I’d like to switch over to artificial bait. What is the learning curve like?

[Ohioguy25]

I currently fish a tiny river (3-5 ft deep) for smallmouth. I use live crawdads and nightcrawlers. I am sort of growing tired of dealing with live bait, although it brings me much better results than artificial has on this river.  Is that always going to be the case or is it relatively easy to make the transition?

 

If I’m to believe the bass pros I’ve talked to, in addition to a good number of people here, you can catch far more with artificial. Now I’m not sure if this is due to more casts or not, but I somehow doubt I would easily be able to substitute and have anywhere near as much success. They just don’t hit the lures on this river, and I’ve heard the same thing from many others I’ve seen fishing it.

 

Are small streams/creeks more difficult to have success with lures in? I’ve thrown everything from the ned rig, rooster tail, whopper plopper, swim baits to jig heads, boo-ya micro pond magic, multiple different variations of soft craws, divers, poppers, etc. I have caught very few fish on any of them, however have regular success with my live craws and nightcrawlers. Is it a learned art or is it the body of water I’m in, and if the former how big is the learning curve? Thanks!

[roadwarrior]

"If I’m to believe the bass pros I’ve talked to, in addition to a good number of people here, you can catch far more with artificial.

 

Generally not true. I have had days when artificials outfish live bait, but over time live bait outfishes

artificials 10:1.

 

[scaleface]

All bodies of water are different but I catch lots of smallies in a small wadeable river with lots of different lures . I simply fish current seams and wood . Lately all I've been throwing are 1/4 ounce Beetlespins .

[DitchPanda]

I would say that overall live bait is more consistent...as long as the person using it is presenting it in the right way in the right spot. To me artificial is much easier to deal with, gives you more options and gives a bigger sense of satisfaction when you catch fish. As far as learning curve id say it shouldn't be too steep..sounds like your already fishing in areas with fish...that's over half the battle. In general id say a small body of water should be easier for success since there aren't as many places for the fish to hide..your gonna have your bait in there face more often with the watershed being smaller. As long as this creek doesn't receive a ton of pressure they should eat lures no problem. The biggest hurdle is learning how to properly present the lures you intend to use. Articles and videos can shorten the curve...but it will still take some time and practice. Id pick maybe two techniques to start with...let's say spinnerbait(moving bait) and small jig(bottom bait) and get proficient with them. Then you can expand into other baits a few at a time. I think one big mistake people do is try to get good at everything at once never taking the time to properly learn the ins and outs of each technique.

[roadwarrior]

 

[WRB]

If you know how to consistanly catch bass using live crawdads or nightcrawlers you best bet is to use finesse soft plastics that relicate the live bait being used at the same locations and depth.

The big difference is your ability to detect strikes before the bass rejects the articial soft plastics.

What is your tackle; rod & reel and line?

Tom

 

[Ohioguy25]

37 minutes ago, WRB said:

If you know how to consistanly catch bass using live crawdads or nightcrawlers you best bet is to use finesse soft plastics that relicate the live bait being used at the same locations and depth.

The big difference is your ability to detect strikes before the bass rejects the articial soft plastics.

What is your tackle; rod & reel and line?

Tom

 

6 ft med-light saint croix premier with fast action tip and a shimano nasci reel. 8# clear trilene.

[BrianMDTX]

I’ll say this: I may have caught more fish using live bait, but I have caught bigger bass using lures by far. And it’s much more satisfying. 

 

I agree with WRB. Concentrate on soft plastics. I catch more bass on WR than anything else. Likely because I fish WR more. 

[Ohioguy25]

5 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

I’ll say this: I may have caught more fish using live bait, but I have caught bigger bass using lures by far. And it’s much more satisfying. 

 

I agree with WRB. Concentrate on soft plastics. I catch more bass on WR than anything else. Likely because I fish WR more. 

Cool, thanks! I’m assuming that’s whacky rig?

[WRB]

57 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

6 ft med-light saint croix premier with fast action tip and a shimano nasci reel. 8# clear trilene.

Perfect.

Take a look at Tackle Warehouse; Roboworm, 5 1/2" curl tail worm in Oxblood w/LT red flake and 3 1/2" Zipper grub in MM111.

Terminal tackle, Gamakatsu size 1 drop shot/split shot hook. Round 1/8 oz or 3/16 oz drop shot weight. Rig the hook about 6"-8" above the weight, tie a simple over hand knot to the end of the line to help prevent the weight slipping off. Look a vedio's by Aaron Martens how to drop shot rig. I would use the simple nose hook soft plastics.

Fish the rig like you do with live bait, just keep it moving slowing very slowly to prevent the weight snagging.

Tom 

[BrianMDTX]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Cool, thanks! I’m assuming that’s whacky rig?

Yes. Either 5” Senkos or Yum Dingers. On a 1/0 octopus hook. Cast it out and let it sink. If the line starts running out, reel in the slack and the bass will set the hook. Don’t set the hook like you would on live bait. 

[diehardbassfishing]

Sorry - I'm very opinionated on this topic. If you catch on live bait - you haven't really done a thing. Where is the challenge?

Learn to work for your catch - like the pros. There is a good reason why live bait isn't allowed in professional competition!

 

Once you fish for bass on artificial baits, you'll have a whole new appreciation for the sport, and truly grow as a fisherman.

 

Karl

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Mobility is the big benefit to lures. If you're fishing 1 or 2 holes all day, live bait will probably get you more fish because you can set it in front of them and wait for it to fool them.

 

With lures you can hit many more places, drop a bait where it's difficult to get a live bait, pick off the more aggressive biting fish, and then move to the next likely area. Not having to deal with keeping bait alive and rebaiting constantly helps with this as well.

[Captain Phil]

I haven't done much smallmouth fishing, but I assume a bass is a bass.  Fishing artificials vs. live bait are two different approaches.  When fishing artificial lures, you are hunting fish.  When fishing live bait, you are baiting fish to come to you.  I have done both.  I am not of the opinion that just anyone can hang out a live bait and catch all the fish they want.  It takes skill to consistently catch bass however you do it.   

 

Anyone who believes live bait out fishes artificial lures 10 to 1 must not be very good at lure fishing.  When you fish artificial lures, you have hundreds if not thousands of options.  There are not many options on how to fish a bucket of live bait.  I use live bait when I am specifically targeting large fish.  A 10 inch shiner is not going to catch many dinks.  

 

I fish artificials 99% of the time.  I don't belittle live bait fisherman.  Both methods have their place.

[roadwarrior]

20 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Anyone who believes live bait out fishes artificial lures 10 to 1 must not be very good at lure fishing.  

Hmm...

For more than a decade my two fishing partners and I fished the Tennessee River below Pickwick Dam.

My buddies fished live minnows while I ALWAYS started out with artificials. I stuck with my plan until

they caught 10 smallmouth and than switched. Real life in a "controlled" environment. Sometimes I caught 

one and occasionally two versus their combined 10.

 

[garroyo130]

8 hours ago, diehardbassfishing said:

Sorry - I'm very opinionated on this topic. If you catch on live bait - you haven't really done a thing. Where is the challenge?

Youve found the fish which is 90% of the challenge whether using live bait or lures.

 

I don't fish live bait, but I respect it. Theres definitely more to it than threading a worm and throwing it out there. Just like trolling, its complexity seems to be misunderstood.

 

Now if youre just using live bait to catch dinks thats different. But if you have a guy using live bait consistently getting on 5+lb fish, theres more to what hes doing than the bait.

[Todd2]

I grew up learning to fish from my older brother. We made a homemade seine with two tobacco sticks and would jump down in the creek on the way to the ponds with a 5 gallon bucket to get our shiners, craws. We caught a lot of fish.

 

One day, after a buddy's dad showed me a Texas rigged worm, I went back with my older brother. Him with live bait as usual, me with my new Texas rigged Power Worm. I out fished him for the first time. I've had a Texas rig tied on ever since..that was in the late 80's.

 

 

 

[kayaking_kev]

I've never used live bait for bass. Granted, I've only fished since 2018. I fish small rivers/creeks & reservoirs mainly and although I like to switch up lures, give me a 5" Plastic Worm & and Whopper Plopper and I'm set.

[Sphynx]

As far as I am concerned the biggest advantage of artificial lures is that you are able to ignore the environmental considerations that live bait requires, toss a combo in the back seat of the truck, and a 3700 plano of tackle and it's always there, you don't have to catch it, or feed it, oxygen is no question, it just allows you to fish more often in more situations.

 

I don't know that I would say that I agree that lures or live bait are more effective, it depends on the day and what mood the fish are in, I have had days where minnows or live crawfish absolutely kill them, and then also days where I wouldn't have put down a crankbait or a swimjig of one kind or another for any money, or days where a t-rigged craw imitation or a jig are nearly cast-per-catch techniques...I can say that the satisfaction I get from tricking fish with artificial lures is far more gratifying than live bait has ever done for me.

[MGF]

Most of my fishing is on a river about that size (from the sounds of it). I never really though of using live bait for bass, although, I did use a lot of night crawlers back in the 70's.

 

My best producing artificial are baits that I don't do much more than let it bounce in the current. Lately I've doing real well on a Zoom finesse worm on a #1 ewg with just a small split shot a couple of feet up the line to help get it down in the current.

 

My wife has been doing well on a NED rig...similar deal. Sometimes she just drags it behind the boat.

 

The exception to the "just let it drift rule" would be a tube jig. I've caught an awful lot of fish this year on a tube. In the spring I was fishing it on a Texas rig and drifting it a lot. Now, in warmer water, I'm using a tube jig and bouncing it some.

 

Not to say that there isn't anything to learn but it isn't that tricky. Get some soft plastics and hooks and throw them in the river. LOL

[BrianMDTX]

There are no absolutes. That you can bank on. Fishing with live bait is a lazy way to fish...if you’re only interested in catching whatever bites the hook. If you’re serious about fishing live bait for big bass, it can be challenging. 

 

In my mind, it comes down to this. Are you interested in getting a nice bass on a hook, or are you interested in using something that’s not real food and enticing a bass to “eat” something artificial in an attempt to land it? And trust me, until this year I was pretty much a live bait angler, so I am not denigrating the use of live bait. 

[MGF]

On second thought it's not such a straight forward question. I don't have anything against fishing with live bait but there's something about sliding a jig of some type up under a dock or natural cover and having a bass (or pike) jump it that's really addicting. A good top water blow up can be a real rush. Yesterday I saw a nice sized pike dart 20 ft from shade and inhale my tube jig on the fall. I never had those kinds of thrills using live bait.

 

That and I'm a casting nut. I LOVE to skip, pitch or otherwise snake my bait into and around obstructions. Once I skipped a jig way back under some trees and it slid right over a log that was sticking out of the water. It was like the jig landed right in a brown bass's mouth. I slid the bass right over the log and fought him in. Do you get that kind of stuff fishing live bait?

 

Did I mention that I love to skip? Really, I've gotten a lot of fun and satisfaction (and some frustration) from learning and practicing casting. Not to say that I won't fish open water but folks sure look at me funny when I'm skipping baits in the middle of the lake or river. LOL

 

So Most of us aren't fishing for food to keep us alive. If you think it's fun do it. Who cares what the "learning curve it if the learning is fun? If you try artificials and you get frustrated by a lack of fish you can always throw out a line with some bait on it.

[WRB]

There is a skill set to using live bait or lures to consistanly catch bass. Most skilled live bait anglers use lighter lb test line to allow the crawdad, nightcrawler or baitfish to move naturally, heavier line defeats movement. When you hook up using light line it takes more fish fighting skill to land the bass.

Fish Chris a trophy bass sngler ounce on this sight was a live bait angler who also used lures. I fished with live bait for about 10 years mid 60's to mid 70's and used lures during that time period.

Tom

 

[Teal]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

There is a skill set to using live bait or lures to consistanly catch bass. Most skilled live bait anglers use lighter lb test line to allow the crawdad, nightcrawler or baitfish to move naturally, heavier line defeats movement. When you hook up using light line it takes more fish fighting skill to land the bass.

Fish Chris a trophy bass sngler ounce on this sight was a live bait angler who also used lures. I fished with live bait for about 10 years mid 60's to mid 70's and used lures during that time period.

Tom

 

I'm with Tom on the light line.  I like using 8lb line and spinning gear.  I use live shad and nose hook them...if I need to get deeper, I set it up like a split shot rig.  I use small hooks just big enough for the shad to carry it #1  It is a different skill.  But it's still fishing so alot of the same things apply

 

And in the heat of the summer it's great tactic for night fishing.  It's also family friendly given spinning gear and you really dont have to choose the right lure and the right way to "work" it.  

 

My son loves fishing with live shad at night.  We have caught some toads like that.  Good for kids to learn how to fight a fish on light line too

[roadwarrior]

Yo-Zuri #4 or Tatsu #6; #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook; split shot.