Live bait vs. cranks & plastics?

[lovecranking]

I fish Lake Delavan in southern Wisconsin for bass and it has been very slow the past few weeks. I only throw cranks and plastics while noticing that about 90 % of the other boats I notice, use live bait (suckers and chubs). I think it has been so slow because of all of the pleasure boats & hope it picks up now after Labor Day. My question is: Do you think bass can be conditioned in a lake to only hit live bait since that is mostly what is thrown at them? And do you think it's a waist of time if I refuse to switch to live bait to keep fishing this lake? Thanks for the info...Irishrover.

[Chris]

NOPE!

Fish get conditioned to the way a bait is presented, and the noise a bait makes. You have got to change with it. Fish still hit live bait and never get conditioned to it. But why? Live bait has random movement. It looks alive. It looks like something the bass has eaten before. Its easy to catch. Right now bass have their feed bag on and are roaming around looking for food. You need to move around and find them. I think it might be more of a factor of fish movement than fish conditioning. With a float cork and a minnow I would guess they are drifting around finding fish. If conditioning is a factor then scale down everything.

[roadwarrior]

I fish both live bait and artificials. Bass do not become "conditioned" to live bait, it's just what they eat on a regular basis. As Chris pointed out, fishing artificials is all about presentation. Lures don't necessarily have to look just like the baitfish, they just have to look and act like something that might be edible. Sometimes that's not even the case. Bass are territorial and curious. Defensive bites and reactionary bites are common.

I think you'll find that you can catch far more fish on live bait than lures, but you might catch bigger fish on artificials. Personally, I fish live shiners for smallmouth on the Tennessee River. For largemouth and all lake fishing, I fish artificials.

[ernel]

I rarely throw live bait for the simple of fact of the challenge. It is harder to catch fish with artificals than live bait. When all else fails you can always pick up a fish or two with live bait. That is why I will fish artificals and have minnows or worms for my kids to fish with. They catch more fish and get the enjoyment of catching without all the challenges.

[lovecranking]

For Chris & Roadwarrior: thanks for the info but let me ask you this. So you think the fish have slowed due to pleasure boaters but you still you don't want to fish live bait, which direction would you try most....plastics or cranks? Thanks for the help.

[roadwarrior]

I fish topwater, crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinners in low light, early and late. The rest of the day I'm soft plastics and sometimes jigs. As far as activity on the lake, it may make some difference, but not as much as you might think. Try to find structure or cover in deeper water and fish it like you are alone on the lake. I think you might be surprised.

[Chris]

Go back out to the lake and fish it like you would normally fish it like on Thursday. That should give the fish enough time to chill out and become active. When you get a lot of boat traffic it pushes the fish off the bank. The shallow shore water becomes dingy from boat wakes and bass don't like to be bounced around a lot so they move. Sometimes they move to the ends of laydowns, sometimes they susspend out deep or just drop back to the first drop or change in depth. For me I don't throw plastics much unless I am pitching to targets in clear water. If guys are catching fish on minnows then a crankbait might be the ticket or a spinnerbait.

[AceHigh]

I occassionally will take some sort of live bait, but I virtually always catch some other species or all the bass I catch on live bait are too small to keep.  Just yesterday I carried two dozen large minnows and fished them in a spot where I normally catch bass.  On minnows I caught two white bass (one was over 3 lbs) and a 5 lb. blue catfish.  On crankbaits in the same spot I caught one small white bass and three largemouths.

[bassackwards]

when they aren't biting lures.  sometimes it happens, when all they will hit is live bait.  why lose contact with the fish for those few days and lose their activity?  when u can use live bait and continue on seeing the activity of the fish......  which is quite important, yanno.

live bait, no challenge.  whatever.  it IS ok to use live bait every now and then.  I know its personal preference.  I just think its a good idea to let newcomers know it IS ok to use live bait.  instead of making it seem like its "cheating" or immoral..  hah

[BASSMAN1301599783]

it IS ok to use live bait every now and then. I know its personal preference. I just think its a good idea to let newcomers know it IS ok to use live bait. instead of making it seem like its "cheating" or immoral.. hah

Very good point. I used to fish only live bait, when I started out, and still do every so often. It takes most of the challange out of it for me now though. I find using lures more rewarding.

Its like geting something for free. Free stuff is great but I know I will appreciate something more if I work to get it. JMO.

[bassackwards]

how's this for a challenge.....

they aren't biting not a dag-on thing, but refuse to use live bait? makes more sense to use live bait in this circumstance in order to keep tabs on how the fish are moving and what they're doing.

so the next time this happens, we have an idea of what to do.... where they are... what might they bite on...

or otherwise, I could be stubborn and cast all day.  during the times when bass dont seem to want any lures or variations.  it isn't too frequent, but it does happen.

but least of all, I'll use live bait if I just want to relax but catch fish.  usually on a bank, with a few rods out there.  sitting around waiting for a strike.

IT ISN"T EVIL!  I SWEAR!  lol

[roadwarrior]

No challenge, hmm?

While some guys are being challenged this fall, I'm going to try to catch the world record smallmouth on the Tennessee River. That's probably not going to happen, but while I'm out there I'll probably catch twenty-five or thirty bronzebacks over 5 lbs, at least 100 lbs of fish a day and have a pretty big time.

Challenging? I don't know.

Fun? Fishing is fun, but I like catching better.

[bassackwards]

lol...  well said roadwarrior.  

[bassaddict62]

Live bait is too much of a hassle to buy (no bait stores on the way to where I usually fish) and keep alive. Also, you just don't present your lure to enough fish (cover as much area) with live bait. Add also the point of too many panfish stealing your bait, and there is no reason for me to use live bait for bass.

[bass109]

90% artificial baits. 10% live bait if fishing is at its worse. Also depends on species like catfish but for walleye,bass,pike,and wipers. I go with manly artificials lures. There is a kind of special kind of satisfaction from catching fish with Artificials than live bait.

[bassackwards]

very much agreed.