Why do black bass often not hit cutbait?

[RealtreeByGod]

Seems like almost every other predatory fish aside from black bass you hear about people targeting and catching them with cutbait and other "non-natural" baits like bread, dough bait, and bacon. Why is that?

[Scott F]

I knew a guy who used to catch river smallmouth on McDonalds french fries. 

[Russ E]

At times a bass will hit nearly anything that looks alive.

The only predatory fish I know of that will regularly hit cut bait is catfish.

Bass are primarily sight feeders. They are triggered by something moving, but will occasionally pick up things off the bottom. 

Catfish find food primarily by smell, but will also bite things that swim by.

[Michigander]

Put a thick slice of bacon on the back of a jig and maybe you'll have different results. ?

[Bird]

I agree with Ya' but did catch a bass on chicken liver once, nice one.

Probably dropped it on his face though. 

[scaleface]

I have caught bass in a pond on cut shad . I imagine most of the time cut bait is used in areas  not suitable for bass .

[MIbassyaker]

Bass are generalists and will attack anything at times, including cut bait. But they are primarily visual feeders.  So your best bet is to rely on bait that looks like live prey rather than something that just smells like prey.  Cutbait and doughballs attract fish based on scent dispersing through the water.  Catfish hunt by scent much more than bass, and will hit cutbait readily.  But cutbait doesn't move, and doesn't much look like the live baitfish, invertebrates, or other critters bass like to hunt. 

 

Ideally, you'd want something with both visual and smell cues. Live bait has the right visual profile and wiggles around on the hook, and it tastes and smells right. Failing that, a lure with the right shape and movement will probably outperform a blob of stuff that just smells or tastes good but doesn't look or move like anything.

 

Actually, you can catch bass on bacon!  But it is about the action:

 

 

[WRB]

They aren't scavengers.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

I've a lot of bass and several walleye on cutbait including largemouth up to 6.5lbs. I agree with @scaleface that it's typically not presented in a way or area that's appealing to bass. I fish it weigweightless and hop it along grass edges and rocky shorelines though and bass will sometimes outnumber the catfish. 

[soflabasser]

I have caught bass on cutbait, chicken liver, bread, and other baits I used when targeting catfish. Some of those bass where lunker sized.

[scaleface]

I've caught many smallmouth with a worm threaded on a hook while catfishing in a river . That is smallmouth habitat .

[Smells like fish]

Hybrid bass and stripers love chicken liver. I've caught LM bass on them too setting brush hooks for turtle. Must been a hungry bass but it has happened. 

[TnRiver46]

7 hours ago, Smells like fish said:

Hybrid bass and stripers love chicken liver. I've caught LM bass on them too setting brush hooks for turtle. Must been a hungry bass but it has happened. 

I was going to say that too, stripers and wipers gobble up cut bait like candy. I also saw a cat fisherman with a huge smallmouth he had caught with cut bait 

[bazzelite19]

Ive caught bass at night on hot dogs as well as fresh cut bluegill so never say never. The one i caught one cut bluegill was a giant 7 pounder also while I was targeting catfish. Ive seen it more then enough times

[RealtreeByGod]

I'm necroposting this thread because I finally caught a largemouth on cutbait after several years of half-way knowing what I'm doing. He picked up a Carolina Rigged bluegill head sitting on the slope of a channel while I was fishing for decent-sized blue cats.

[Deleted account]

On 2/5/2020 at 8:12 PM, RealtreeByGod said:

Seems like almost every other predatory fish aside from black bass you hear about people targeting and catching them with cutbait and other "non-natural" baits like bread, dough bait, and bacon. Why is that?

It's not the jerks at the other end...

[Skunkmaster-k]

13 hours ago, RealtreeByGod said:

I'm necroposting this thread because I finally caught a largemouth on cutbait after several years of half-way knowing what I'm doing. He picked up a Carolina Rigged bluegill head sitting on the slope of a channel while I was fishing for decent-sized blue cats.

Nice 

[moguy1973]

My father in law catches bass on his jug lines he puts out for turtles with chunks of beef on a big octopus hook.  Bass will pretty much eat anything.