All About Bass Fishing With Live Bait

It is a proven fact that bass, and especially big bass, are easier to catch with live bait than artificial lures. It is a bit more work using live bait and by nature slows down your fishing approach, but the rewards can be worth it at times.

3 Most Important Factors About Live Bait

Live bait often out-produces artificial lures.
Live bait is a good way to introduce new anglers to fishing.
Keeping live bait alive can be difficult and lethargic bait does not work as well as lively bait.

3 Most Effective Fishing Methods & Lures

Minnows, shad and other baitfish under a bobber.
Worms, crawfish and sunfish fished wit a split-shot weight.
Salamanders (or waterdogs) and frogs with a sliding weight and weedless hook.

Live bait often catches some of the bigger bass.

This book is focused on artificial lures but the same techniques for finding bass can apply to live bait. If you have already found the bass, you may be surprised to see that you can catch some of the bigger and wiser bass from the school by switching to live bait. A wide variety of live bait will catch bass, some of which include:

Minnows

Since minnows are the mainstay of a bass’ diet, at least in their younger years, most bass will eat live minnows. To keep the minnow from dying, it is important to use the right hook. Small, Aberdeen hooks or similar, in size 4 or 6 seem to work well. Larger baitfish like the threadfin shad can handle bigger hooks, based on the size of the shad. Hook minnows through the back, just under the dorsal fin, or through the eye sockets or up through the lower jaw and out through the nose area hooked through both lips. Be careful to handle the minnows lightly to help keep them alive longer. Lively minnows and shad catch more fish.

Crawfish

One of the mainstays of a bass’ diet, including bigger bass, is crawfish or crawfish. Small bass prefer the soft shell, smaller crawfish and big bass will eat up any size they can find. This is a good bait for fishing structure, but bring your patience. Fish them by hooking them under the back shell, or by inserting a weedless hook under a carefully wound rubber band around the body several times being careful not to get it too tight. They work best with no weight allowing them to walk and swim naturally. When you get a bite, the bass has it in its mouth so begin setting immediately with a reel set using pressure. If you miss the fish, let the bait free spool back to the bottom immediately. The same bass or another is likely to pick it up again.

Waterdogs

These members of the salamander family make a hearty live bait option for bass. Bass seem to love them. Hook the waterdog up through the lower jaw and out through the nose area on a 1/0 to 3/0 weedless hook (with wire guard). You can use a small weight or fish them without any weight. Experiment with the type of cover you are fishing and the size of waterdogs available.

Earth Worms

You catch almost any fish on earth worms. Bass love them and will eat them any time they are presented to them. Use a light wire hook in size 6 or 8. If you are fishing around brush, a weedless hook is recommended. Hook the worm once through the collar which will allow it to move and squirm to attract bass. Spinning gear with light line works best. If the wind is a factor or you need assistance with casting, add a small weight rigged drop shot style. If the bass are shallow, try using a bobber set to the most effective depth.

Others (frogs, mice, etc)

Live frogs can be fished shallow or deep hooked up through the lower jaw and out through the nose area on a 1/0 to 3/0 weedless hook (with wire guard), no weight required. Use heavy line, preferably braid to get bass out of heavy cover. Live mice can work well in areas where grass or lily pads scatter the surface or in shallow water with submerged cover. Hook the mice through the nap of the neck on the back behind the head using an open 4/0 hook. Make easy casts and let the mouse swim to cover.