Live Bait vs. Lures

Inshore saltwater anglers know that summertime is the best time to catch speckled trout using live bait. With warm bay water temperatures, there is an abundance of shrimp; piggy perch and croaker available at most bait stands. When fished properly there is no lure that can put fish in the boat as fast and consistently as live bait.

There are lure fishermen that tend to take objection to live bait anglers. Excuses abound to rationalize their dislike of bait fishermen tactics. Many say, “it is too easy to catch fish and there is no challenge with live bait.” Others say, “Using live bait kills fish because hooks are taken deep in the fishes mouth, injuring gills or stomach.” Although both these objections can, I repeat can, be true; there isn’t anything wrong with easy to catch fish. Plus if live bait anglers use the proper hook and hook set, there is no increase in fish mortality.

In the past decade, there are been many new fishing products hit the market that not only improve an anglers catch rate, but they also are much better suited for catch and release fishing. Even with live bait. All Star makes a rod specifically for live bait called the Croaker Rod. The rod comes with an extra long cork handle and the tip is designed to allow casting long distances without throwing your bait off. Super lines are now available in many brands. These no stretch lines allow for better sensitivity and increased hookset power, reducing the possibility of a trout swallowing the hook too deep. I prefer Fireline simply because the bright color is easy to see even the lightest strike. Hooks have changed dramatically too. Bait fishermen usually fish shell reefs or other hard structure that tends to dull some fish hooks. Dull hooks result in fewer fish. Today’s technological advances in metal sharpening techniques have resulted in incredibly sharp hooks. But most of these sharp hooks tend to get dull quickly when rubbed against hard objects. But there is one hook that I have yet to be able to dull, even when I tried. It is the Ultra Point Hook by Mustad and it is probably the most impressive fishing product introduction in years. Although it is available for many fishing styles, the Croaker Hook is perfect for increased hookups and reduced number of injured fish. Personally I like using a 6° size hook, which has proven to injure even fewer fish.

Today’s live bait fishing tackle has forced anglers to change the way they react to a bite. Using monofilament line an angler would wait a full ten seconds before setting the hook. Monofilament has stretch and the result would be injured fish. Super lines enable an instant hook set where the majority of the fish will be hooked in the edge of their mouth.

Live bait works like nothing else. It does make fishing easier. Catching too. Last time I checked, most people would rather go catching than fishing.