Fishing Tip – When To Use Baits Or Lures

[AnnieNicky]

It’s one of fishing’s most common questions – what’s the best choice: real bait or fishing tackle, such as artificial lures?Each approach to catching fish has its particular strengths and weaknesses, and each one is better suited to different conditions, environments, target species, and levels of angler competence.

Main Types of Fishing Bait

The following is a list of the most common types of fish bait found at a live bait & tackle shop:

l Worms: Nightcrawlers and Redworms

l Leeches: Jumbo and Large Sizes

l Minnows: Flatheads, Shad, Golden Shiners, Suckers, and Creek Chubs

l Insects: Wax Worms (Grubs), Meal Worms, Crickets and Grasshoppers

Fishing with live worms

Worms are a staple at bait shops, and fishing for them is the most common live bait choice in the United States. Nightcrawlers and Red Worms are popular choices that you can buy at your local bait shop or dig them up in your own backyard. These are usually sold or stored in foam containers with breathable lids. A dozen or two dozen worms should do the trick for a day.

Fishing with leeches 

Leech fishing is popular in deeper waters for large game such as walleye. However, it is also a good alternative to worms when targeting Panfish. Ranging from small to large, these slippery critters from the bait shop won't suck your blood and are great for sorting through smaller bites. Leeches can be used with both basic and advanced rigs, and they are versatile.

Fishing with live minnows

Small fish are the most challenging type of bait, but larger fish can be caught. Most introductions focus on providing lively, small fish near their natural location in the water you fish, which should be where the predators you are catching are feeding. This is usually near the bottom where there is cover such as rocks, boulders and vegetation. However, positioning this bait based on structure (i.e. changes in depth and outbursts in bodies of water such as drop points, points or humps) is also a factor. Baitfish school and navigate based on the structure of the water body, so offering your minnow to a baitfish school (like the edge of a point) will often connect you to a predator. All small fish should always be stored in water in small fish buckets

Fishing with live insects

Insects are the least common type of bait, but are ubiquitous in pet stores and on grasslands across the United States. If you live in the North, grubs are the default option for ice fishing, while crickets/grasshoppers are probably the most popular choice for trout fishing in creeks. These special forms are out of scope here, so the instructions are based on using the insects to target Panfish and Trout in lakes and ponds.

Choose Right Fishing Bait Or Lures

If you're just starting out, don't worry about mastering all types of lures. Start with the Nightcrawler under the buoy and catch a few fish. Once you have mastered the worms, you can start using leeches to catch larger panfish. From there, you'll be ready to target larger game fish such as bass, walleye, and trout with smaller fish.

When To Use Baits Or Lures

Having said that, there is no doubt that the best and most successful anglers are almost always those who use natural lures to reduce their fishing teeth. Lure fishing teaches new friends the absolute basics of the sport, including what foods fish like to eat, where fish expect to find them, and how and when fish hunt them. Whether you've dedicated your life to bait fishing, or moved on to lure or even fly fishing, knowing these basics of the sport will serve you well.

Even better, finding, collecting, or catching your own bait instead of buying it from the store can amplify all of these important lessons. Bait collecting can teach an angler a lot about where the food fish catch lives, how they behave, and what they look like. These lessons will prove invaluable if you go ahead and try lure or fly fishing... and even if you don't, baiting your own will definitely save you a lot of money!

Hunting and trapping

In many ways, bait fishing is similar to hunting, while bait fishing is more like trapping. In other words, the baiter sets his or her "traps" (baited hooks) and waits for prey to stumble upon them. In contrast, bait anglers can cover more water in less time. Like a hunter with a rifle or bow, a bait caster or troller actively seeks out prey where his or her bait is actually bullets and arrows.

Clearly, these two slightly different approaches have varying degrees of appeal to different anglers and have comparative advantages and disadvantages under changing conditions. There is no overall "best" approach, only better options for the day.

When to use bait is best:

At Night

l When mentoring a new friend or child

l When the water turns cloudy or changes color

l When it's cold (especially when ice fishing!)

l When targeting vegetarian and omnivorous species

l Definitely the most important thing when eating!

l In most catch-and-release fisheries

l Where undersized and non-target “nuisance fish” are abundant

l In clearer water

l In warmer weather

l For aggressive, predatory fish

l On waters designated “artificial only” or “fly and lure only”

During cold weather, we lose most of our body heat through our heads. A Buff or similar cover or mask can supplement your lid and help you retain heat. For your cold hands, bringing rechargeable hand warmers is a good idea. And something like Ocoopa Union 2s rechargeable hand warmers, you can separate them and put them in the pockets of your coat or jacket—this way, if your gloves or mittens get wet, you still have a hand warmer to warm up your fingers. Each hand warmer of MagTwins is armed with a 5000mAh rechargeable battery, which warms all day. On the flip side, it’s never a bad idea to put rechargeable hand warmers near your boot, perhaps under your wool socks.