Live Bait For Bass?

Kawabuggy · 08-21-07, 10:48 AM

I've never used live bait for bass. I was wondering if I caught a small bream-say like 4" long-could I use him for bass bait? I was thinking that I could hook him through the lips, give him a 2' leader, a cork float, and then launch him out in the middle of the pond while I continue fishing for bass with my other pole using artificial baits.

Would this work? What are the chances of catching a bass in this manner? Are there better fish I could use that I could catch once I get to the pond?

I was thinking I could catch a bream with bread/worms/grass hopper. But if I need to catch another bait-fish, what do I use? I own a cast net, but wouldn't that scare the bass if I start throwing this thing into the water????? I do usually work at small ponds by the way. I can also catch minnows at most places as they are prevalent right along the shore line.

My thinking is 2 poles in the water=double my chances of catching fish.

bassfisher02 · 08-21-07, 03:09 PM

Bream will work fine, but depending on the size of pond, 4" might be a tad bit big. If its a smaller pond try more baitfish type fish, large minnows, small bream, 2" in size. If it is a bigger pond, than 4" is fine, and you do have a chance of catching a bass, or even other fish depending on whats in there. I would either hook the fish ontop of him in front of the dorsal fin, not too deep though. Or hook him ontop in the back, behind the dorsal fin, again not too deep going through. It usually gives them more action hooking them this way opposed to hooking through the lips. Only problem with 2 lines in the water at once is, and only ever happens in this situation, you have a fish on on both poles, and you are left picking and choosing, and one ends up getting off. Another thing is, really you have to ask yourself what you are fishing for [not what fish] but why you are fishing. Yeah if I just wanted to catch fish I could use live bait, theres no trickery involved, bass have natural instinct to eat fish, so I mean theres nothing skillful and theres no presentation to it. Artificial is about [atleast for me] the thrill of fishing, not knowing whether or not this day I will trick the fish, but when I do, its a good feeling of accomplishment because I tricked the fish, presented it right, and choose the correct technique/location/lure to catch him. So yeah you may with good odds catch a bass on live bait, but unless you plan to eat him whats the point? Theres no accomplishment in it. Its fine to do, this is just my opinion on the matter.

PS, doesnt pertain to saltwater fishing[for the most part]

Kawabuggy · 08-21-07, 04:49 PM

I understand, and respect, your points. This is my reasoning for wanting to try this; I am trying to get my kids involved in fishing. At this developmental stage, going out for 4 hours at a time and not catching any fish is not going to help build their interest. Sometimes just seeing that a fish can be caught on a pole will drive them to work harder to figure out exactly how it is done.

If you have kids then you understand the excitement in their voices when they pull in a fish and actually get to see it up close. I know I can't FORCE my kids to enjoy fishing, like my wife can't force them to join sports camp for soccer, baseball, basketball, oh wait-she DID do that.. Anyway, you get my point. I think it is something that will stick with them if the interest is developed within them, as opposed to being told "you will do this, and you will like it" like mom tells them.

While I have them working with live bait, which seems like it would be more proficient at attracting and catching fish, I will be working with artificials only. Regardless, we don't eat any bass that we catch! I am a catch and release type guy only. Not that there is anything wrong with keeping them and eating them, it's just not my personal thing.

bassbooger · 08-21-07, 04:59 PM

The key to teaching kids to fish is patience. I have been taking my son out with me since he was 2 years old; he had the attention span about the size of a pin head, LOL. He is 7 now and absolutely loves it. Not just because of catching fish, but the enjoyment of spending time with Daddy without any yucky girls around, LOL. When I first started fishing with him, I got to fish a total of 10 minutes; the other 2 hours there was running to see what he had found under a rock or to catch him from falling into the water. Even at 7 years old his attention span is only about 10 minutes; even if we are catching fish. So remember, it doesn't take catching fish all the time for the kids to grow to love it. Just spending time alone with Daddy can mean alot to a kid.

All I have to do is say the word fishing and he perks up ready to go; don't have to ask him twice.

bassfisher02 · 08-21-07, 05:04 PM

Oh see I hadnt realized you were doing this with the kids [and no I dont have kids, at 16 if I did I would be in some biggg trouble!! Haha] But yeah than that is fine, but like I said hook them through the back infront or behind the dorsal fin, creates more action of the baitfish which means a better chance at the kids getting some fish. Another good idea with the kids is to throw nightcrawlers, they work extremely well for bass. Only problem is if there is a lot of crappie and what not they will pick the hook clean, unless you put a small hook on. with the earthworms hanging them under a bobber can be productive, but as well putting a split shot weight on there and reeling it in slowly, on the bottom. This is especially good if your kids dont have the patience to watch the bobber.

FlyRod · 08-21-07, 07:24 PM

Live bait?!?!?!?!

Buggy, if I evAr catch yew using live bait for bass...

http://images.jupiterimages.com/comm...2/23298242.jpg

Gut up, trooper! Use only artificials! Accept no imitations...errrr...wait a sec.

FR

brushhog · 08-21-07, 10:01 PM

Kawabuggy, Congrats to you for taking your kids fishing, my son, daughter and I have had a great time fishing together! Do whatever you can to forge those great memories for your kids they will remember it forever...

JB · 08-22-07, 06:19 PM

brushie,
kids love to use live bait when first learning to fish,
however never use the "family pet" rofl

lizardsrule · 08-22-07, 07:35 PM

Worms, grasshoppers, brim, anything will catch fish. I would not so much concentrate on catching bass, as I would catching any fish with kids. The bigger will come, sometimes after hooking a little one and fighting it back to shore LOL. I think 02's suggestion on hook placement is good on the brim/bluegill, but not with shiners. However I will disagree with him that just throwing out live bait means fish. You still have to know where to put those live baits, especailly for bass, and how to set the hook. If using brim and fishing for bass, you must wait some before setting the hook. I will tell you it's easier said than doen, but you have got to wait, sometimes even longer than you can stand. They have to get the bait in their mouth with a proper palcement. Location, Location, Location, just like in business and real estate is always key to your success.

Lizards

brushhog · 08-22-07, 09:33 PM

I second lizards point - my son loves bass fishin' but if it's a slow day he still loves to chase sunfish with a worm and a bobber or fish for bullhead... My 6 yr old daughter is all about sunfish- she's the self-proclaimed queen of sunnies! just do all you can to stay positve no matter how many hang ups and fpuled lines you have to deal with... As Lizards says - live bait, especially brim/minnows is a lot tougher than it looks - I bet the kids wouldn't mind catching the the baitfish for you!

bassfisher02 · 08-22-07, 10:49 PM

Oh for kids I totally agree live bait is the way too go. But honestly throw out a bream under a bobber and let it sit there for however long it doesnt matter where its at, something will eventually come along and snatch it up. Either way that baitfish is going to attract something whether you throw it on the fish or not. Although I also agree on the difficulty of setting the hook with a bobber, especially after artificial fishing for a while. You have to wait a few extra second then set it, took me awhile to get the hang of it when I did it saltwater fishing, first few trips I lost a lot of fish, now I have it down to a science.

robbor · 08-24-07, 06:33 AM

What you mentioned (bream) is the number 1 big catfish bait. You will want to put on heavier line just in case. Also you will want to clip the tail with dikes. We used crawfish on about 4 trips this spring, but never did any good with them. Ive never tried bream for bass though.

Fishnfool4evr · 08-24-07, 09:14 PM

Well i know bream work quite well. i was fishing a club tourny above the coniwingo dam in Maryland, & throwing
4"grubs, when i casted between a laydown and a brush pile in about 4' of water, i hooked about a 4"-5" sunny,or bream as you call them, and said what the heck. I just casted it back in at the brush pile and watched a 6 1/2 pounder come out and inhale that poor thing. oh and by the way i did not keep it, I know it was an illegal catch. i just wanted to see if it would do anything, by the way 3 hr's later i came back to that bush & caught that bad boy n took lunker. Honestly i didn't think it would bite that soon but i know i've had smaller one's bite 20 minutes after i had caught and released them.

lizardsrule · 08-26-07, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishnfool4evr

Well i know bream work quite well. i was fishing a club tourny above the coniwingo dam in Maryland, & throwing
4"grubs, when i casted between a laydown and a brush pile in about 4' of water, i hooked about a 4"-5" sunny,or bream as you call them, and said what the heck. I just casted it back in at the brush pile and watched a 6 1/2 pounder come out and inhale that poor thing. oh and by the way i did not keep it, I know it was an illegal catch. i just wanted to see if it would do anything, by the way 3 hr's later i came back to that bush & caught that bad boy n took lunker. Honestly i didn't think it would bite that soon but i know i've had smaller one's bite 20 minutes after i had caught and released them.

Congrats, however I would have thought that by just that one cast with live bait would have disqualified you for the day, not just that catch.

Lizards

skeeter944 · 08-29-07, 10:41 PM

My friend has a very small pond with lotsof bluegill and quaite a few bass also. They use those Storm Bluegill Swimbaits and catch alot, when the bass stop biting those, they pick up their bluegill rod and catch a bluegill, then just throw it out while continuing to chunk the swimbait. They catch very nice bass, recently they caught a 3lber on the swimbait and a 4.5lber on a live bluegill in the same day.

08-21-07, 10:48 AM	#1
Kawabuggy BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 57	Live Bait For Bass? I've never used live bait for bass. I was wondering if I caught a small bream-say like 4" long-could I use him for bass bait? I was thinking that I could hook him through the lips, give him a 2' leader, a cork float, and then launch him out in the middle of the pond while I continue fishing for bass with my other pole using artificial baits. Would this work? What are the chances of catching a bass in this manner? Are there better fish I could use that I could catch once I get to the pond? I was thinking I could catch a bream with bread/worms/grass hopper. But if I need to catch another bait-fish, what do I use? I own a cast net, but wouldn't that scare the bass if I start throwing this thing into the water????? I do usually work at small ponds by the way. I can also catch minnows at most places as they are prevalent right along the shore line. My thinking is 2 poles in the water=double my chances of catching fish.

08-21-07, 03:09 PM	#2
bassfisher02 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 4,765	Bream will work fine, but depending on the size of pond, 4" might be a tad bit big. If its a smaller pond try more baitfish type fish, large minnows, small bream, 2" in size. If it is a bigger pond, than 4" is fine, and you do have a chance of catching a bass, or even other fish depending on whats in there. I would either hook the fish ontop of him in front of the dorsal fin, not too deep though. Or hook him ontop in the back, behind the dorsal fin, again not too deep going through. It usually gives them more action hooking them this way opposed to hooking through the lips. Only problem with 2 lines in the water at once is, and only ever happens in this situation, you have a fish on on both poles, and you are left picking and choosing, and one ends up getting off. Another thing is, really you have to ask yourself what you are fishing for [not what fish] but why you are fishing. Yeah if I just wanted to catch fish I could use live bait, theres no trickery involved, bass have natural instinct to eat fish, so I mean theres nothing skillful and theres no presentation to it. Artificial is about [atleast for me] the thrill of fishing, not knowing whether or not this day I will trick the fish, but when I do, its a good feeling of accomplishment because I tricked the fish, presented it right, and choose the correct technique/location/lure to catch him. So yeah you may with good odds catch a bass on live bait, but unless you plan to eat him whats the point? Theres no accomplishment in it. Its fine to do, this is just my opinion on the matter. PS, doesnt pertain to saltwater fishing[for the most part] __________________ Good Fishin'

08-21-07, 04:59 PM	#4
bassbooger BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dallas, NC Posts: 316	The key to teaching kids to fish is patience. I have been taking my son out with me since he was 2 years old; he had the attention span about the size of a pin head, LOL. He is 7 now and absolutely loves it. Not just because of catching fish, but the enjoyment of spending time with Daddy without any yucky girls around, LOL. When I first started fishing with him, I got to fish a total of 10 minutes; the other 2 hours there was running to see what he had found under a rock or to catch him from falling into the water. Even at 7 years old his attention span is only about 10 minutes; even if we are catching fish. So remember, it doesn't take catching fish all the time for the kids to grow to love it. Just spending time alone with Daddy can mean alot to a kid. All I have to do is say the word fishing and he perks up ready to go; don't have to ask him twice. __________________ cast, reel, cast!!! Repeat if necessary!! Dallas, NC

08-21-07, 05:04 PM	#5
bassfisher02 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 4,765	Oh see I hadnt realized you were doing this with the kids [and no I dont have kids, at 16 if I did I would be in some biggg trouble!! Haha] But yeah than that is fine, but like I said hook them through the back infront or behind the dorsal fin, creates more action of the baitfish which means a better chance at the kids getting some fish. Another good idea with the kids is to throw nightcrawlers, they work extremely well for bass. Only problem is if there is a lot of crappie and what not they will pick the hook clean, unless you put a small hook on. with the earthworms hanging them under a bobber can be productive, but as well putting a split shot weight on there and reeling it in slowly, on the bottom. This is especially good if your kids dont have the patience to watch the bobber. __________________ Good Fishin'

08-21-07, 10:01 PM	#7
brushhog BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Whitesboro, NY Posts: 1,222	Kawabuggy, Congrats to you for taking your kids fishing, my son, daughter and I have had a great time fishing together! Do whatever you can to forge those great memories for your kids they will remember it forever... __________________ 3/4 of the Earth's surface is water and 1/4 is land. Clearly god wants me to fish, not mow the lawn.

08-21-07, 04:49 PM	#3
Kawabuggy BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 57	I understand, and respect, your points. This is my reasoning for wanting to try this; I am trying to get my kids involved in fishing. At this developmental stage, going out for 4 hours at a time and not catching any fish is not going to help build their interest. Sometimes just seeing that a fish can be caught on a pole will drive them to work harder to figure out exactly how it is done. If you have kids then you understand the excitement in their voices when they pull in a fish and actually get to see it up close. I know I can't FORCE my kids to enjoy fishing, like my wife can't force them to join sports camp for soccer, baseball, basketball, oh wait-she DID do that.. Anyway, you get my point. I think it is something that will stick with them if the interest is developed within them, as opposed to being told "you will do this, and you will like it" like mom tells them. While I have them working with live bait, which seems like it would be more proficient at attracting and catching fish, I will be working with artificials only. Regardless, we don't eat any bass that we catch! I am a catch and release type guy only. Not that there is anything wrong with keeping them and eating them, it's just not my personal thing.

08-21-07, 07:24 PM	#6
FlyRod BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,270	Live bait?!?!?!?! Buggy, if I evAr catch yew using live bait for bass... http://images.jupiterimages.com/comm...2/23298242.jpg Gut up, trooper! Use only artificials! Accept no imitations...errrr...wait a sec. FR

08-22-07, 06:19 PM	#8
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	brushie, kids love to use live bait when first learning to fish, however never use the "family pet" rofl

08-22-07, 07:35 PM	#9
lizardsrule BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saint Augustine, FL Posts: 7,374	Worms, grasshoppers, brim, anything will catch fish. I would not so much concentrate on catching bass, as I would catching any fish with kids. The bigger will come, sometimes after hooking a little one and fighting it back to shore LOL. I think 02's suggestion on hook placement is good on the brim/bluegill, but not with shiners. However I will disagree with him that just throwing out live bait means fish. You still have to know where to put those live baits, especailly for bass, and how to set the hook. If using brim and fishing for bass, you must wait some before setting the hook. I will tell you it's easier said than doen, but you have got to wait, sometimes even longer than you can stand. They have to get the bait in their mouth with a proper palcement. Location, Location, Location, just like in business and real estate is always key to your success. Lizards __________________ There are three types of Snakes I hate 1. Live Snakes 2. Dead Snakes 3. Sticks that look like Snakes. And Gators too!

08-22-07, 09:33 PM	#10
brushhog BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Whitesboro, NY Posts: 1,222	I second lizards point - my son loves bass fishin' but if it's a slow day he still loves to chase sunfish with a worm and a bobber or fish for bullhead... My 6 yr old daughter is all about sunfish- she's the self-proclaimed queen of sunnies! just do all you can to stay positve no matter how many hang ups and fpuled lines you have to deal with... As Lizards says - live bait, especially brim/minnows is a lot tougher than it looks - I bet the kids wouldn't mind catching the the baitfish for you! __________________ 3/4 of the Earth's surface is water and 1/4 is land. Clearly god wants me to fish, not mow the lawn.

08-22-07, 10:49 PM	#11
bassfisher02 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 4,765	Oh for kids I totally agree live bait is the way too go. But honestly throw out a bream under a bobber and let it sit there for however long it doesnt matter where its at, something will eventually come along and snatch it up. Either way that baitfish is going to attract something whether you throw it on the fish or not. Although I also agree on the difficulty of setting the hook with a bobber, especially after artificial fishing for a while. You have to wait a few extra second then set it, took me awhile to get the hang of it when I did it saltwater fishing, first few trips I lost a lot of fish, now I have it down to a science. __________________ Good Fishin'

08-24-07, 06:33 AM	#12
robbor BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 17	Just so you know What you mentioned (bream) is the number 1 big catfish bait. You will want to put on heavier line just in case. Also you will want to clip the tail with dikes. We used crawfish on about 4 trips this spring, but never did any good with them. Ive never tried bream for bass though.

08-24-07, 09:14 PM	#13
Fishnfool4evr BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: MiddleRiver Md. Posts: 78	Well i know bream work quite well. i was fishing a club tourny above the coniwingo dam in Maryland, & throwing 4"grubs, when i casted between a laydown and a brush pile in about 4' of water, i hooked about a 4"-5" sunny,or bream as you call them, and said what the heck. I just casted it back in at the brush pile and watched a 6 1/2 pounder come out and inhale that poor thing. oh and by the way i did not keep it, I know it was an illegal catch. i just wanted to see if it would do anything, by the way 3 hr's later i came back to that bush & caught that bad boy n took lunker. Honestly i didn't think it would bite that soon but i know i've had smaller one's bite 20 minutes after i had caught and released them. __________________ *Find um, Flip um, Fight um & Free um.....*

08-29-07, 10:41 PM	#15
skeeter944 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Somewhere in South Carolina Posts: 2,377	My friend has a very small pond with lotsof bluegill and quaite a few bass also. They use those Storm Bluegill Swimbaits and catch alot, when the bass stop biting those, they pick up their bluegill rod and catch a bluegill, then just throw it out while continuing to chunk the swimbait. They catch very nice bass, recently they caught a 3lber on the swimbait and a 4.5lber on a live bluegill in the same day.

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