Catching live bait.

[CR]

I recently hired a guide to take me smallmouth creek fishing. We
fished artificials with not much luck then switched to creek minnows.
The action immediately improved, we started catching rock bass and
smallies. I was really hoping that I could catch just as much with
artificials but it seems that live bait catches more fish. I feel like
buying live bait is cheating, plus I like to keep things simple and I
don't like the idea of rigging up some complicated live bait tank with
an aerator. However, if I could be fairly certain of catching minnows
or crayfish myself, in whatever creek I'm fishing, then it seems OK to
me.

So my question is, "Is it possible to catch my own bait (minnows,
crayfish), consistently, from any given stream, with a few simple
tools like a cast net and bait bucket?"

Chuck.

P.S. All the fish we caught on minnows were lip-hooked and released.

[Chuck Coger]

When I lived in Maryland I made a Crawfish trap out of Chicken Wire. The key
is to make the entrance to where they cant get back out. They sell minnow
and crawdad traps at most bait stores, I have even seen them at K-Marts.
Justy bait them with some old chicken or beef parts.

The only problem with catching your own bait is that at sometimes of the
year it gets pretty scarce. I have a place stocked with Shiners so if I know
in advance I just walk over and net some. The neighborhood has 2 fountains
and very small ponds, about 10 feet deep and 50-60 foot circles and the
other one is twice as big. Once a week either me or my son throws some dog
or cat food in to feed them. The fountains and waterfalls gives them plenty
of Oxygen, and I have my own big aeration tank pretty much all to myself.

---
Chuck Coger
http://www.fishin-pro.com


"CR" > wrote in message
om...
> I recently hired a guide to take me smallmouth creek fishing. We
> fished artificials with not much luck then switched to creek minnows.
> The action immediately improved, we started catching rock bass and
> smallies. I was really hoping that I could catch just as much with
> artificials but it seems that live bait catches more fish. I feel like
> buying live bait is cheating, plus I like to keep things simple and I
> don't like the idea of rigging up some complicated live bait tank with
> an aerator. However, if I could be fairly certain of catching minnows
> or crayfish myself, in whatever creek I'm fishing, then it seems OK to
> me.
>
> So my question is, "Is it possible to catch my own bait (minnows,
> crayfish), consistently, from any given stream, with a few simple
> tools like a cast net and bait bucket?"
>
> Chuck.
>
> P.S. All the fish we caught on minnows were lip-hooked and released.
>

[Huck Palmatier]

....reminds me of when I'd stocked the campus fountain with bullhead and
bluegill under cover of darkness......and the looks I got when I caught them
again while wading with a flyrod during mid-day...ah, college days.
said Huck

[Bob Rickard]

A glass or clear plastic minnow trap (the best you can find) baited with
broken crackers and fished in the riffles is hard to beat for catching
minnows. While you are letting the trap fill with minnows, use a home-made
hand net made from a 2' broom handle, a triangular bent coathanger frame
(flat on the bottom) and covered with loosely stapled, soft window screen
material. Hold it downstream from rocks that you kick over to allow the
current to wash crawfish and helgrammites into the net. Pure fun, and deadly
bait!

Important! Wash out that minnow trap with dish detergent after every 2 or 3
trips, and it will produce forever.

--
Bob Rickard
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------<=x O')))><


"CR" > wrote in message
om...
> I recently hired a guide to take me smallmouth creek fishing. We
> fished artificials with not much luck then switched to creek minnows.
> The action immediately improved, we started catching rock bass and
> smallies. I was really hoping that I could catch just as much with
> artificials but it seems that live bait catches more fish. I feel like
> buying live bait is cheating, plus I like to keep things simple and I
> don't like the idea of rigging up some complicated live bait tank with
> an aerator. However, if I could be fairly certain of catching minnows
> or crayfish myself, in whatever creek I'm fishing, then it seems OK to
> me.
>
> So my question is, "Is it possible to catch my own bait (minnows,
> crayfish), consistently, from any given stream, with a few simple
> tools like a cast net and bait bucket?"
>
> Chuck.
>
> P.S. All the fish we caught on minnows were lip-hooked and released.

[Fishboy]

Look at my article on the bass fishing home page.
http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T176.htm
This is how I fish all summer long on lake lanier in georgia.






"Bob Rickard" > wrote in message >...
> A glass or clear plastic minnow trap (the best you can find) baited with
> broken crackers and fished in the riffles is hard to beat for catching
> minnows. While you are letting the trap fill with minnows, use a home-made
> hand net made from a 2' broom handle, a triangular bent coathanger frame
> (flat on the bottom) and covered with loosely stapled, soft window screen
> material. Hold it downstream from rocks that you kick over to allow the
> current to wash crawfish and helgrammites into the net. Pure fun, and deadly
> bait!
>
> Important! Wash out that minnow trap with dish detergent after every 2 or 3
> trips, and it will produce forever.
>
> --
> Bob Rickard
> www.secretweaponlures.com
> --------------------------<=x O')))><
>
>
> "CR" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I recently hired a guide to take me smallmouth creek fishing. We
> > fished artificials with not much luck then switched to creek minnows.
> > The action immediately improved, we started catching rock bass and
> > smallies. I was really hoping that I could catch just as much with
> > artificials but it seems that live bait catches more fish. I feel like
> > buying live bait is cheating, plus I like to keep things simple and I
> > don't like the idea of rigging up some complicated live bait tank with
> > an aerator. However, if I could be fairly certain of catching minnows
> > or crayfish myself, in whatever creek I'm fishing, then it seems OK to
> > me.
> >
> > So my question is, "Is it possible to catch my own bait (minnows,
> > crayfish), consistently, from any given stream, with a few simple
> > tools like a cast net and bait bucket?"
> >
> > Chuck.
> >
> > P.S. All the fish we caught on minnows were lip-hooked and released.

[RGarri7470]

>Look at my article on the bass fishing home page.

"After I get the boat ready to launch, I will back the boat in the water and
just before it starts to come off the trailer I will stop and get in the boat.
This puts the boat in the perfect position to catch bait."

You dont have a problem with others waiting to launch?
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

[Bob La Londe]

Maybe he isn't launching at one of those super busy launch ramps.

For instance I sometimes launch here at Squaw Lake becasue it has a nice
ramp and very little early morning traffic. It costs 5 bucks though, so a
lot of the other guys launch at Hidden Shores or Fisher's Landing where it
is free to launch and park.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
Promote Your Fishing, Boating, or Guide Site for Free
Simply add it to our index page.
No reciprocal link required. (Requested, but not required)






"RGarri7470" > wrote in message
...
> >Look at my article on the bass fishing home page.
>
> "After I get the boat ready to launch, I will back the boat in the water
and
> just before it starts to come off the trailer I will stop and get in the
boat.
> This puts the boat in the perfect position to catch bait."
>
> You dont have a problem with others waiting to launch?
> Ronnie
>
> http://fishing.about.com

[Fishboy]

I fished about 3 days a week all summer long and only had a small
problem 1 time. After the other boater saw what I was doing he was
amazed at the bait I was catching and I ended up giving him about 5
doz spottail minnows for free.

During the week on lake lanier there are not many boat ramps that are
busy.




"Bob Rickard" > wrote in message >...
> A glass or clear plastic minnow trap (the best you can find) baited with
> broken crackers and fished in the riffles is hard to beat for catching
> minnows. While you are letting the trap fill with minnows, use a home-made
> hand net made from a 2' broom handle, a triangular bent coathanger frame
> (flat on the bottom) and covered with loosely stapled, soft window screen
> material. Hold it downstream from rocks that you kick over to allow the
> current to wash crawfish and helgrammites into the net. Pure fun, and deadly
> bait!
>
> Important! Wash out that minnow trap with dish detergent after every 2 or 3
> trips, and it will produce forever.
>
> --
> Bob Rickard
> www.secretweaponlures.com
> --------------------------<=x O')))><
>
>
> "CR" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I recently hired a guide to take me smallmouth creek fishing. We
> > fished artificials with not much luck then switched to creek minnows.
> > The action immediately improved, we started catching rock bass and
> > smallies. I was really hoping that I could catch just as much with
> > artificials but it seems that live bait catches more fish. I feel like
> > buying live bait is cheating, plus I like to keep things simple and I
> > don't like the idea of rigging up some complicated live bait tank with
> > an aerator. However, if I could be fairly certain of catching minnows
> > or crayfish myself, in whatever creek I'm fishing, then it seems OK to
> > me.
> >
> > So my question is, "Is it possible to catch my own bait (minnows,
> > crayfish), consistently, from any given stream, with a few simple
> > tools like a cast net and bait bucket?"
> >
> > Chuck.
> >
> > P.S. All the fish we caught on minnows were lip-hooked and released.

[CR]

(Fishboy) wrote in message >...

> Look at my article on the bass fishing home page.
> http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T176.htm
> This is how I fish all summer long on lake lanier in georgia.

Thanks for the info!

Chuck.

[Bill Kiene]

I think live bait works better than artificials when there is a lot of
natural bait in the water. Actually, nothing works like the real thing.

I was recently on the central Florida east coast around Sebastian south of
Cape Canaveral. This is the Indian and Banana Rivers that are large shallow
brackish estuaries with snook, tarpon, redfish, sea trout and jacks. There
is a big baitfish migration going on right now with bait fish jumping
everywhere. People there use throw nets because it is open, mostly still
water with schools of baitfish.

When the bait fish are not around in big numbers, artificial lures and flies
seem to work better.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA
www.kiene.com

"CR" > wrote in message
om...

> I recently hired a guide to take me smallmouth creek fishing. We
> fished artificials with not much luck then switched to creek minnows.
> The action immediately improved, we started catching rock bass and
> smallies. I was really hoping that I could catch just as much with
> artificials but it seems that live bait catches more fish. I feel like
> buying live bait is cheating, plus I like to keep things simple and I
> don't like the idea of rigging up some complicated live bait tank with
> an aerator. However, if I could be fairly certain of catching minnows
> or crayfish myself, in whatever creek I'm fishing, then it seems OK to
> me.
>
> So my question is, "Is it possible to catch my own bait (minnows,
> crayfish), consistently, from any given stream, with a few simple
> tools like a cast net and bait bucket?"
>
> Chuck.
>
> P.S. All the fish we caught on minnows were lip-hooked and released.