshwater and once for inshore species.

[Lund Explorer]

Not to start a debate, I'm just curious.  Do you use live bait? If so, is it your primary presentation?  I rarely do and when I do it's always on a second rod out behind the boat (the bait, not the rod)  Uncle Homer put me on to this tactic and it's produced some great catches, especially in the fall.

I seldom if ever use live bait for bass.  I use it all the time to other species like walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, and when pier fishing for trout/salmon.

 

Uncle Homer had some really great ideas, but I needed to tweak this one.  With so many assorted panfish in our lakes, I've found that suspending a small soft plastic offering behind the boat works a lot better than hanging live bait back there.  A slip bobber rig with a 4" worm, 3" tube, or 3" grub works better than a live crawler.

[WRB]

As a teenager I fished with everything from lures to all types of live bait that could be caught in our local lakes, streams and rivers. Crawdads and night crawlers were the most common, suckers and chubs a little more difficult to catch and transport to fish with. As a young adult when started to club and tournament fish, the FLMB were just getting started in CA and we used tiger salamanders ( water dogs) along with crawdads to catch them as lures were far more difficult to use successfully. Around 1971 I became an advocate against the use of live water dogs, crawdads and large baitfish like golden shiners for bass fishing during prey spawn through post spawn periods on our small trophy bass lakes. Haven't fished with live since '71 for fresh water bass.

Tom

[Jolly Green]

I never buy live bait, but every now and then a bold shiner will catch himself on a small jerkbait and volunteer to get more directly involved in my bass fishing.  If I were fishing for walleye or something else to eat I would probably use live bait, but I prefer using artificials in everyday just-for-fun bass fishing.

[buzzed bait]

if i were fishing with the lady, she would certainly be using the live bait as it's just easier for her to manage she says.  for me, i like to use live bait for catching some bluegill with my dad and brother, it's just too much fun sometimes.  also for targeting some trout, but not really if ever for bass.  oh, catfish on nightcrawlers too, that's mainly for eating purposes though....

[Skeeter Dan]

I buy live bait when my grand son go's with me. I'm not ready to put a bait caster reel in his hands! yet. His cheep zebco and worms,minnows and crickets will have to do until he get alot bigger

[Fisher-O-men]

Are we really talking out loud about the "L" word here???  Senkos are as close as I come!