Live Bait guys

[KYbass1276]

Avid made a post about a live bait guy on his home lake and this got me to thinking as to how others use live bait.   My experiance with live bait for bass is very basic  using a real skinny bobber with a spit shot sinker on the line and a minnow on a hook.  I caught plenty of fish using this method but I know there has to be other methods and I was just curious as to what others use.  

[VAbacklash]

A friend of mine took me live bait trolling in October a few years back an we caught and released 22 bass ranging in weight from 2 to 3 pounds in two and a half hours. That trip was a total blast. We used "jumbo" shiners hooked thru the lips with #2 hooks on spinning tackle. We trolled using the bow mounted trolling motor set at a low/medium speed.

We were fishing a small weed filled lake in about eight to ten feet depth following the contour of the shoreline. We opened the bails and let out forty to 60 feet of line, my friend from one side and me, the other. We held the line with our fingers and when the felt a tap, we would release the line and let the fish run to a count of five. We would then close the bail by hand and then set the hook. By doing that we didn't have any gut hooked fish.

I have used this same method to give my grandchildren a fun "catching" day on the lake. Young children have short attention spans when fishing and not catching. My grandaughter demands that every fish caught is rewarded with a shiner or minnow for their being caught.

[roadwarrior]

Bobbers are definitely the ticket for kids. For more serious fishing however, lose the bobber. I fish a split shot rig with the biggest shiners I can buy; spinning tackle, light line, #4 split shot and #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks. On still water, cast near cover and/ or structure and SLOWLY retrieve the bait to help reduce hang-ups. In moving water, try to allow the bait to drift as naturally as possible, clicking the bottom with the split shot.

The Florida boys fish differently in grass and heavy vegetation. I'll let them describe their methods, but I think the main difference is fishing weightless and allowing the bait to swim freely. They tend to fish shallow, I generally fish deep or at least "deeper" than shallow!.

[noway]

This link covers it all.

http://www.fishin.com/articles/BassCoach/wildshiners.htm

[Water Dog]

Thanks, that was a good link, Noway.  Had to print it out just in case I forgot something.   ;D

[Bass Mekanik]

When using live bait I always freeline them.  Shinners, shad, and bluegill are what I use if I feel like cheating down here in Florida.  Hook them right below the dorsal fin so they swim to the bottom or through the nose if trolling.  This is a great way to get young kids hooked up with descent fish.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I also split shot rig with the large Golden Shiners or Spottails. I've caught alot of my biggest Smallmouth with this method. I normally hook them through the lips and drift using the least amount of weight I can.

Falcon

[roadwarrior]

I also split shot rig with the large Golden Shiners or Spottails. I've caught alot of my biggest Smallmouth with this method. I normally hook them through the lips and drift using the least amount of weight I can.

Falcon

I resemble that remark!