Half of the seasoned fishermen I talk to tell me that by far they catch more with artificial, the ot 2025
Ohioguy25 reply :
I don’t understand how there can be such a disparity.
I catch by far more when I use live bait on the river.
JWall14 reply :
This may start a war...
newriverfisherman1953 reply :
Live bait.
greentrout reply :
artificial lures and plastics only ... haven't had a minnow below a bobber since the seventies ...
good fishing ...
JediAmoeba reply :
Depends on the day. Overall a person can cover more water with artificial baits so those warrant more fish...but once you find schooled up fish it is hard to beat THE RIGHT live bait thrown into their mix...
WRB reply :
Bank or shore anglers are not mobile compared to boat anglers and tend to saturate a small area. Live bait anglers fishing form a boat are very similar to the shore anglers and tend to anchor in a small area.
Lure anglers tend to be mobile fishing a wider range of areas putting lures in front of a lot more fish and higher numbers usually equals more strikes.
Tom
Bird reply :
I catch WAY more fish with artificial simply because I don't throw live bait.
JediAmoeba reply :
But today I caught 18 trout in 45 minutes with my 4 year old son reeling them in. I was using an inline spinner. He lost 6 fish in that time frame. There is no way a person with live bait could have out fished me then and there...but there are days when they won't touch a spinner.
jimmyjoe reply :
What are we talking about here? Are we talking large-and-smallmouth, or are we including sunfish, crappie, catfish and drum? For bass and pike, it's artificials. For the rest, it's bait. jj
Spankey reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 4:09 AM, Ohioguy25 said:I don’t understand how there can be such a disparity.
I catch by far more when I use live bait on the river.
All species of fish other than just bass? Are you just talking bass smallmouth/largemouths?
Alonerankin2 reply :
Well artificial bait is representing live bait so..
It's a toss up.
Should we discuss cutbait?
Bankbeater reply :
I think a lot of it depends on type of bait you are fishing with and what species you are targeting at any given time.
Sam reply :
OMHO, live bait outfishes artificial bait.
A-Jay reply :
What about combining live bait with an artificial lure ?
Like throw an A-Rig with one or two live minnows added to the spread . .
That could be crazy . . .
A-Jay
JediAmoeba reply :
A better question would be: Are more fish inadvertently harmed/killed from live bait or artificial bait? This is one of the biggest reasons I advocate against live bait use for casual fisherman.
Glaucus reply :
Live bait catches more fish, just not always or even usually the target species or sizes.
Bird reply :
I don't know,
As kids we had great success with mad Tom's , crayfish and nightcrawlers but it's gonna fall short compared to today's artificial.
Way to many repeat casts with artificial and reaction strikes you get with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and buzzbaits.
Artificial has come to far in mimicking live bait anyway.....there's drop shots, Ned rigs, flukes and a zillion soft plastics.
In a tournament, artificial would prevail if that's what your asking.
TriStateBassin106 reply :
50/50 growing up fishing some of the biggest bass I caught on my residental lake was with nightcrawlers and a simple red and white bobber. But I've also had to dealt with Bluegill and other species of sunfish before I could get that 2lb bass.
As a Bass angler I will stick with what I know works 100% year round for my target species.
Lures.
Mobasser reply :
I havnt used live bait for bass for so long I can't remember the last time. When I think bass fishing I think lure fishing, and I like the challenge of catching bass on lures
soflabasser reply :
A good bass fisherman understands that both live bait and lures have times they work best. My record for most bass I caught in 1 day, top 5 bass in 1 day, most species of black bass caught, and other personal best have been on lures.
On 9/18/2019 at 4:41 AM, Alonerankin2 said:Well artificial bait is representing live bait so..
It's a toss up.
Should we discuss cutbait?
I have caught +7 pound bass on cutbait while fishing for catfish. Many bass anglers would hate knowing their favorite fish eats like a scavenger. Other predator fish eat cutbait as well.
scaleface reply :
I think for numbers , more often a dedicated bass angler will catch more bass with artificials simply because they will present the offering to more fish . I've had numerous 70 fish days with a few 100's.
Spankey reply :
I'd rather catch (1) 10" river smallie on a beaver or 3" Power Grub than (15) rock-bass on a garden worms.
This is not a dis to anyone who fishes live bait exclusively. Go for it. Stay with it. I can only say that in my bass fishing I'll never fish with live bait again. I remember all to clearly back when i was a young guy trying to make that transition to all artificials. I'd fish with some lures awhile and maybe didn't like my results and would dig into some type of stash of live bait I brought on the boat with me. Same thing on the next outing, and the outing after that...... Than that day came and I said to myself no more, I'm making this stuff work. I did, it happened and a complete different mind set set in. I probably have not bass fished with anything live since '81 or '82. I feel that I've worked too hard at artificials and paid my dues of live and learn with different artificials. But if someone want to fish with it, use it.
portiabrat reply :
Depends on the mood of the fish. If fish are very active, you'll catch more with artificials, because you'll cover more water, and more fish will see and eat your bait. If fish are very lethargic, you'll catch more with live bait, because inactive fish won't hit artificials very often.
Scott F reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 4:09 AM, Ohioguy25 said:I don’t understand how there can be such a disparity.
I catch by far more when I use live bait on the river.
If you catch more fish with live bait, use bait. Otherwise, the opinions of others don't really matter. I catch more on artificials because I never use live bait. Maybe the people who catch more on live bait don't use artificials very often either.
Big Rick reply :
By the way, you win the prize for longest thread title...
The Bassman reply :
Haven't fished bait in a long time but have good memories of pulling nightcrawlers, catching grasshoppers and craws one at a time as I fished. Presents a whole different appeal to our sport. It's all good. I think it's the best way to introduce a kid and as mentioned it broadens the specie possibilities. Gotta think that a minnow or crawler is going to work anywhere I'm throwing lures.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 5:04 AM, Bird said:I don't know,
As kids we had great success with mad Tom's , crayfish and nightcrawlers but it's gonna fall short compared to today's artificial.
Way to many repeat casts with artificial and reaction strikes you get with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and buzzbaits.
Artificial has come to far in mimicking live bait anyway.....there's drop shots, Ned rigs, flukes and a zillion soft plastics.
In a tournament, artificial would prevail if that's what your asking.
Then why is live bait outlawed in tournaments?
Bird reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 7:52 AM, TnRiver46 said:Then why is live bait outlawed in tournaments?
Because someone might throw a snakehead. Lol
Armtx77 reply :
I recently bought a Engle Minnow Cooler(13qt) and fish with my 3 1/2 year old son, under Thill micro bobbers like you would see while ice fishing.
Im trying to teach a building block skill to him about smaller fish, catching larger fish. Not exactly the topic of this thread, but I think people put the blinders on when it comes to live bait.
Same thing with squirrel hunting...it seems to be "below" people.
My biggest fish were are caught on live bait.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 7:53 AM, Bird said:Because someone might throw a snakehead. Lol
Haha. You know they are out their throwing their snake heads Monday -Friday before the derby also.....
813basstard reply :
No they don’t.
Why?
Think about where you throw a frog.
Where you flip.
Where you skip under docks.
Good luck fish a shiner there
Bluebasser86 reply :
A well presented bait in the proper location is most likely to catch a fish, regardless of whether it's an artificial or live bait.
I think the biggest deciding factor is the fish are aggressive or not. Aggressively feeding fish can be caught quickly on artificial baits, while a live bait fisherman will be wasting lots of time rebaiting and could potentially run out of bait even. Finicky fish that are difficult to get to bite are usually much easier to trick into biting if you hold something live right in their faces.
Frog Turds reply :
wouldnt matter to me because id die of boredom fishin live bait...well, unless i took a shiner, attached some trebs to it and made a "floppin like a crappie" topwater i could burn back skippin that sumbitch along...
GreenPig reply :
Conditions definitely play a role in the live vs artificial decision. I only fish artificial at this point. I caught 62 bass in one hour from the bank in 43 degee water on a tiny trout colored Rapala. I've never witnessed the equivalent with live bait.
Yeajray231 reply :
I firmly believe it's whichever one you spend the most time fishing.
That being said, I think live bait has the advantage of catching big bass. Take our world record for example.. live bait. And its because these older bass are more wary and no doubt harder to catch. Unless you put it's main forage right in it's face. It's facts.
My pb is on aritifcal but this goes back to my first sentence.
jmz313 reply :
All my live bait dies after a few days in back of my car. the fake stuff swims as soon as it get back in the water.
I even prefer to make my kids fish for bluegills with little jigs as we'll have a 0% fish mortality rate. if i give them corn or worms, even on circle hooks, they manage to let a few swallow the hook.
MIbassyaker reply :
It depends on where I'm fishing, but if you gave me nothing but a bucket of minnows or a can of crawlers to use, I probably would probably catch more fish than if you only let me use artificials.
But if you let me use only artificials, I probably would catch more bass.
WRB reply :
The reasons live bait wasn't allowed for money derbies that evolved into bass tournaments was cheating and a precieved lower skill set using live bait. By eliminating the use of live bait it promotes a more competitive event.
Bill Murphy author of In Pursuit of Gaint Bass dedicates chapters to live bait fishing and lure fishing, both require skills to do effectively.
Some bass are not catchable using artificial lures and may require specialized live bait presentations to catch these bass. When I was fishing the San Deigo city lakes in the 60's live bait was thought to be the only method to catch big Florida strain LMB and everyone in the Picses bass club fished live bait when I was a member. Bill Murphy and most top trophy bass anglers in California were live bait anglers at one time or another.
I stopped using live bait to target big bass in the early 70's because I felt it was unsporting to use live bait during the spawn cycle. Looking back restricting myself to artifical lures only reduced my chances at catching a world record bass.
Tom
Ratherbfishing reply :
If you fish mostly with live bait, that's what you're going to report as working for you. Likewise with artificials.
soflabasser reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 7:52 AM, TnRiver46 said:Then why is live bait outlawed in tournaments?
The bass fishing industry wants bass fishermen to continue buying lures and whatever else professional tournament bass fishermen recommend people to buy. It is to their best interest that people buy lots of lures and other fishing tackle related to lure fishing. There is little to no money to be made if people catch their own bait compared to buying lures. With that said I feel it is easier to catch a 5 bass limit on lures than only using live bait. You can fish lures in more varied conditions compared to live bait.
On 9/18/2019 at 1:36 PM, GreenPig said:Conditions definitely play a role in the live vs artificial decision. I only fish artificial at this point. I caught 62 bass in one hour from the bank in 43 degee water on a tiny trout colored Rapala. I've never witnessed the equivalent with live bait.
I caught 149 bass in less than 6 hours of fishing from the bank, all on lures. Lost count of +50 bass days all on lures. I doubt I can do that with live bait since I will be limited by how much bait I have. You can easily catch +50 bass on the same jerkbait, the same cannot be said for 1 live shiner.
Ohioguy25 reply :
On 9/19/2019 at 2:57 AM, Ratherbfishing said:If you fish mostly with live bait, that's what you're going to report as working for you. Likewise with artificials.
I have spent countless hours trying to make artificial work
OCdockskipper reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 7:37 AM, Big Rick said:By the way, you win the prize for longest thread title...
You beat me to this response. When the thread title is longer than the post, the author may want to rethink his strategy.
The title should be just a short summary of the post. The post is used to get into the details. Doing it the other way is like trying to listen to a 4 year old telling a story. The beginning, middle & end are all mixed up, important details are left out, kind of like a Tarantino film.
The title of this thread should have been "Live Bait vs. Artificials". The experiences you had talking with seasoned anglers should have been part of the post.
islandbass reply :
On 9/18/2019 at 4:46 AM, A-Jay said:What about combining live bait with an artificial lure ?
Like throw an A-Rig with one or two live minnows added to the spread . .
That could be crazy . . .
A-Jay
Very true. I’d triple the laughing emoticon if I could. Dare I say I’ve dropshotted with nightcrawlers (live), squid and shrimp (bait but not live). The horror!
Tennessee Boy reply :
Many years ago, while Bill Dance was doing a crappie show using crappie jigs, he said "Most people use live minnows but I don't have a live minnow sponsor."
If Joe's Bait Shop would start sponsoring major pros, maybe live bait would get a little more respect. ????
greentrout reply :
On 9/20/2019 at 2:21 AM, Tennessee Boy said:Many years ago, while Bill Dance was doing a crappie show using crappie jigs, he said "Most people use live minnows but I don't have a live minnow sponsor."
If Joe's Bait Shop would start sponsoring major pros, maybe live bait would get a little more respect. ????
with the artificial crappie baits made today there's no need for live bait ... they're that good ...
each to his own ...
good fishing ...
papajoe222 reply :
I'm not the type of angler that can sit on a spot for hours, drinking beer while listening to a ballgame, or whatever. Heck I don't spend more that 30-45min. on a spot even when I'm catching fish.
I'll sit at home, in the air conditioning, watching the bait monkey viewing monkey porn before I'd do that. It's much more entertaining and my recliner loves my booty.
Dwight Hottle reply :
It depends on the body of water & the health of the fishery. A group of guys & I used to fish three farm ponds in south Georgia exclusively with live shiners. The ponds held some big fish 9-10 lbs but were mostly over populated. We caught numbers & quality. After a couple of trips I decided to try artificials only to compete against the two other guys to determine which was the most successful. Using wacky rigged senkos we determined that the hassle of buying (expense) & keeping the live bait alive wasn't worth it. The senkos were just as effective & more user friendly. I ended up catching my PB at the time on a LC pointer from one of the ponds. Winner artificials.
Now my experience in fishing public waters in Florida gives the edge to live bait hands down. I know some professional guides in FL who will only fish live bait. One guy in particular has caught 100 trophy bass this year 2019 entered in the state run trophy bass program exclusively on live bait. Minimum weight to qualify is 8lbs submitted to the state with a picture of the fish on a scale showing the actual weight. This same individual has three 13lb plus bass to his guiding credit.
My experiences on lake Erie fishing for smallmouth always gave the edge to artificials over live bait. My success with artificials with good enough I never really considered live bait as an option. It just wasn't necessary.
Titan reply :
My vote is live bait. I've caught bass on live bait after failing to catch them on a lure several times. I believe a bass (or any fish for that matter) will choose to eat a live bait over a lure in most instances. There are always exceptions of course. The question is whether or not live bait is necessary to catch fish. The obvious answer is no, and lures are much more convenient, faster and allow an angler to cover water.
Choporoz reply :
On 9/20/2019 at 10:59 PM, Dwight Hottle said:. Using wacky rigged senkos we determined that the hassle of buying (expense) & keeping the live bait alive wasn't worth it. The senkos were just as effective & more user friendly.
Possibly the first post I've seen on BR in praise of the cost (and durability) of senkos 
Columbia Craw reply :
Can you catch an alligator with a rubber chicken?
dodgeguy reply :
Fish bite live bait when hungry. Fish will bite lures even when not hungry.
Pickle_Power reply :
Are we on a walleye forum? This is a hot debate in that world, but I'm surprised that it was raised on a bass forum.
Artificials are obviously much more efficient for numbers of bass.
The only time that I feel like I am dependant on live bait is on the ice. It can make a huge difference there, some days.
MAN reply :
I catch way more on live bait that I do artificial. In fact I have started fishing live bait almost 70% of the time now with my son. I get the same rush when that red/white bobber darts under water as I do when I feel something smack my fluke.
The Bassman reply :
On 9/20/2019 at 11:30 PM, Columbia Craw said:Can you catch an alligator with a rubber chicken?
Maybe not but at least he'll look like he sees the humor in it.
billmac reply :
I think fishing with lures relies on setting the hook before the fish realizes it's not something edible. Not always of course, but generally. Whereas live bait is actually food, so they are going to hold on and swallow if you give them time. If I was fishing to eat, or teaching someone to fish, I would choose live bait. Otherwise I would use lures.
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 9/20/2019 at 11:30 PM, Columbia Craw said:Can you catch an alligator with a rubber chicken?
We know you can catch them on a rubber frog.
N Florida Mike reply :
If I spent equal time doing both I would give the edge to... artificials. They are more efficient and take less time to rig. With live bait I catch mine also which takes more time away from catching bass.
I tend to catch a bigger average size bass though using live fish for bait like bream or shiners.
In times when fish aren’t biting very good, live bait is better.
I can catch a lot of little bass though using live worms but I don’t count that.
And by the way, if you don’t want to gut hook fish using live bait,use circle hooks.Hook the baitfish through both lips. The bass will nearly always be hooked in the corner of the mouth. Just don’t try setting the hook with a circle hook or you’ll not hook the fish very often. You just reel up the slack and slightly lift the rod as it comes tight. It’s hard to do this if you’re used to setting the hook, but it works.
Yeajray231 reply :
Bingo ^
BassWhole! reply :
As asked the question poses no contradiction. Many "seasoned" bass anglers seldom if ever use live bait, so their experience and preference is toward artificials. On the other hand, someone who fishes for different fish with both artificials and bait, will know that live bait when abled to be presented will out fish artificials. Sure bass live in places where sometimes only a frog, a t-rig or a punching rig will have a chance to get at it, but in all other cases artificials will come in second, and as to rigging live bait being slower or more difficult, it's just a hook with a fish attached to it. It takes maybe 5-10 seconds to do. A struggling fish on a hook is the ultimate bait action. The only artificial presentation that sometimes can compete with bait is trolling.
roadwarrior reply :
Well, my friend Speedy Madewell was my partner on the Tennessee River for nearly twenty years.
Back in the day he was an accomplished tournament bass fisherman using artificials exclusively.
When I met him he was a dedicated striper fisherman using native yellowtail, skipjack and gizzard
shad. He said he loved to fish, but he liked catching better.
In the fall we switched to smallmouth. His bait of choice was native yellowtail (threadfin). However
as me moved into cooler weather the bait went deep and the fishing was over, or so he thought. I
said "Let's try store bought minnows" and a new era began.
Being stubborn, I wanted to fish artificial, so that is how I usually started out each morning. We
often had another guest or two and they all fished minnows. I stuck with my lures until the rest
of the group landed 10 bass between them. For two decades the score was often 10-zip, but I
occasionally scored. Still, overall, live bait beat artificials on average 10 to one or better.
On the other hand, I have had some special days using the BPS Tender Tube (#71) and on a couple
of outing the Rage Tail Menace has out fished live bait. So, I mix it up and start with artificials, but
still carry minnows "just in case".
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 9/19/2019 at 10:28 AM, Ohioguy25 said:I have spent countless hours trying to make artificial work
Then, for you, there's your answer.
Ohioguy25 reply :
On 9/22/2019 at 2:03 AM, Ratherbfishing said:Then, for you, there's your answer.
But if everyone else can learn to use it why can’t I?
reelfast reply :
There’s a reason the huge amateur tournaments don’t allow live bait...
Bird reply :
On 9/22/2019 at 7:05 AM, reelfast said:There’s a reason the huge amateur tournaments don’t allow live bait...
I fish quite a few lakes that have warning signs prohibiting the use of live bait due to the introduction of unwanted guests.
As kids, we'd dump our bucket of mad toms in the lake and now you have a lake full of mud cats.
Jleebesaw reply :
On 9/19/2019 at 2:57 AM, Ratherbfishing said:If you fish mostly with live bait, that's what you're going to report as working for you. Likewise with artificials.
That's it. I always say I hate buzzbaits. I never catch bass on them. But, I had several times years ago where I wasnt getting bits on a buzz bait, switched to a different topwater and got hit. From then on I always chose the other lure first. Next thing you know, I haven't used a buzzbait in several years. Well I'll tell ya, if you never throw a buzzbait, you'll never catch fish on it.
Same thing happens with all types of lures and baits. I'm sure we all have stuff we say doesnt work well, but we never use.
If a guy throws live bait 80% of the time, hes going to have better luck with it.
Walleye fishing is having a bit of a change of guard right now. A lot of guys are getting away from live bait there too. Some guys say live bait is better, some disagree.
All I know is that I have caught too many bass on minnows or worm harnesses while walleye fishing or on shiners through the the ice to believe that live bait isn't just as good as artificial. But when I go bass fishing, I never use live bait. I just think of bass fishing as being a lure deal, not live bait.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 9/22/2019 at 2:05 AM, Ohioguy25 said:But if everyone else can learn to use it why can’t I?
You can, but have you been out with anyone who has "mastered" artificials? You might find you're using them wrong or in the wrong places. Artificials (even soft plastics) would almost all be considered "search baits" compared to most live bait practices. But without knowing what you're doing that is or isn't working, it's difficult to even speculate.
Are your lakes/streams/rivers heavily pressured?
scaleface reply :
I think covering water with a bobber and a minnow would be a challenge . I even cover water fast deep, how would one do that with a minnow ?
Ohioguy25 reply :
On 9/20/2019 at 11:25 PM, Titan said:My vote is live bait. I've caught bass on live bait after failing to catch them on a lure several times. I believe a bass (or any fish for that matter) will choose to eat a live bait over a lure in most instances. There are always exceptions of course. The question is whether or not live bait is necessary to catch fish. The obvious answer is no, and lures are much more convenient, faster and allow an angler to cover water.
Yeah definitely. Way more casts w lures.
BassWhole! reply :
On 9/23/2019 at 8:24 AM, scaleface said:I think covering water with a bobber and a minnow would be a challenge . I even cover water fast deep, how would one do that with a minnow ?
Covering water suggests one hasn't found fish. But to answer your question, you essentially use a really big bubba drop shot and a live bait hooked in the mouth and out one nostril (stays upright all on its own without silly knots too) with the trolling motor on high. Same thing with the bobber for higher presentations with a little weight inline between the bobber (it's actually a float) and the bait to keep it vertical. Both very popular ways to fish in the salt. Need to think outside the (Monthly Subscription) box.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 9/23/2019 at 8:24 AM, scaleface said:I think covering water with a bobber and a minnow would be a challenge . I even cover water fast deep, how would one do that with a minnow ?
Live shad with a sinker , ditch the bobber. It works
scaleface reply :
On 9/23/2019 at 11:11 PM, BassWhole! said:Covering water suggests one hasn't found fish.
Not really . Its pretty common to cover water and knock the snot out of them .
PITBOSS reply :
This is more of a question, what artificial can I use in a pond that has 5 and six pound bass in it but they can only be caught on live bait, when we first fished it we could catch them on senkos and pitboss, we have tried about everything that looks like the bluegill that we use to catch them, we catch 1 to 3 lb. on artificial but not the big boys, the pond has very little fishing pressure
soflabasser reply :
On 10/4/2019 at 1:08 AM, PITBOSS said:This is more of a question, what artificial can I use in a pond that has 5 and six pound bass in it but they can only be caught on live bait, when we first fished it we could catch them on senkos and pitboss, we have tried about everything that looks like the bluegill that we use to catch them, we catch 1 to 3 lb. on artificial but not the big boys, the pond has very little fishing pressure
You should be able to catch bass on lures in a pond with very little fishing pressure. Try fishing at nighttime or try fishing with a lure that most people do not use there.
On 9/21/2019 at 12:41 AM, Pickle_Power said:Are we on a walleye forum? This is a hot debate in that world, but I'm surprised that it was raised on a bass forum.
Artificials are obviously much more efficient for numbers of bass.
If I lived up north I would focus more on muskie and fish very little for walleye. I do not see why people make such a big deal about walleye. I have caught them, ate them on the same day and I was not impressed. Try eating a freshly caught hogfish and you see how walleye is an overrated fish. I agree lure fishing is much more effective when it comes to catching large numbers of bass.
CrankFate reply :
Live bait fished the way it would be fished if it were artificial will out fish artificials. You will outfish the people that throw bait blindly and just sit and wait if you properly fish an artificial. That’s what I’ve seen over the years. It is way more difficult to outproduce bait with artificials. So if you are doing that, you’re doing it right.
soflabasser reply :
I fished a well known Central Florida lake that has high fishing pressure from lots of people fishing with golden shiners. I tried using golden shiners there and did not get a bite in several hours of fishing. I am very experienced with live bait fishing so this was a surprise to me that these bass would not bite a lively bait but it goes to show you bass do what they want and you have to be able to adapt if you want to be successful in bass fishing. In the end of the trip I decided to use a lure I felt would do well in that lake and within minutes I started to catch some nice bass until I got my 5 bass limit in less than 1 hour of fishing. It turns out those bass are best caught with reaction style fishing techniques.
DogBone_384 reply :
Live bait's not fishing .... it's waiting! ????
MIbassyaker reply :
On 10/4/2019 at 2:16 AM, soflabasser said:You should be able to catch bass on lures in a pond with very little fishing pressure. Try fishing at nighttime or try fishing with a lure that most people do not use there.
If I lived up north I would focus more on muskie and fish very little for walleye. I do not see why people make such a big deal about walleye. I have caught them, ate them on the same day and I was not impressed. Try eating a freshly caught hogfish and you see how walleye is an overrated fish. I agree lure fishing is much more effective when it comes to catching large numbers of bass.
I also think walleye are overrated. But you must understand, northerners who live away from the coasts are......um, how to put this? Not exactly known for our epicurean taste in food...
soflabasser reply :
On 10/6/2019 at 8:15 AM, MIbassyaker said:
I also think walleye are overrated. But you must understand, northerners who live away from the coasts are......um, how to put this? Not exactly known for our epicurean taste in food...
Its not just hogfish that taste better than walleye it's almost any type of saltwater fish I have eaten. Mangrove snapper are a common catch and they taste way better than walleye. Back to the subject, both live bait and lures have times they do best. A person who only fishes with lures or only fishes with live bait is limited compared to a fisherman that knows how to fish both live bait and lures well.
BassWhole! reply :
On 10/6/2019 at 10:20 AM, soflabasser said:Its not just hogfish that taste better than walleye it's almost any type of saltwater fish I have eaten. Mangrove snapper are a common catch and they taste way better than walleye. Back to the subject, both live bait and lures have times they do best. A person who only fishes with lures or only fishes with live bait is limited compared to a fisherman that knows how to fish both live bait and lures well.
Snappers are some of the best eating fish there is. I like the silver (the ones like porgies) but please don't bully them. They'll just cling to their Lunds and Muck boots. Speaking of coasts, I just got some fresh rod and reel caught toro loins overnighted to me from New England, now I just gotta get the sticky rice right
fordstrokers reply :
Once I found the 297 swim senko, bass fishing has become relatively easy. It catches fish regardless
gimruis reply :
On 10/6/2019 at 10:20 AM, soflabasser said:Its not just hogfish that taste better than walleye it's almost any type of saltwater fish I have eaten. Mangrove snapper are a common catch and they taste way better than walleye. Back to the subject, both live bait and lures have times they do best. A person who only fishes with lures or only fishes with live bait is limited compared to a fisherman that knows how to fish both live bait and lures well.
You must understand that the walleye is king up here. Our lakes are managed for them and no other species is really that close. The problem is that 95% of the anglers target them ONLY to harvest them - they have very little interest in releasing them. Most anglers do not target bass or muskies up here with the intention of keeping them. I will admit that a fresh pan fried walleye filet is good but whether I'm able to fill my livewell with some is not going to dictate how well my day went. Most walleye guys also use live bait - there are some exceptions but its far more common to use live bait when targeting them compared to bass. Can't argue that some saltwater species of fish are better tasting...they are.
BassWhole! reply :
On 10/9/2019 at 2:57 AM, gimruis said:Can't argue that some saltwater species of fish are better tasting...they are.
Said the bass guy with the jack in his profile picture... 
Those things pull a little, don't they?
gimruis reply :
On 10/9/2019 at 10:28 PM, BassWhole! said:Said the bass guy with the jack in his profile picture...
Those things pull a little, don't they?
Ridiculous
TheRodFather reply :
I am extremely frustrated with my catch rates since moving to NC. I am going to get a cast net and give live bait a go, at least add it as an option. Waiting all week to get out fishing, shuffle the cars around to get the boat out, shuffle the cars to put the boat away. All to catch a few fish at best, 3 LM bass has been the best I have done on a lake outing since coming to North Carolina. I have been out one day nearly every weekend for a year and a half. I can catch more dinks out of the pond in my neighborhood.
In PA, on the Susky where we moved from, it was nothing to catch a dozen on any part of the river, and 100 fish days on some parts if you could get past the rocks. Heck, there were creeks I could stop at on the way home from work and catch a dozen smallies for a quick fix.
I realize that smallmouth and largemouth are different fish, but this is getting old. I feel pretty confident in my abilities, and I am throwing everything at them but the kitchen sink, slow, fast, erratic, it doesn't seem to matter. Even the ned rig is failing to keep the skunk away the last several weeks. Putting a "pattern" together is a joke, one fish caught then failing catch or even get bit using same bait, retrieve, type of structure/cover is all I have been working on for a year. I'm burned out.
I do enjoy the time out on the water, out in nature. But I like to catch fish too, I don't think I can justify the time and money invested in this hobby too much longer without the enjoyment of a bent rod.
I can't believe that's where I am at these days, sad.
Tim Kelly reply :
I expect, going back to your original question, that if you asked John Cox where the fish were, he'd say on the bank, and have the stats to prove it, where if you asked someone like Aaron Martens he'd say out deep, and have the stats to prove it. So your livebait guys will say you need bait and the artificial guys will say lures. You need to work out what works for you.
A friend of mine moved from the Philly area to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia a few years ago. I would say the fishing there sucks compared to the Susky, but really it's just a different challenge. The satisfaction when you do put a bit of a pattern together is far greater where the fishing's more difficult, but it's more frustrating when you don't. We spent a week together fishing there a couple of springs ago and struggled most days, but finally found a little pattern which worked reasonably well. Fortunately, he also has a cottage in Canada and the fishing is spectacular there, so he can still get his fix of bites when it's hot and steamy in the south!
Carlos Lopez reply :
Live bait is easier and artificial is so much purer. But obviously I’ve used live bait when I just wanted to ensure I caught something.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/11/2019 at 2:38 AM, Carlos Lopez said:Live bait is easier and artificial is so much purer. But obviously I’ve used live bait when I just wanted to ensure I caught something.
Purer?? Artificial is purer? Thats an oxymoron
Carlos Lopez reply :
Outsmarting a fish to eat something that’s plastic is purer. But obviously that’s my opinion
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/11/2019 at 4:04 AM, Carlos Lopez said:Outsmarting a fish to eat something that’s plastic is purer. But obviously that’s my opinion
Gotcha. I just couldnt wrap my head around something fake being pure
Carlos Lopez reply :
I was just thinking of largemouth fishing. I have used live bait for everything deep sea and back in the day on the river going for small mouths and pike. I just know I want a 10lb bass and would feel like there would be an * if I did it with live bait. But that might just be how me and my friends think.
bowhunter63 reply :
Way back in the day a book came out called lunkers love night crawlers came out. Then walking sinkers. A worm air injector and a whole system. It tore em up. So I would say it still would work today so I’m gonna say live bait. This was back before CPR too.
TheRodFather reply :
Like I posted about a few posts up, I went out last night and got a cast net. Practiced throwing it a few times in the yard. Got up this morning, caught some Threadfin shad and nose hooked one on a drop shot. Fished a shelf on the lake I frequent, that goes from 10fow to 20fow in about 10 ft.
Caught my PB, 7.4lb...........
Do I feel like I "cheated", or there was an *.....ehh, maybe. The next largest fish I have caught at that lake might have been 3 pounds, I don't know because I don't have a scale. I had to borrow one today from a guy in the next boat cause this fish I caught today was a monster. I won't use live bait exclusively, but it was nice to know that there are fish on that shelf and in that lake, and that I'm not wasting my time when I fish.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/12/2019 at 4:45 AM, TheRodFather said:Like I posted about a few posts up, I went out last night and got a cast net. Practiced throwing it a few times in the yard. Got up this morning, caught some Threadfin shad and nose hooked one on a drop shot. Fished a shelf on the lake I frequent, that goes from 10fow to 20fow in about 10 ft.
Caught my PB, 7.4lb...........
Do I feel like I "cheated", or there was an *.....ehh, maybe. The next largest fish I have caught at that lake might have been 3 pounds, I don't know because I don't have a scale. I had to borrow one today from a guy in the next boat cause this fish I caught today was a monster. I won't use live bait exclusively, but it was nice to know that there are fish on that shelf and in that lake, and that I'm not wasting my time when I fish.
It’s magic! congrats on the 7.4! People don’t believe a bass can just sit there and ignore ALL types of fishing lures. They can and they do it all the time. There’s a popular fishing spot right below some rapids near me. After a frustrating day of chucking and reeling and finesse fishing I decided to go swimming and my buddy had a diving mask. I jumped in and was surrounded by big smallmouth and they weren’t scared of me at all. It’s also a very hard place to catch bait but when you do, a magical light switch turns on and you catch big bass and catfish left and right. I’ve probably caught 5-6 there lifetime with artificial and hundreds with live bait. Finding fish is easy, catching them can be tricky especially in popular spots
billmac reply :
I use mostly lures because live bait can be a pain, but at the end of the day, I want to catch fish. I'll use whatever is necessary (and legal/ethical) to catch them. If I catch two five pounders, one on a senko and one on a live leech, I'm not going to feel better about catching one over the other.
I'm not a huge fan of eating fish, so I also lean toward lures because gut hooking is a little more common with live bait, but there are steps you can take to minimize that.
TheRodFather reply :
I was fishing a creek years ago and there was a guy with scuba gear on, looking for trinkets I guess. Out of curiosity I asked him if he could see any fish in the pool below the dam that I was fishing. He said there were tons down there, and I wasn't getting any bites at the time. I agree that there are fish all over the place that just choose not to fall for artificial.
Now whether that is the fish being wise, or conditioned against artificial, or just wrong time/wrong place, is the question. I think they do learn, pea sized brain or not, just like any other function of evolution, they learn better ways to survive, just like any other species. Somebody posted an article a while back, saying that catch and release fishing is causing changes in the fish population. Allowing fish to learn, and in the long term, causing them to become harder to catch, and then they pass that knowledge on to the next generation. I think we can all agree that highly pressured waters are harder to catch fish in, sounds like proof to me........
I used circle hooks by the way, he was hooked nicely in the corner of the mouth, and got a meal for his troubles .
Something to think about.
TheRodFather reply :
On 10/7/2019 at 9:16 AM, fordstrokers said:Once I found the 297 swim senko, bass fishing has become relatively easy. It catches fish regardless
For now.........there is a reason people spend hard earned money on new lures, techniques, combos. Sure, some of it is our love for gadgets, but mostly it is to get better at catching fish because for whatever reason catching has gotten more difficult, at the end of the day, the tug is the drug, with relaxing in nature being second. Lets be honest, if getting out in nature, spending time with grandkids, etc, is the main goal, there are much cheaper ways to do that than owning a boat and or fishing tackle to bank fish, especially at the level of addiction that most of us are at
If the 297 swim senko, or the fluke, or the roboworm, or whatever, was the end all be all that caught fish everywhere you went for the rest of your life, there wouldn't be stores, warehouses, and careers dedicated to offering thousands of different baits. Nobody would need them, there wouldn't be a market for them.
3 years ago I would have said the Ned rig was my 297 swim senko. But sadly Ned is letting me down lately. 3 Years ago the whopper plopper was slaying bass, I haven't had a bite on a plopper in a year.
Johnbt reply :
"Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia"
I only go there for rockfish - striped bass. Live bait caught with a cast net, bucktails, big floating lures, etc.
______________
If I was starving I'd use live bait first to catch something, even a largemouth.
schplurg reply :
In reply to a few posts up from mine - I don't think a fish can pass any knowledge to its young. A fish that has been caught 5 times and released has no way of sharing such info, and knowledge does not enter the DNA in such a way. If anything he's a dumber fish for being caught so many times 
Jack Zou reply :
Actually, I think it has something to do with food chain species in the entire water system. What kind of aquatic or terrestrial insects are living there and what's the size of them? If you pay more attention to details and choose a lure that's similar with the aquatic or terrestrial insects, artificial or live, you can catch fish.
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