Fishing With Live Bait.

Tips for fishing with live bait.

What's the biggest key in fishing with live bait? Fish with live bait that appears as natural as possible.

Natural Presentation:

If you're using a shad for bait you want that shad to appear as natural as possible. If your bait doesn't look like what the fish are feeding on, it will affect your bite rate. For presenting live shad in a natural manner, you may want to research gang hooks. Gang hooks are one of the best way to present live bait in a natural manner.

Another consideration when fishing with live bait is smell.

Fishes Sense of Smell:

Many people don't realize how sensitive a fishes sense of smell is. If you have engaged in an activity (such as smoking) that makes your hands smell, it will affect your catch. Use a hand sanitizer remove any unnatural smells.

Many freshwater fish, such as trout, walleye, and smallmouth bass, have very sensitive senses of smell, and if they detect unnatural odors on live bait they tend not to bite. This is why making sure that your hands are free of any unnatural odors (that will transfer to the bait), such as gasoline or nicotine, is a must in fishing with live bait.

Always wet your hands before handling baits to avoid removing the protective slime layer.

Caring for Live Bait:

There are many ways to care for live bait such as Shad and minnows. If you're out fishing for a long period of time you're going to need an aerator or you're going to have to change the water frequently. Remember the "live" part of the bait is the most important part. Dead bait usually isn't nearly as effective.

For more information on caring for live bait.

Hook Size:

When live bait fishing you want your hook or hooks to be as small as possible so they are less visible and the bait acts normal.

By using one or more of the above tips and you will become a more effective live bait angler. Fishing with live bait is a fun and effective way to fish.

Also the weather and moon are just as important as the proper live bait.

Start using one or all of these live bait fishing tips sooner rather than later, and you will be a much more successful live bait angler.

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