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Fishing Bait
Imagine
heading out for a few relaxing hours of fishing. With rod and
reel and tackle box in hand, you descend a hill and come to the edge of
a swiftly moving stream. The sun reflects off the crystal clear water as
you set down your tackle box and rig your bait. You cast into a tranquil
pool or eddy and your bobber floats on the water surface. Suddenly, it
disappears. Your reflexes automatically set the hook. The fish
has taken the bait.
Bait is something, either live or artificial that attracts fish.
When the fish 'takes the bait', you set the hook and skillfully bring
the fish to shore.
Live Bait - There are many live types of bait that can be
used to catch fish. These include earthworms, also known as dew worms
and night crawlers. Insects that can be used include grasshoppers,
flies, insect larvae and crickets. Other live baits are minnows, chub,
shad, crayfish and frogs. Live bait can be purchased at fishing bait and
tackle stores, at some variety stores in popular fishing areas, on a
dewy lawn after dark (use a flashlight to find dew worms), compost
piles, around piers and boat launches as well as around campsites.
Prepared Bait - Prepared bait is bait that has been previously
prepared. These include kernel corn, bread balls, cheese balls, stink
baits, salmon eggs, cereal balls, baked potato pieces, chicken entrails
and hotdogs.
Artificial Bait - Artificial bait is bait that is manmade. These
include plastic worms and insects, flies, lures, small jigs, streamer
flies, spoons, streamers and spinners.
Fish and Bait - There are certain types of bait that work better
for specific fish species. A few suggestions of bait to use for fish
species are:
Bluegill - maggots, grubs, worms, crickets, grasshoppers, small
flies, ice spoons or jigs.
Bowfin - worms, minnows, crayfish, frogs, spinners, spoons and
streamers.
Bullhead - leaf worms, night crawlers, insects, insect larvae,
crayfish and stink bait.
Carp - dough balls, angle worms, peeled crayfish tails, corn,
cheese balls and cereal or baked potato pieces.
Catfish - night crawlers and prepared baits such as bread balls,
hotdogs and chicken entrails.
Crappie - minnows, worms, insect larvae, insects, small flies,
small jigs and small spinners.
Gar - minnows, suckers and frogs.
Perch - minnows, worms, crayfish, insect larvae, insects, small
flies, ice spoons and small jigs.
Pickerel - minnows, chub, crayfish, worms, spinners, spoons and
streamer flies.
Rock Bass - minnows, crayfish, insects, insect larvae and worms.
Striped Bass - shad, worms, shad, spinners and streamers.
Sunfish - maggots, grubs, leaf worms, insects, small flies, ice
spoons and small jigs.
Trout - salmon eggs and lures.
Learn how to make your own fishing lures for only a few cents
each.
Click here to read more.
There are
several different types of minnows and some are better than others for
specific fish species. A few specific fish that can be caught with
different types of minnows are:
Chub - northern pike and bass.
Golden Shiner - northern pike and bass.
Fathead Minnow - bass, crappie, panfish and walleye.
Bluntnose Minnow - bass, crappie and walleye.
Bait is placed on the end of your fishing line. If you
wish to change bait with ease, use a fishing knot to attach a swivel
and/or leader, which you should carry in your tackle box. A hook or lure
is attached to the swivel/leader with a pin-like clip. If you are using
lures, you attach the lure, cast and work or troll it.
If you are using live bait, you attach it to the hook. When
hooking worms, you can either start the hook near the head and thread it
about three quarters of the way through the center of the body and exit
near the tail, or hook it twice, about a half inch from the head and
again about a half inch from the tail. Hook maggots through the blunt
end very lightly to ensure it remains lively. If using slugs, use a
large hook, about a size 2, and nick it through the body.
Prepared bait is also used on a hook. To bait a hook with cheese, bury
the point of the hook inside the cheese. Sweet corn is slide through the
end of the kernel. Bread can be mixed with a bit of water and made into
balls. When using bread balls as bait, bury the point inside the ball.
What Not to Use as Bait - Salmon and trout should never be used
as bait, as these fish can promote the spread of whirling disease, which
is a type of parasite. If you don't know which bait to use for specific
fish, or how the bait should be attached to the hook, ask a family
member or a friend who is an experienced angler to help you determine
which is best to attract the fish species you are hoping to catch. The
staff at the local bait and tackle shop will also be happy to suggest
certain kinds of bait.
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