Here at Get Started Fishing, we love to talk about fishing, and we love even more to go fishing! When we do, we like to haul around our tackle box full of lures, but sometimes we like to just grab a can of red worms and see what happens! Here is a quick guide to fishing with live bait.
Red Worms
Red worms are the classic pan-fish live bait. There are lots of advantages to fishing with red worms. They are inexpensive, and can even be free if you know how to find them. If you do not feel like going out to dig for them, you can grab a can at any bait shop and at most convenience stores. This bait stores easily; you can put them in the refrigerator and they can last for weeks if you supplement the dirt and put a piece of lettuce in there every now and then. You can break the worm apart when fishing and use pieces of it. This allows you to make your supply last longer. Lastly you can catch a few fish using one worm. Basically they cannot steal your bait too easily.
The main drawback is that they tend to be messy when fishing. This is not really a big deal if you are prepared to get messy, which is common when fishing. Another problem is they cannot take the heat well. Put them the cooler with some ice and they do much better. Get them out of the cooler only when you need to bait the hook, or keep them out for short periods of time.
Crickets
An extremely popular bait in the south, crickets can be fun and at the same time frustrating to fish with. First of all, fish can take the cricket off the hook very easily. This can be a problem because you need a lot of crickets. Luckily they are inexpensive, so grab about 200 of them if you are going to the lake or pond. Do not worry if you do not use them all; drop half of a small potato in the bucket and they will live for weeks. Secondly, having the cricket in the water without getting bites is not good because the cricket will drown. This completely defeats the purpose of live bait.
Fishing with crickets probably does not sound too appealing, but when the bite is on it is one of the best experiences. Crickets can be used to catch bream and even crappie. Tipping a jig with a cricket can be killer when crappie fishing.
Shiners/Minnows
Live minnows or shiners are the ideal bait for fishing for crappie, and they will catch bass too. One of the main problems with these live baits is that can die easily, and you need a little extra equipment to store and keep them alive. At minimum, you need a live well or a bucket with a way to pump in oxygen. Additionally, they do not take heat well; if they are getting sluggish or dying, you need to throw some ice in the bucket. Typically, the best time you should use them is in winter, spring and early summer.
You can catch your own with a net or with a minnow trap, but this can be difficult to do if you do not have constant access to a water body. Luckily, they are not expensive, but keeping them alive long term can be difficult.
There is a short breakdown of some common live baits. They are all fun to use, and they will all catch fish. So, grab whichever one you want to use, and get started fishing!
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