Fishing Bait Basics

What is Fishing Bait?

Fishing bait is anything, artificial or natural, that is used to get a sport fish to bite a hook. Most fishing bait attempts to mimic some kind of natural fish forage such as crustaceans or other, smaller fish. Other fishing bait attempts to garner a split second reaction from fish with bright colors or sound. Most artificial fishing baits are refered to as fishing lures.

Artificial or Natural Bait?

This is one of the most hotly debated questions in all of sport fishing. Many people believe that natural or "live" bait simply can't be beat due to it 100% exactly matching a fish's natural diet. Anglers on the other side of the fence argue that artificial lures are better due to the fact they last hundreds of times longer, and can get just as many strikes as natural baits. In the end it's up to the fisherman to choose which fishing bait is right for his or her unique situation.

Fishing Bait by Species

Another factor to consider when choosing your fishing bait is what speices of fish you intend to catch. As different species of sport fish have very different diets, understanding these differences can be the difference between fishing success and failure. Here are a few examples of popular sport fish and what fishing baits work for them:

Bass: A few natural fishing bait options for largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, and other black bass species are live minnows, crayfish, helgremites, leeches, baby sunfish, tadpoles, and even mice! Lures include spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, top water lures, and a wide array of soft plastics.

Panfish: When it comes to panfish, their diet can be a complete tosssup. Many panfish such as bluegill feed on a wide variety of both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Natural fishing bait for sunfish include crickets, grasshoppers, crayfish, small minnows, worms, corn, dough balls, and even live maggots! Some artificial lures used for panfish include small spinners, crankbaits, jigs, and realistic small plastics.

Catfish: These fish are dominantly bottom feeders in most cases, but can also be very potent predators. The catfish diet mostly consists of small fish, and bottom dwelling organisms such as crayfish and other crustaceons. Catfish are dominantly caught on a wide veriety of natural fishing baits. Some of these baits include nightcrawlers, chicken livers, cut bait, live minnows or other small fish, fish guts, frogs, salamanders, and various dough baits.

Trout: Most would consider trout to be mostly insectevores, as they feed mainly on the aquatic and adult forms of many insects. However trout do also feed on smaller fish and crayfish in many cases, especially larger fish. Some natural baits for trout include live nymphs, crickets, worms, and crayfish. As far as artificial lures are concerned, fishing flies are the most common method.