Some friends and I went on a fun trip and decided to run a comparison between live bait and artifials. After throwing several different types of artificials (old and new types), we had zero hits. In the meantime, at the exact same place, we couldn’t keep the Trout off the live bait, which was Mud Minnows. We ended up keeping 25 and releasing 50 or 60.
Capt. Steve Fralin
Ugly Ducklin Charters
The Longest Established Inshore Fishing Guide at Edisto
Edisto Island, SC 29438
843-869-1580
843-908-2071 http://www.edistofishingcharters.com
Capt. Steve Fralin
Ugly Ducklin Charters
The Longest Established Inshore Fishing Guide at Edisto
Edisto Island, SC 29438
843-869-1580
843-908-2071 http://www.edistofishingcharters.com
that info is good for the day you fished, buddy and i did that with him on mud minnows and me on gulp shrimp and I outcaught him by more than 2 to 1. Them fish are fickle
I always carry muds just in case but I’ll pick up some gulp and give that a try tomorrow. planning on tagging for the first couple hrs and then off to the trouts. Vinman Ice down an extra.
“Lures will outfish bait 95% of the time”! You should see the looks I get from clients, when I make this statement. But this is a fact. Think about it. When you cast out a bait, be it a live shrimp under a cork, cut bait on a Carolina rig or any number of techniques using bait, you’re fishing a small strike zone. When you throw out a lure, you’re covering a ton of water and if it’s a sinking lure, you’re covering the whole water column. This in itself is a distinct advantage.
However the larger reason for fishing lures is that fish don’t feed most of the time. How many times have you been fishing and not gotten a bite? When fish aren’t biting you can make them bite by employing the reaction bite technique. The easiest way to explain this is with a spinnerbait. When fish are actively biting, you can cast and reel a spinnerbait straight back in and catch fish. Not so when they aren’t biting. But you can reel a spinnerbait a few feet and then “kill it”, which means to stop reeling and let it helicopter down. Inactive fish will be triggered into striking a seemingly easy meal. Really inactive fish will hit with their mouth closed and at times you will fowl hook them.
On my charters, we use Trout Tricks, Gulp 3 inch Shrimp, and DOA’s on a 1/8th ounce jighead. We cast out, let the lure sink to the bottom, jerk it up a couple of times, and let in fall straight down on a semi slack line. The bite always occurs on the fall. The rate of fall, about one foot per second, is so critical, that when we fish Zoom Flukes, a bulkier lure, we have to use a 1/4 once jighead to achieve the same rate of fall.
So the next time you go fishing, leave the cast net at home, and try the above. Bob
I wholeheartedly disagree with you. Live bait is better by far and I can catch all I want (shrimp, finger mullet, mud minnows. amd even menhaden) from my dock. With live bait, we have slayed the fish this year. In fact, thia past spring and summer was some of the best fishing we have ever had. I will use artificial bait if we are in the zone just for the heck of it, but it’s live bait for. I am forced to use it now, and the results are less than good. You fish for a living, so I respect your advice, I just don’t buy into it.
quote:Originally posted by fishingwithbob
Here’s my take on bait vs artificials:
“Lures will outfish bait 95% of the time”! You should see the looks I get from clients, when I make this statement. But this is a fact. Think about it. When you cast out a bait, be it a live shrimp under a cork, cut bait on a Carolina rig or any number of techniques using bait, you’re fishing a small strike zone. When you throw out a lure, you’re covering a ton of water and if it’s a sinking lure, you’re covering the whole water column. This in itself is a distinct advantage.
However the larger reason for fishing lures is that fish don’t feed most of the time. How many times have you been fishing and not gotten a bite? When fish aren’t biting you can make them bite by employing the reaction bite technique. The easiest way to explain this is with a spinnerbait. When fish are actively biting, you can cast and reel a spinnerbait straight back in and catch fish. Not so when they aren’t biting. But you can reel a spinnerbait a few feet and then “kill it”, which means to stop reeling and let it helicopter down. Inactive fish will be triggered into striking a seemingly easy meal. Really inactive fish will hit with their mouth closed and at times you will fowl hook them.
On my charte
As a mud minnow junkie slowly adapting to arties, I think you get more second chances with a live bait because it is EXACTLY what they eat. Once they hit it they will keep going after it until they get it. I think an artie you often fool them once but unless its the perfect lure, perfectly presented, they aren’t as apt to strike again. Thats my novice opinion.
I’m always more comfortable leaving a spot after throwing a minnow. I feel like “if they don’t eat that, they aren’t there”.
Bob’s advice on presentation, and an angler’s ability to feel the bite (good equipment, no line slack) make a big difference. Thats where my skills often fall short I believe. Especially this time of year when the trout bite is less aggressive. I learned that firsthand Friday when a well trained angler out caught me 4 to 1 with the same arties.
Learning proper techniques and INTELLIGENT practice and focus are key. Focusing on doing the wrong thing just increases the frustration IMO.
My guess is on UDC’s example, since they had success with Carolina rig, they were anchored upstream of the fish. So possibly they were fishing arties AGAINST the current, which is generally an artie no-no. Thus maybe the difference in the bite?
I don’t tell anyone how to fish. I just report. If fishing were a science, it would be called catching. And I’m also not trying to sell lures.
Capt. Steve Fralin
Ugly Ducklin Charters
The Longest Established Inshore Fishing Guide at Edisto
Edisto Island, SC 29438
843-869-1580
843-908-2071 http://www.edistofishingcharters.com
This biggest thing that helps getting that second strike with artificals is not jerking the bait away from the fish when they bump it. Just give it a normal twitch retrieve back to the boat. Then cast back to that same area and repeat. They will often strike it again on the second pass. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been fishing with my dad and said “Fish just bumped it” reeled in cast again twitch twitch bam fish on. Dad in back ground saying SOB lol!
I don’t tell anyone how to fish. I just report. If fishing were a science, it would be called catching. And I’m also not trying to sell lures.
Well put, sir…
Capt. Steve Fralin
Ugly Ducklin Charters
The Longest Established Inshore Fishing Guide at Edisto
Edisto Island, SC 29438
843-869-1580
843-908-2071 http://www.edistofishingcharters.com
For me it’s a matter of personal choice and preference. I prefer live bait because I enjoy throwing a cast net and catching bait as part of the trip. All 3 of my adult daughters are very good with a net and love it as much as fishing. I grew up inland and came here in my late 20’s. I fell in love with the marsh, rivers and creeks and learned to fish them primarily with live or cut bait that we caught. I never cared much for bass fishing and it’s culture of super fast sparkle painted boats that run from one hole to the next snatching fish from the water. That method of fishing is contradictory to why I fish. It is also why I don’t own a trolling motor. There is nothing more unapealing to me than those redfish tournaments, which are just like BASS tournaments on salt water.It is hurried and not relaxing to me. I catch more than my share and use artificials occasionally in the late fall. For those of you that are successful at conisitently catching fish with artificals, you are a much better fisherman than me, and I salute your skills.
Thats a heck of a fine answer, Jack. Except for the “much better fisherman” part. You are as good as you care to be doing what you do and you thoroughly enjoy it, so good on you!
That doesn’t make you less of anything. THAT, to me, is what it is all about.
I use both plastic and live bait,usually take muds and cast for the smallest finger mullet I can get. Have been catching fair amout of trout on both live and plastic but have caught bigger trout or bigger for me 15"-18’’ on the mullet. I’ve kept about a dozen since around Halloween and found shrimp,mullet and glass minnows in their stomach but not the first mud minnow. I fish in Toogoodo and Wadmalaw sound so I know there’s plenty of mud minnows here. I still catch the most numbers but alot of small ones on the old gray metal flake curly tail grub and caught a good many this year on white bucktails with a mud minnow on it. I am going to try the trout tricks when I find some. They look like a type of worm I used to fish for large mouth bass with,maybe a “creme” worm I think.
