Live Bait

[moguy1973]

After seeing that monster smallmouth that Blazerman's wife caught on a minnow, I'll be trying some next weekend on the Jack's Fork/Current float we are going on. Got to get me some 2L bottles to make a trap.

[rps]

Me? Live bait? No. Not ever. Well, hardly ever. OK, sometimes, but I don't inhale.

[RSBreth]

I don't use live bait very often - mostly for pan-sized Channel Cats, but I do use "enhanced" lures for panfish, trout, and bass. My sons' first fish were caught on PowerBait Nymphs under a float.

I've started using circle hooks (mostly the Eagle Claw L702 because it comes in tiny to bigger sizes) and so far it really helps with the biggest problem of live bait - swallowed hooks.

[LittleRedFisherman]

Live bait is all I use when I try to catch a mess of Flathead. Green sunfish are the best bait ever with Goldfish a close second. Use them some for Crappie, but never had for bass, other than catching bass while crappie fishing..

It's good to start them youngins out on worms, did that for awhile with my boy, but now he likes to cast and retrieve like daddy now.

[bfishn]

With all the bass and trout fisherman on this forum, I guess I should qualify that I never fish for them, just everything else.

[Old plug]

I use freshly netted shad in the fall to spoons to deep jig on LOZ. I have used live hellgrammites years ago on the the Meramec when was able to find them. I do not think they were so hot I must say. . A small crawfish is king of that river. And maybe any river in the Ozark's.

[wayne b]

will have to agree with old plug on the crawdads vs hellgarmmites for small mouth and goggle eye on big sugar an elk river also

[Greasy B]

Crickets, slide bobbers, Reelfoot Lake Bluegill. I have never had so much fun.

[Old plug]

Reelfoot use to have some real hog Blue Gills in it.

[DaveMac]

Red worms for trout on the White river when the water is rising. There, I said it. Now I'll go back to polishing my collection of Panther Martins.