Tag: Bait Fish

Lure Terminology

There are many ways to lure in fish to your boat. Words like rigging, chumming, and luring come to mind. However, there are many varieties when it comes to lures and trying to decipher between all of them can be a confusing process. In addition, knowing when to chum as oppose to lure can be equally challenging when you are ready to catch the most fish that you can.

When deciding whether you should lure or chum. As a general rule of thumb, chum is used in order to bring fish to the boat and lures are generally used for spot fishing.

When you decide to use a lure, what type do you choose? There are many different kinds of lures and they are used in different regions for a variety of purposes. If you learn the basics then you will not have to look like a novice by reading the back of the package will perusing the aisles in the stores.

A lure is defined as an object, often designed to resemble a fishs prey, and they usually come equipped with one or more hooks that are used to catch fish. You will attach a lure to the end of your fishing line and throw it out into the water until a fish takes a bite. The one exception to the rule is the fly lure, which is used to float on the waters surface mimicking the movement of an insect. You can also troll lure behind a boat to create the appearance of a living animal in the water. Some of the different types of lures are classified as jigs, wobblers, spinner, spoon lures, plugs, fly lures, and worms.

Jigs are made of weighted metal heads and a tail that is made from animal hair, soft plastic, feathers, or rubber. A minnow can sometimes to be added or a piece of meat can be attached to the end of the hook. Jigs can be used for almost any kind of saltwater or freshwater fishing.

A spoon is a metal lure that looks similar to a bait fish. These lures are meant to be cast or to be trolled behind a moving vessel. The plastic belts are the most commonly thought of baits. They are the plastic worms that are sometimes scented in order to attract more fish. The plastic belts can be used with or without a weight, but a jig head, spinner, or a spinner bait always accompanies them.

Plugs are made from plastic or wood and can be used on top of the water. There is a separate category of plugs called diving plugs that are designed to plunge into a certain depth of the water.

The spinners have blades that spin around a wire shaft, and they are made of plastic or animal hair. The spinner baits are the lures with more than one blade that spin around a safety shaft. They are characterized by skirts, which are made of animal hair, vinyl, rubber, and other materials.

Lastly are the poppers and flies. These baits are primarily used for panfish, trout, and bass. Fly-tying is a harder concept to learn, making these lures unique.

Lures are tested and decided upon by the individual. Many lures are determined to be useful by trying them out time and time again. When you become comfortable with a certain type of lure, you will be able to expand on its possibilities, making it more individualized for your fishing purposes.

Fishing with Live Bait

There are many myths that surround using live bait instead of artificial and most of them are not true. Live bait is still used by many anglers. The one factual part of live bait, which no one can dispute, it that is often messy, and it smells terrible. If you can surmount these two factors, you will be in good shape to try live bait on your next fishing outing.

There are some basic principles that should not be ignored when using live bait. None of the principles concerning live bait are clean or nice, but they are mandatory. You should never handle live bait when your hands are dry. Bait has a slimy layer on the outside, which is protective as well as inviting to predators, and if your hands are dry you will risk removing that layer.

If you are running short on live bait, try to save the bait that dies in your live well or in a nearby bucket. When your live bait has run out, you will still be able to use the freshly dead bait on your hook to attract fish. All you have to do is cast your line and bob it a little to give the appearance that your decoy has some life left. Be careful of the weight that you put on a line with live bait. Fish are going to spot a weight if it is too heavy and weighting down the bait. Your weight or sinker should be light enough to give the bait the appearance of free floating in the water.

Seasonal fishing can change the perspective on live bait. For instance, the summer months can be brutal, especially in the South. You may need to adjust your thinking and practices when the summer months hit. Keeping the bait alive will be the hardest obstacle for any angler in the summer. In order to keep your bait living, you will need to change out the water regularly so that the oxygen can keep flowing through to the bait. However, you cant just stop at changing out the water.

The temperature of the water is crucial because the water on the surface is hot and deadly for living bait. Therefore, having ice on hand to put into the live well will be the most beneficial way of keeping your live bait happy until they reach the hook.

Some other tips you should keep in mind when fishing with live bait is to never hook your live bait in the eyes. The reason is that you want the bait to see the fish approach them because they will become more excited and it will cause the fish to latch on better. Another thing is that you should add water softener salt to the water that is holding your live bait. The salt will make the scales of your bait harder while instantaneously preserving the slimy coat that attracts predators.

Lastly, you should make sure that you know how to properly throw a casting net before trying to catch bait. People often times throw the net too hard or too soft and this results in frustration and a net that does not consistently open.