nightcrawlers??

[Bassassasin12]

I went out today and was using my usual setup with soft plastics during the summer nice and deep on the brush piles and just nothing was biting. I was so sick and tired of it I pulled into the dock and went over to get some nightcrawlers and see if I would have any luck on those. I would just use a jighead and put the worm on the hook with no bobber and let it hit the bottom. I was catching fish like crazy, and it wsa pretty fun. It may not feel as accomplishing but nightcrawlers catch a ton of good quality bass and I had a great time fishing with them. Of course it was just a sur of the moment thing but I' think I might do it more. Anyone else experience something similar to this???

[Guest avid]

Live bait is fun and productive.  Problem with nightcrawlers is keeping the bream off of em, but then again bream are great bass bait, so it's a win win.

[Luv_2_Fish]

Us too.  Any time my dad and I have tried worms, the bluegills eat it before it gets anywhere near a real fish.

[roadwarrior]

I am a big fan of live bait. For the most part, I fish big, lively shiners targeting smallmouth bass. I have spent some time fishing nightcrawlers, fishing for smallies on the Tennessee River. The problem, as has already been noted, there are just too many fish that are more aggressive than big bass. I haven't been able to get the bait past all the competition. I'm afraid I have just given up on trying.

[dodgeguy]

personally i would rather get skunked than fish live bait.i get serious satisfaction out of artificials that i don't get with live bait.but that's just me.

[roadwarrior]

dodgeguy,

Yep, I know exactly how you feel. We see a lot of boats on the river, but we rarely see the same boats twice. I think everyone (else) should fish artificial lures exclusively.

I like fishing, but I like catching more.

[FALCON]

I AGREE WITH R.W., THERE ARE TIMES HERE ON LAKE ST. CLAIR WHEN IT'S TOO MUCH FUN TO GO OUT WITH LARGE SHINERS AND CATCH SMALLMOUTH. MY 6-15 SMALLIE CAME ON A LARGE SHINER.

SOMETIMES LIVE BAIT IS ALL THAT WILL WORK.

[FALCON]

HEY DODGEGUY, YOU CAN GET SKUNKED IF YOU LIKE, BUT WHEN MY BAJA LEAVES MY SEAWALL I GO OUT TO CATCH FISH. IF IT TAKES LIVE BAIT TO GET THE JOB DONE, SO BE IT.

JUST MY OPINION.

[dodgeguy]

like i said,it's just me!!!i usually don't get skunked.i went 2 years without a skunking and just had 1 so far this year.of course i go to catch fish.i just like the challenge of artificials.there is nothing wrong with live bait.i just don't use it.to each his own.

[stratoscaster]

It's not just you dodgeguy.  I also prefer artificials 99.9% of the time.

[Toddn76]

Yeah I agree as well!  The only time I use live bait is when my kids are fishing with me!

[wheezo]

I'm still a beginner myself and I rarely catch anything.  I would end up with zero fish most of the time.  However I still use artificial bait because I know it works... I just have to figure out what I do wrong with each lure.  That's why I been browsing this site every night.

I think it's great to fish livebaits sometimes for those who rarely go fishing or those who bring beginners out to fish for their first time, not just kids.  I brought friends out to fish with me before and I feel bad myself if they don't catch anything and nightcrawlers will definitely catch something.  Bass or bluegill, it wouldn't matter as long as it puts a smile on people's faces.

[Fish Chris]

....nowadays myself, because they make it "A LOT EASIER" to catch the big bass I'm after, than does live bait. From this standpoint, I guess I should probably feel less accomplished when I use an artificial lure to catch a trophy bass...... But then I honestly just don't care. I'm after big bass. The lure or bait I use makes very little difference to me.

As much as I use to fish live bait, my five biggest Largemouths have come on artificial lures.

What should this tell you ??? That most people have a completely skewed vision of live bait fishing, based on how things seem / feel, instead of on how they actually are, based on personal experience.

I just wish I could find more situations which favored live bait, for the biggest bass, because I certainly love fishing with it. But I refuse to "limit my chances" by insisting on live bait (like I used to sometimes do in the old days).

Peace,

Fish

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

As much as I use to fish live bait, my five biggest Largemouths have come on artificial lures.

What should this tell you ???

In all fairness,...it tells you that the times you were in the right areas, you were throwing artificials more than live bait.

Can you say 100% that you couldn't have caught those fish on those days if you were live lining a fresh,succulent 10 inch live rainbow?

Big controversy for me is the "But I kill them on watermelon" type quote. Well,...if that's all you throw,........see what I mean? Just cause someone kills them on watermelon

Same works in reverse,..."fish weren't biting today" (maybe not on watermelon) if that's all you threw, who knows what they MAY have hit?

We'll never know!

[jtbassman]

It is fun to catch fish on live bait, feel the bite, fight the fish, that's what got me started on fishing, just catching the fish.  If im trying to bring home trout to eat out of a river, you better believe I'm using a big fat nightcrawler.  But the thing I find most rewarding about bass fishing is the challenge.  The challenge of presenting your bait properly, using the right retrieve, the right color, finding the right depth, things like that.  Bass are just little green fish, but why do you think there are millions of people all over the world who just LIVE to fish for them, It's all about the challenge, the competition, the SPORT of the whole thing.  It is fun just to catch fish, but I'll take one smallmouth on a Sammy over 50 on a shiner or a nightcrawler, but that's just me.  Like Dodgeguy said each to his own.