Can't go wrong with crawlers Or can you

[Mr.fishing]

Hey I wanted do know what other great baits there are for bass because i have always grabbed crawlers

i catch bass but sunfish and others more often so i was just wondering if minnows and other baits are good thanks Point a beginner in the right way!

                               THANKS!

[BASSMAN1301599783]

First of all, welcome. You have come to the best bass fishing sight on the internet. You will learn alot here (I know I have) and all the people here are great and extermly knowledgeable. So with that said...If you are looking for live bait you have a few choices. With night crawlers you will catch anything from Bass to Catfish to Trout and a whole slew of other gamefish. If you want to concentrate more on Bass I would pick up some Shiners or minnows.You will still catch other fish with them but I dont think they are as general as the NC. You can get these at your local tackle shop and rig them a couple ways. One is to use a #1 or #2 live bait hook tied straight to your line and hook it through the nose or the back, just under the spine, and cast it out and let it swim around. The other way is to put a bobber on the line at whatever you would like the leader to be, I usually make it a two to three foot leader, cast it out and it will swim around. Another good live bait is the crayfish or crawdad. You should be able to get these at the local tackle shop too. With the same size hook as the minnow pull off one or both of the claws and hook it through the middle of the tail, cast it out and let it sit on the bottom. But you might want to reel in and recast every 20 min or so because they like to get under rocks or stums and other types of cover. Another choice is the muddpuppy or waterdog. As the two before youl need the same size hook and rig it the same as a crawdad. Or with these you can hook it through the face, I like the base of the tail becase they tend to live longer. Cast it out and let it sit on the bottom.These are a couple of live bait options. You could also use a number of Craink baits and plastics and all kinds of other things to catch bass and im sure these guys will have something to add, so I hope this helps. Good luck. ;D

[Max-in-Mn]

Heya buddy, welcome to the #1 site on the net, please do stay Bassman basically covered the live bait so you should be good to go. If you get bored with the live bait we can assist you to some basic bass lures just to get you started out. Please ask if you need help with ANYthing. Good luck and have loads of fun!!

[nwgabassmaster]

No, you can not go wrong with crawfish.  The majority of the Southern, Middle, and Western bodies of water have some form of crawfish in them.  Some of the northern lakes have them as well, as the smallmouths are constantly eating them.

Not to mention, they are the preferred bait forage for bass.  You will catch a miriad of differenlty sized bass with them, along with a few other species of fish.

A study done several years ago in BassMaster proved that what BASSMAN said is true.  Pinch off one or both of the pincers.  The study revealed that bass are more likely to hit a injured crawfish than a healthy one.  However, a healthy crawfish is still a deadly lure to fish with.

If you are just wanting to use livebaits, crawfish and shiners, along with shad, are great baits.  Shad are hard to keep a live, though, as you will need a tank with O2 source, stabilizer, etc.  Crawfish and shiners are more hearty and can stay alive in a lot of different situations.

Another thing to try, especially if the bluegills abound, is to catch a small gill, hook it just in front of the eyes, in the eye socket, cut the tail about 1/4 in. and let her fly.  Be careful that it is legal to do that in your area of the states.  Gills, in Georgia, are considered a gamefish, so, you are allowed to keep like 35 of the beggers, and can use them as you see fit.  I have only seen this not be the case at a State Park.

If you are wanting to use artificial lures, the plastic worm is the best all around lure to use.  Also, the inline spinner, small cranks, and small Pop-Rs are great.

Jigs are also a great lure of choice.  

Welcome to the website, and I hope that you enjoy yourself while going to the various forums.  

[Mr.fishing]

Thanks A ton I will think about your suggestions when i go bass fishing!  ;D

[Boo]

Try waterdogs(aka salamanders) they catch big bass too. Theyre sometimes expensive but theyre tough and usually survive a couple of bass bites.