Published: August 09, 2008 12:12 am         

Live bait can save the day

When I head to the lake for a day of fishing I load up my boat with no less than five tackle boxes packed full of every kind of artificial bait on the market.

I always tell myself to cut back a bit, but it never seems to work. I’m always afraid that I’ll get out on the water and not have the right lure for the conditions or species of fish that I might encounter, so I take crank baits, spinner baits, swim baits, jigs, top water baits, deep running baits and rubber and plastic imitations of just about every creature that swims or crawls near water.

But before I launch my boat I always stop by the local bait shop to ask a few questions about what has been working for other anglers and to pick up the last piece of the fishing puzzle: fresh live bait. You’re probably wondering about now why I would bother the inconvenience of taking live bait when I have so many options. Well, it’s simple: I hate to get skunked!

I love the feeling I get from figuring out what fish want and presenting the right type, size and color of artificial bait to entice them into biting, but sometimes when conditions are tough or the fish are finicky, nothing seems to work but live bait. The taste, smell and subtle vibrations given off by a lively worm or minnow have saved the day for me on many occasions and turned a disappointing day for me or one of my clients into a memorable one.

When using live bait it’s important to keep it fresh. I always take an old cooler along with a couple of ice packs to keep my nightcrawlers, redworms and bee moth cool and lively. Just a short time in the heat of summer can turn your live bait into a smelly wad of chum. Minnows are even more fragile and must have cool, aerated water to survive. A good minnow bucket that either floats or has an aerator is crucial. It’s also helpful to add a little ice to your minnow bucket on hot summer days. The melting ice adds oxygen to the water, and cooler water slows the minnow’s metabolism causing them to require less oxygen.

When trying to locate active feeding fish I often enhance my lures with live bait. Bluegill can rarely resist a small jig or spinner tipped with a bee moth. And a jig tipped with a lively minnow is one of the best ways I’ve found to locate crappie. Even bass can be located and enticed into biting by adding small pieces of nightcrawler or redworm to your lures, and at times the only thing a bass will inhale is a big nightcrawler struggling on your hook. In fact very few fish, whether they are feeding or not, can resist taking a bite out of a lively nightcrawler.

Another very good live bait option is softcraws. Softcraws are crawfish that have recently shed their protective shell leaving them easy and tasty prey for bass and catfish. Many anglers swear by the lowly “mud bug” and will drive miles to get a few.

There should always be a spot in one of your tackle boxes for a small assortment of live bait hooks, some split shot sinkers and a few bobbers. And it’s always a good idea to take a few minutes out to stop at your local bait dealer for some bait and a few tips because you never know when live bait could “save the day.”

Ray Nordstrom is a Logansport resident and a licensed guide and tournament angler, and is the owner of Eel River Bait and Tackle in Logansport. You can contact him through the sports department at (574) 732-5774 or via e-mail at sports@pharostribune.com.