All of the live baits being outlined in this article are for the freshwater angler who likes to catch species of fish such as trout, bass, walleye, crappie, and the like. If you are a saltwater angler, these live baits will be of little use to you. These live baits are effective when fishing for freshwater fish such as the ones listed above.
The following baits are being listed in no particular order and are all effective when attempting to catch fish in various fishing situations.
- Minnows – Live minnows are an extremely effective bait to use when fishing. The biggest problem with live minnows is keeping them alive and lively. There are various types and styles of bait buckets available for holding/carrying live minnows, with some being more effective than others. Any type of bait bucket that enables you to place your minnows directly into the water that you are fishing seems to work quite well. Keeping your minnows well aerated is the key to keeping them alive and fresh water is the key to keeping your minnows aerated. The bottom line is that live minnows are one of the best baits to use when fishing.
- Worms – Anyone who has ever heard of the term “fishing” knows that fish enjoy eating live worms. This is absolutely true, yet many anglers don’t realize that live worms are even more effective when they are rigged in a truly effective manner. The best way to rig live worms for fishing is a set of gang hooks. Rigging live worms (or half of a live worm in the case of night crawlers) outstretched on a set of gang hooks makes live worms one of the best live baits that can be used when fishing. This is especially true when fishing in flowing water scenarios, such as in rivers and streams.
- Crayfish – Live crayfish are a very effective fishing bait, especially when it comes to fishing for bass (both large and small mouth) and large trout. The problem with live crayfish is that they aren’t readily available. As a matter of fact in most cases you need to catch them yourself. Live crayfish can be kept alive and carried in a minnow bucket, just like live minnows and they are one of the best live baits that can be used when fishing, especially when fishing for large fish.
- Crickets – Live crickets are pretty easy to find and make an excellent fishing bait, especially when you are fishing for pan fish. Some trout fishermen swear by live crickets when it comes to live bait fishing for trout. The bottom line is that live crickets need to be mentioned among the best live baits to use when fishing because some fish find live crickets hard to resist.
Remember, these baits aren’t the only baits that can be used when fishing; they are just some of the best. If you like to fish with bait, any of these bait choices are a great place to start.