SELECTING THE BEST BAIT WHEN FISHING

The most frequently asked question I get asked from people wanting to go fishing is:  Which bait should I use for particular fish when I go fishing?  Well that is an excellent question and in order to help you out deciding which bait to use according to the fish species you are trying to catch you will find a full guide below to help out.

There are many different bait types of you can use for fishing which will depend on the time of the year or season you're fishing in, the environment you are in (rivers, streams, creeks, ponds or deep sea) and many other variables. 

In short, bait can either be live, prepared or artificial fish.  Below we will go through these in more detail.

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, and insects including crickets, flies, maggots, insect larvae and grasshoppers. 

Other live baits include minnows, juvenile fish, chub, shad, crayfish and frogs. 

Live bait can be purchased at fishing tackle and bait stores, at variety stores and service stations in popular fishing areas, on a dewy lawn after dark (use a flashlight to find dew worms), compost piles, around piers and boat ramps and 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, shell fish, frozen fish, 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, poppers, streamers and spinners. 

BAIT FOR VARIOUS FISH SPECIES

There are certain types of bait that work better for specific fish species. A few suggestions of bait to use for different fish species are:

Bluegill - grubs, maggots, worms, grasshoppers, crickets, small flies, ice spoons or jigs.

Bowfin - crayfish, worms, minnows, frogs, spinners, spoons and streamers.

Bullhead - night crawlers, leaf worms, insects, crayfish, insect larvae and stink bait.

Carp - angle worms, peeled crayfish tails, dough balls, corn, cheese balls and cereal or baked potato pieces.

Catfish - night crawlers and prepared baits such as bread balls, hotdogs and chicken entrails. 

Crappie - insect larvae, insects, minnows, worms, small flies, small jigs and small spinners. 

Gar - minnows, suckers and frogs.

Perch - small flies, worms, crayfish, minnows, insect larvae, insects, ice spoons and small jigs. 

Pickerel - chub, crayfish, minnows, spinners, worms, spoons and streamer flies.

Rock Bass - insects, crayfish, minnows, insect larvae and worms.

Striped Bass - spinners, worms, shad and streamers.

Sunfish - grubs, maggots, leaf worms, small flies, insects, ice spoons and small jigs.

Trout - salmon eggs and lures.

There are several different types of minnows and some are better than others for specific fish species. 

FISH CAUGHT ON MINNOWS

Chub - northern pike and bass.

Fathead Minnow - crappie, bass, panfish and walleye. 

Golden Shiner - northern pike and bass.

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. 

If you are using live bait, you attach it to the hook. 

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. 

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 they remain 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

Trout and Salmon should never be used as bai, as these fish can promote the spread of whirling disease, which is a form 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. 

Staff at your local tackle and bait shop can also suggest certain kinds of bait.