Beneficial article on an oftenly overlooked method...

[yankthatsucker]

it pays to get back to the basics

read this:

http://www.trophybassonly.com/id132.htm

[simplejoe]

Good article, I haven't used night crawlers in years I sometimes get them for my son. I like using lures to attract bass. Although I just might give them a try.  

                                       thank for sharing

                                                            joe

[BassinWill301]

I would rather use lures for bass.

[basser89]

In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using live bait (of any kind). I've used night crawlers when fishing with my daughter and have caught bluegill with them. Years ago, I used to use them for catfish and also used  minnows for trout.

But for me now, I enjoy the challenge of getting Ms Bass to hit an artifical lures.

[T-Bone]

I prefer the challenge of catching fish on artificial lures, but reading that article really brought back memories of when I was little and all I could afford to do was go dig up night crawlers to go fishing with.  Good times. ;D

Thanks for the good read.

[tyrius.]

That's Fish Chris' (a member here) site.  He catches MONSTER fish.  You can't argue with his success.

And for those naysayers, catching massive bass like he does isn't really any easier on live bait than it is on an artificial lure.  Just ask him about it (if he quits the dissappearing act he's pulled lately).

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Finding them is the hard part, catching them is the easy part

[Raul]

Don 't know 'bout you guys but I pass on worms for bass fishing, it 's not because I look down on people who use bait for bass fishing, I recognize that it 's just another fishing technique however where I 'm at fishing with worms for bass is out of the question, if I were to go fishing for bass with worms the only thing I would catch all day long would be ......... bluegills !  

Now tell me let 's go bluegill fishing and I 'll dig up the worms gladly.  

[stepchild]

It's the same thing here. Way too many perch, sunfish, rock bass and other small fish to target bass with worms.

It's actually one of the reasons why I HAVE to use artificials since it weeds out the smaller fish and gets the bigger fish to respond.

[WRB]

That's Fish Chris' (a member here) site. He catches MONSTER fish. You can't argue with his success.

And for those naysayers, catching massive bass like he does isn't really any easier on live bait than it is on an artificial lure. Just ask him about it (if he quits the dissappearing act he's pulled lately).

Wishful thinking that artificial lures are anywhere near effective as the live bait big bass are targeting. I stopped using live bait, 30 years ago, directly as a result of the numbers of big bass being caught.

For the record; it doesn't bother me if live bait is being used, just not during the pre spawn and spawning periods.

Bill Murphy was a live bait fisherman and lure fisherman, who taught me how to fish live crawdads for example. Big night crawlers are very effective big bass bait, when fly lined with no weight. Live waterdogs, big golden shiners, live bluegill, live shad and crawdads are very common live baits that I don't fish with anymore, it's a personal choice. Make no mistake; using lures only is a big handicap for the trophy bass fisherman.

WRB

[Wayne P.]

I don't fish with live bait anymore and haven't for at least 30 years. Why, you ask? Cause you got to keep it alive--too much trouble.

[yankthatsucker]

I don't fish with live bait anymore and haven't for at least 30 years. Why, you ask? Cause you got to keep it alive--too much trouble.

stick them in a cooler with your beers...

[SuskyDude]

Fishing with live bait is like bowling with the gutter-bumpers.  

For me, getting back to basics is picking up a jig, not a bait bucket.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

It's okay if you want to catch multi species depending how you rig it or what hooks used.Bowfin,cats,bream,bass,carp,tilapia,are all game.

 I enjoy the hunt and the trickery involved in getting a fish to hit an "artificial". (for lack of a better term)

[Crestliner2008]

40 years ago, live bait was just about all I ever used. These days, however, I'm more of a purist; similar to the fly fisherman stalking after an elusive, large brown trout on crystal clear streams. I'd much prefer to catch a 4 lb. smallmouth bass by tricking it into taking my artificial lure, which I try to skillfully present to the largest of the species, in deep, clear reservoirs and lakes.

That being said, I've got nothing against the use of live bait if that's how you enjoy this fine sport of fishing. I would, however, recommend that you do a Google search on Bill Binkleman. Bill was the founder of Fishing Facts magazine; he started it as a mid-western new letter back in the '60's. Fishing with the Lindners and many other greats of the era, Bill took live bait fishing for walleye and largemouth bass to an extraordinary skill level. He wrote several small paperback books on the subject (which I have all of) and believe it or not, he was the first one to use the method that we now call "down shotting". He is, beyond any doubt, the "father" of live bait presentation.

One final point, I would never use live bait for without inline circle hooks, for the purpose of catch and release. JMO.

["Lunker Hunter"]

Great article, I love to fish with artificial baits when it comes to bass.  But at least three or four times a year I fish for bluegills and use them on a ultralight set up with a slip bobber.  The lake I fish has a great number of half to one pound gills.  We actually have a problem with the size of the gills in the lake because they are also predators competing with the bass.

[The_Natural]

My little 5yr old nephew loves to use worms.  I hate hooking the darn things, but they are definitely successful.  I hook it and cast it out for him...he sits there for a minute....the bobber goes down....and then he reels it in.  He loves it!  It reminds me of bowling with those bumpers stuck in the gutters.  

[freakyfish]

Like he said in the article you have to know where the big one is to get it to work right.The night crawler don't make a good search bait.I know that to be a fact.If you don't know where the big one is it is only going to be a hit and miss and your going to be getting more junk fish than you like.So its up to you what you like to do.So say I want to fish fore bass I use bass lures if I want to catch crappie I use worms or crickets if I want to fish for cat fish I use bloody fish slabs.It all depends on what fish your want to target. And If you want to fish somthing live for bass try live golden shiners under a bobber you will get a big one.

[The_Natural]

Last time I fished with worms, it seemed like they drowned really fast.  I'd rather nose-hook a minnow.  

[J Francho]

he was the first one to use the method that we now call "down shotting".

A "tight line" or "bottom" rig has been around as long as dirt.  I don't think he can be credited with putting a sinker below a hook.  He may have written about it first, but he certainly did not invent it, or was the first to use it.

At any rate, I don't use live bait anymore, but even so, it isn't as simple as tossing the bait out there and catching fish.  You still have to find the fish, and as always, there are some that consistently find bigger fish.

[yankthatsucker]

yanked this guy today on a crawler. thought it might go well with the article.

[roadwarrior]

This thread has run fairly smoothly so far, but posting

a picture of a dead bass inside your house is a little

over-the-top. We're not opposed to selective harvest,

but we are still committed to catch & release.

:-X

[yankthatsucker]

This thread has run fairly smoothly so far, but posting

a picture of a dead bass inside your house is a little

over-the-top. We're not opposed to selective harvest,

but we are still committed to catch & release.

:-X

its not dead i live on a lake and thats my back patio he swam away just fine  

lakes to the right (notice the bbq grill right behind me)

[roadwarrior]

Excellent!

BTW, I fish live bait, too.

8-)

[tyrius.]

It reminds me of bowling with those bumpers stuck in the gutters.

If you count fishing as catching anything with gills then I agree, but if you really only count trophy bass fishing then it is FAR from that easy.