The Live Bait Industry – What are they doing for the sport of Crappie Fishing? By Bernard Williams

Published on 11-13-2015 06:53 AM

Crappie fishermen in general need to take a step back and look at what the live bait industry is doing for and to crappie fishing. The answer the first question; the live bait industry does nothing to promote or support crappie fishing. We (crappie fishermen) are one of the last vestiges of fishermen that still use live bait. Bass and walleye fishermen have long abandon live bait in tournament fishing.

Artificial lures and soft plastics have become the staple in both sports. It’s why there’s so much money in bass and walleye fishing. The live bait companies don’t promote their products in the crappie fishing world simply because they think we can’t fish without it. They’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

I’ve followed the professional crappie circuits for many years. What I see is 99% of all tournament fishermen use live bait. The live bait industry puts zero dollars into the sport versus soft plastics and lure companies supporting every aspect of the sport. These huge minnow farms could and should help promote the crappie fishing sport. When I look at the sponsor list for the professional crappie circuits, there’s not a single minnow farm or supplier listed. That shows you one thing; the live bait industry cares absolutely nothing about the sport of crappie fishing. These minnow farms should be the biggest supports of forums like crappie.com.
It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, an industry that makes nearly 95% of its revenue from crappie fishermen and they’re not spending a single dime promoting the sport. In the business world we call that absolutely ludicrous.

Crappie fishermen need to wake up and let their voices be heard. We have the keys in our hands. If the live bait companies don’t care about promoting the sport that feeds them, then we need to show them we can do without their product.

In my opinion, it’s past time for live bait to be outlawed in tournament fishing. Tournament crappie fishing is a sport, there’s very little sport in putting a live minnow on a hook and enticing a crappie to bite it. It’s no different in shooting a deer eating out of a trough of corn. Dove hunting over a baited field is illegal; shooting a deer eating out of a trough is illegal to a certain extent. You must be a hundred yards or better away. We should use the same logic in competitive crappie fishing.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a free country. Nobody can dictate what you can use when you fish. I’m just saying in competitive fishing, the fish should have a chance. Using live bait is not fishing, it’s harvesting. If you’re fishing for food or running a guide service fine, using live bait in competition fishing takes the sporting chance away. If we consider competition fishing a sport, then we should treat it like a sport.

You couldn’t pay a bass fisherman to use live bait no matter what situation they’re fishing, even though some of the largest bass ever recorded was caught on shiners. The huge amount of money poured into the bass fishing comes from the lure and tackle industry. Until crappie fishermen wrap their minds around using artificial bait, the sport of crappie fishing will always play second fiddle to other fishing sports.

I see it coming; the State of Maine banned live bait in lakes that contain brook trout. They did that back in the 1960s. This policy prevented the spread of non-native fish and caused the brook trout to thrive. The UK banned live bait because it introduced alien species into their habitats which brings diseases and parasites. We’ve got to act quickly before the animal rights activists jump into the fight.

So what can we crappie fishermen do? We can call, write, email and lobby the live bait producers and ask them to do more to support the last group of fishermen that use their product. Professional crappie fishermen need to demand the pro circuits ban live bait. When we speak as one voice, I can promise you we will be heard. Bernard - Outdoor Writer

24 Comments

jigflinger - 11-17-2015, 09:53 PM
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In your article you clearly state that: "let's show them that we don't need their product". That seems to indicate that you are calling for a boycott of the minnow farms. We have enough opposition now from the libs.
You should come over to some of the minnow farms and see for yourself just how many minnows they produce. In the millions. Pike and Musky fishermen/women still use large shiners. Also many places in Texas buy all the really large shiners they can get for trophy bass. And as mentioned earlier, the trophy bass hunters in Florida pay several dollars each for the 8-10 inch golden shiners. The farms sell shiners and tuffies in all sizes. The real small ones are sold all over the country as feeders for larger tropical fish. While a boycott of minnows by crappie fishermen/women would be somewhat problematic for the minnow farmers, it would not have a long term effect.

TackleJackal - 11-18-2015, 10:05 AM
- Reply
Originally Posted by BassCat21

I apologize for not being as clear in my article as i intended. I tried to make two points.
1. Tournament fishermen should not use live bait. It takes (in my opinion) the sport away.
2. The Live Bait Industry should promote the sport of crappie fishing.

I'm in no way trying to tell Crappie Fishermen what bait to use. If you're fishing for food or fun, use whatever you wish. Young kids should be introduced to crappie fishing in any manner their parents wish to use.

If we're going to enjoy this fantastic sport we need all the help we can get to keep it going. I'm so glad to get you thinking of it as a sport. I enjoyed the comments and opinions.

I'm not trying to bash anyone or any business big or small. I'm only suggesting that they put something back into the sport. They should be crappie.com's NUMBER 1 SUPPORTER.

Let me get this straight, your product cannot be used in this "Sport", buttt, I expect you to support this "Sport" with some of your profits. Is that about right?

Sir, your business acumen is severely flawed!

As for tournament fishing, anything beyond the local club having a friendly contest on local waters, I consider bad for the fish and the waters they are in.

Nothing I dread more than seeing a fleet of rigs that look like rolling billboards pull into town. The local waters are beat down, the fish population is subjected to extreme pressure
with a higher mortality rate than tournament folks let on, an very few of the people who actually supports the fishery (you know taxpayers and anglers who buy licenses and tackle which has hidden taxes
on it) receive anything from it other than a crock of dung from the local Chamber of Commerce about what a great event it was.

Tournament fishing as far as I am concerned is an exploitation of a resource that is not supported by those exploiting it. Please do not quote me numbers about positive economic impact, etc, etc. I know BS when I hear it.

If fishing is a sport, it is a competition between you and your quarry. As soon as you make it between two or more people it is no longer fishing.

I fish to enjoy the outdoors and challenge myself on occasion to sort out what I need to do to fool the fish. Most time I really do not care how many fish I catch, I do it to refresh my soul. Dang, getting all Izaak Walton on ya'.

queyit - 11-23-2015, 03:35 PM
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I'm not a tournament crappie fisherman, I just enjoy catching pan fish. I must say I do get a lot of enjoyment from using soft plastics/artificial lures to catch them. Here is South Louisiana it's a little difficult to routinely get shiners but when I can I try to carry a few with me in the boat. Common sense tells you that OVERALL live bait is more natural than artificial. I think the article was a good one as everyone is entitled to their opinion and it does make you think.