Live bait vs. Artificials

[basspilot]

I find this one topic that is often debated amongst fisherman, but personally I know i prefer to throw artificials. What I find funny is that when I've literally thrown everything in my arsenal and the second I throw on a shiner or herring the whole ballgame changes. Lets hear your guys comments on this one.:D

[flatcreek]

I like to fish with bait, I'm not sure why I just do. I buy artificals thinking I'm going to use them, but very seldom do. Even when others are using them and catching fish.

[Lard Almighty]

Live bait almost always catches more fish. But artificials are way more fun to fish.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Some people like to bait n wait. Some like to keep it moving, use lures, jig, troll, plug, worm. Im a BIG fan of my lure selection, love using all of em. But right now if I was heading to the trout stream I would use nothing but nite crawlers. Drift the worm into the fish with the smallest amount of weight and, BLAMMMO, you got 2 limits of nice fish on a 2.50 cent container of worms. Herring, Blah! Shiners, Blah, only use em for ice fishing.

[acabtp]

Everything has its place, some days a lure is the right tool for the job and some days bait is. I use both, though I do use lures probably 10-20x more often than bait

[Bergen Angler]

An Ol' "wise" bass angler once told me that "real" bass angler does not use live baits.. :) Told me not to go over to the dark side. Since then, I have been just using artificial lures. At my lake, night crawler folks catch white, yellow perch and cat fish. I rarely see them catching any bass with night crawlers.

[MaCe1]

In fresh water it's lures unless I'm fishing for carp, or trout on opening day since I go to local lake rather than stand elbow to elbow on a stream. Then it's bait- but not live bait. I kayak fish or walk around on shore, which is why I prefer lures.

[flatcreek]

Even though I seem to be a bait fisherman. I would like make note of the fact that with lures the fish don t seem to get hooked deep, allowing an easier safer release.

[Moz]

For bass and panfish I only use lures.

Trout and smallies in the rivers I only use lures.

Trout on the lake I'll have one or 2 rods with PowerWait or a M&M out while I use lures on another rod.

Trout on the lake when it's ballz cold outside I'll use shiners, mainly because it's easy and I can keep my hands in my gloves and just enjoy being out in the winter.

I don't think there is a right or wrong choice, just what people individually like to use.

[AndyS]

Always a great topic - but look at this weather !!! I say open this up again when the sleet is coming down sideways in January.

[GetANet]

I've got boxes of lures cause they're like women and shoes, never have enough!!!! I used to be really bad cause if i caught a fish on a certain lure i would buy every one i could find not only the same size and color but diff colors and sizes as well. And over the years all the lures and bags of plastics i have accumulated i could open a tackle store.......But as time has gone by i've weeded thru most of my stuff and sold quite a bit of it at garage sales and kept the stuff i find works well for me. I also make alot of my own stuff now as well so my stock is always building back up. I really enjoy catching fish on the stuff i make, plastics,jigs,spinnerbaits ect. As far as the bait vs artifical debate i choose to bass fish with lures. The rest of my fishing i generally will use bait. I like fishing both ways but most all of my bigger fish come on bait and i'm about using what works so i won't hesistate to use herring,shiners, worms either. My wife freaked one day when i did a rough estimate of the value of my tackle, It was more than her engagment ring so i kinda keep it to myself now......LOL IF SHE ONLY KNEW............

[basspilot]

That sounds kind of crazy how many lures and other tackle you have but absolutely impressive. I find myself often doing exactly the same thing as you but when I go out and drop 50$ for instance on like 3 lures and then go ahead and lose one on its first cast it kind of puts me in check haha. I don't go for the most expensive stuff anymore I tend to do my research first but one thing I've got from this thread is how successful a lot of guys have been on here throwin musky killers...so I went out and bought a few. I use to throw them all the time but for whatever reason I switched gears to the "more traditional" way of catching bass. This year though I'm kind of at a loss. These fish this fall haven't been commiting to a lure as they usually do. I'm going to try adding a trailer hook to see if that helps my chances any.

[tycomps]

Some people like to bait n wait. Some like to keep it moving, use lures, jig, troll, plug, worm.

this is what I do, seem to enjoy going after the fish rather than having them come to me. something about taking a piece of plastic and presenting it in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to a smart fish, to solicit a bite seems more challenging to me.

[lunkertaker]

this is what I do, seem to enjoy going after the fish rather than having them come to me. something about taking a piece of plastic and presenting it in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to a smart fish, to solicit a bite seems more challenging to me.

Agreed. Lure fishing is way more stimulating than bait and wait. To each their own.

We all have our favorites... the go-to-lures. And yes, we all have our tackle boxes full of those lures that, well, caught our eye and never caught a fish:rolleyes:

For me, 25% of my satisfaction is shopping and "stocking up" in anticipation of the fishing trip. 25% is actually being out there on the lake, pond, stream, etc, and 50% is catching!

[FASTEDDIE29]

I use lures 95% of the time. The other 5% is when I tip a jig with half a crawler. I also use crawlers and sometimes power bait a couple times a year for the trout. 95% of the time every fish I post up on this board is caught on a lure.

[tycomps]

For me, 25% of my satisfaction is shopping and "stocking up" in anticipation of the fishing trip. 25% is actually being out there on the lake, pond, stream, etc, and 50% is catching!

well put, with much in life I find it's not the kill it's the thrill of the chase :)

[crustyangler17]

only times i use bait in freshwater whether its natural, live or synthetic:
-catfish/carp
-sometimes power bait, for spring stockies
-live shiners (either wild caught or store bought), for cold water bass/pickerel (usually Nov-Dec, March)
-golden shiners at a local pike fishery in the spring

all other times it is artificials for bass, panfish, pickerel and trout and they work 9/10 times, you just gotta know what to use.

[Eskimo]

Using lures is a hell of a lot more convenient. When a brief window of free times opens up for me and I can go fishing, driving all the way to the bait store to buy minnows or catching my own minnows in the creek is a big investment in time. Every minute spent drivging around is another minute not spent on the water.

I do occasionally dig up some little earthworms for catfishing and sunnies.

[NJ219bands]

I throw out a can of corn for chum, cast out my carp rod and put it in a rod holder, then do some ultralight jigging with a second rod until I start to get bites on bait. I caught 3,403 fish this year in 228 trips and won 2 NJ Skillful Angler Awards. I tagged 92 fish in NJ salt water since April. When I use bait and lures simultaneously, I usually miss my best bite for the day though. The big fish always hits at the wrong time on bait.