Thread: Live bait preferences...

Originally Posted by mrbasser

G-3, do you lose many mealies hooking that way? I mean do you seem to catch most of your bights? I keep reading that a lot of folks like to dangle the worms to enable writhing/wiggling to entice strikes but I wonder if that hooking technique allows the fish to steal bait easier.

jvg, mealworms are the cleanest live bait I have ever used and plan to order a bulk amount from Grubco come spring. I recommend them highly.

Andy, I raise my own mealworms so I am not skimpy with them....I put two or three on a hook just hooked through the middle...yes the fish might steal one of them but I usally set the hook before they can steal another one.

I have always favored wax worms my entire life, until recently I started using beetle sping bodies under a weighted cork, and just as many or more big gills. Now I hardly ever take live bait with me when gill fishing.

Originally Posted by Locator79

I have always favored wax worms my entire life, until recently I started using beetle sping bodies under a weighted cork, and just as many or more big gills. Now I hardly ever take live bait with me when gill fishing.

Never thought to try that, but if it works, my wife would love it (and so would I for not having to rebait her hook!). I've always preferred redworms, nightcrawlers, or blueworms (just a little bigger then reds, but basically the same). I've heard of people using whole kernel corn as well, but haven't tried it. Has it worked for anyone here?

Waxworms are my #1 livebait which I tip on a jig.Great bluegill and crappie bait,especially in the cooler months.

leeches.....

For Bream and Shellcracker you cannot beat redworms you raised yourself. After that I'd use a maggot.

I'm almost exclusively a redear fisherman and I'd give a big nod to redworms. The key to good worms is to make sure they really wiggle, if you've got the wiggling worms you'll tear the fish up. I've caught nice gills/ears on nightcrawlers too but this summer they just didn't seem to work real well. I normally hook up with two worms instead of one.

Well, yesterday was not the best of days to test baits as the bight was slow. 26 keeper fish total with a mixed bag of a few large green sunfish, quite a few redears and mostly 'gills. Mealworms were the best today as we ran out of them. (Caught a ton of lil' 'gills with them.) Chartreuse nightcrawlers and the "Dillies" (small worms I purchased @ Academy?) were a tight tie for 2nd then Gulp Earthworms came in last. Old Man (Dad) caught 2 nice crappie on the Gulp bait which was the only "live" bait to catch crappie. I caught a couple crappies, a few 'gills and 1 redear on a 1/64 chartreuse jighead w/1 1/2" curl tail grub in black body/chartreuse tail matched with small colorado blade spinner.

redworms, raise my own.

Has anybody ever tried those canned preserved live baits Roland Martin advertises on his show. I've never seen them for sale anywhere yet