Is Using Live Baits More Fun Or What?

[jonnysmith]

i recently went fishing to a  small lake i found while riding my atv out in homestead and i noticed alot of small bait fish all around,so i started casting with artificial baits and the bite was slow>>now the min.i put a bobber  with a live worm or live bait fish i got with my casting net>OMG the action was really amazing!>>>is it just me or is it a whole lot more fun & productive fishing day> using live baits???

[soflabasser]

For me it's more fun to catch bass on artificial lures.A well presented lure will usually outfish livebait in most situations. I do use live bait often when it's hot outside or when the conditions call for it.

[Darren.]

i recently went fishing to a  small lake i found while riding my atv out in homestead and i noticed alot of small bait fish all around,so i started casting with artificial baits and the bite was slow>>now the min.i put a bobber  with a live worm or live bait fish i got with my casting net>OMG the action was really amazing!>>>is it just me or is it a whole lot more fun & productive fishing day> using live baits???

 

It sure is fun, especially if you have little kids with

you. The excitement is contagious.

 

I don't use live bait (i.e., night crawlers) much these

days unless I'm going out with long poles (no reels)

and pencil floats. Truly enjoyable experience.

[davecon]

Live bait is one thing, but watching a bass run down an 8 or 10 inch wild shiner you are using for bait can be quite a rush ! You know it's a pretty good sized bass before you even set the hook. And fishing those shiners is not as easy as you may think. I did it off and on for years but the boat I have now doesn't have a sufficient live well. When I used to use live bait I only targeted the big bass. It can be fun and rewarding and quit a challenge, so don't knock it if you haven't tried it with the really big shiners.

[soflabasser]

Wild Golden Shiners is one of the best baits to use when your targeting trophy sized bass.Crayfish are also great for big bass.

[68camaro]

I prefer lures since I like working bait, watching live bait under a cork or bobber kinda bores me.

 

About a month ago I had two guided fishing trips on Lake Toho in FL. Both guides suggested live because artificial bites were real slow and I am sure as client they wanted me to catch fish. I however was determined to use lures, they thought I was nuts. First day we got skunked on lures so in last hour we switched to live golden shiners and caught a bunch but I missed working the bait.

 

Second day I told guide no live bait no matter what, we ended up having real good day and I am happy we stuck with artificial, to me it was more satisfying even if we had to work harder at it.

 

At home ponds the bass love live minnows but I still prefer artificial even if local kids are killing it with shiners:)

[davecon]

Soflbasser, I know what you mean about the live crawfish. I live in Riverview where 85 percent of the tropical fish sold in the US are raised. They raise most of the tropicals in small shallow "ponds" they dig. They are about the size of a two car garage and they have a LOT of them. The farmers hate the crawfish as they eat the tropicals. A friend that raises them used to give me all the crawfish I wanted, I mean hundreds of em. For catching numbers of bass I have never seen anything like them. They don't necessarily attract the large fish but if there is a bass around they will hit the things. Catfish are nuts for them too. I used them often when my kids were little and they had a ball.

Haven't used them in years. I might give old Jeff a call when the Snook slow down.

[A-Jay]

Is Using Live Baits More Fun Or What?

 

Or What.

 

A-Jay

[a1712]

Is Using Live Baits More Fun Or What?

 

Or What.

 

A-Jay

We have ourselves a winner. Brian.

[soflabasser]

I agree that it's hard for a bass to turn down a live crayfish.One of my favorite tactics when using crayfish is sight casting a bass with one.I use a small hook so the crayfish can swim without to much of a struggle.

[edfitzvb]

Are we foolin' them or feedin' them? I know which is more sporting. However, I also know which way gets the bigger bite most times. 

Hmmm..... what tournaments allow live bait? (And no, I don't fish tournaments. When I go fishing, I am looking to enjoy myself.)

[lo n slo]

I like a minnow and a slip cork for crappie. Small bream for big cats. Lures for the bass.

But that's just me. I aint skeered of anchoring down either. My pb Blue Cat (18+) was caught on a low down, minnow stealing, varmint of a bream, that I tail-hooked to a c-rig and let him do the rest!

[WIGuide]

I don't find it as enjoyable as using an artificial. For panfishing it's alright, and it can usually out-fish artificial baits. When it comes to bass fishing though, I'm 100% artificial. Only time I would consider using live bait is shiners when trying to catch a trophy, but it'd be more satisfying to me to catch it on an artificial. 

[ClackerBuzz]

live bait can be harder than most think especially if you never tried it.  worms catch way too many baitfish.

and a hooked bluegill can look too suspicious for highly pressured bass.  it's almost like a waiting game:  you watching the bobber vs the bass taking eternity to decide if he wants it

[Darren.]

I don't think the point of the OP was it was more fun

for bass fishing, but given all the bites and action live

bait generates is more fun than the often-times 

waiting game of bass fishing.

 

The action blue gill, perch, crappie, etc., provide can

be quite the fun diversion, IMO.

 

And don't tell Fish Chris not to use live bait

[soflabasser]

live bait can be harder than most think especially if you never tried it.  worms catch way too many baitfish.

and a hooked bluegill can look too suspicious for highly pressured bass.  it's almost like a waiting game:  you watching the bobber vs the bass taking eternity to decide if he wants it

I agree with you 100%.Most of the +10 pound bass I have caught have been on artificial lures and only one of them I caught on livebait. Big bass in highly pressured bodies of water are smart and tend to avoid most baitfish with a hook sticking out of it,at least where I fish.

[Wayne P.]

I prefer to do the fishing, not let some creature do the fishing for me.

[Fisher-O-men]

I have a lake that I love to fish, and it saddens me when I see crappie fishermen, using live shiners, dragging out 6-7 pound bass and putting them on a stringer.  All legal and everything, but those bass will not be caught again!  Why speak of catch and release in a thread about live bait?  Because many live bait fish are hooked too deeply to be released.  The guys I have watched let the fish "take" the bait, meaning completely eat it!  Yeah, you can do that with a plastic worm also, but you do not need to.  Setting the hook at the first tick usually lip-hooks the fish.

 

Maybe off subject, just a tad!

[soflabasser]

   I know what you mean by the Crappie fishermen catching large bass. I have a couple spots that I fish where many of the Crappie fishermen I meet have caught bass over 10 pounds with tiny jigs and minnows from the bank. They use long rods, small reels, light line and land these bass from the shore,which makes it a impressive feat.

[Looking for the big one]

Although I prefer using artificial, If that is the only thing that is working of you is then keep at it. but a cane pole with a weightless nightcrawler is hard to beat for trophy size panfish and bass IMO.

[geo g]

Unless I have small children with me, I would rather stay home then watch live bait swim around under a bobber. Its like sitting watching paint dry. I just don't get the fun in it! Not much skill involved, that's why the guides love it for clients, and parents do it with children.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Straight Blasphemy! 

[soflabasser]

My mentor taught me to keep an open mind when it comes to bass fishing.It wasn't hard for me to listen to him when I saw his album full of +10 pound bass,including one over 14 pounds.And he caught most of them from the bank.Thanks to him teaching me I got a +12 pounder( from the shore ,no boat or depth finder needed).I always follow what he taught me and it has served me well.

[J Francho]

I have control issues, live bait doesn't play well with that personality defect.

[bowhunter63]

In the fall i use big chubs once in a while for Smallies when the bite gets tough.