While bait choices often come down to personal preference, there are many types of fishing that lend themselves far better to live bait than to top water plugs or heavy diamond jigs. The secret to success with live bait fishing is and understanding of where to find the right live bait for your needs. It is also important to know when frozen bait is sufficient and where live bait will do you more good.

In addition to the costly equipment that you already use for fishing, you can spend a small fortune purchasing live bait. In many cases, the only place to purchase it is a local bait and tackle shop. The problem then becomes is getting the live bait to your favorite fishing hole. Often by the time you arrive, your bait is listless from being so stressed out. In many cases, this can result in the bait not being able to be used immediately in which case you will have to catch your bait yourself.

Striped bass fishermen in the northeast have long known that their preferred diet consists mainly of menhaden. Known locally as “bunker”, these baitfish are plentiful in bait shops, but they are also fairly easy to catch with a snagging hook or a cast net. The best part of this is that they can easily remain totally active and alive for several hours in a live well and are practically guaranteed to produce far superior results over frozen or dead bait (or lures). While bunker are typically best fresh, leftovers can also be frozen and used during later trips, in the event that you’re unable to find fresh bait.

Live bait is also the preferred bait for fluke fishing. Although many anglers prefer to use dead or frozen mummies (mummichogs), they quickly find out that their live bait fishing partners are doing far better than those who are using frozen or dead bait. Flounder prefer the fresh mummies and they are not that difficult to trap with a simple can of cat food and a minnow trap. In fact, inside of 30 minutes you can have a trap full of mummies if you place it properly.

Another popular live bait is used for blackfish. This is the green or Asian crab. These are readily available in most fishing areas in the northeast. They are also typically readily available at bait shops but a word of caution – you need a lot of these. Blackfish are notorious for stealing bait and getting away with it. You are usually better off catching your own green crabs with the use of a cost effective crab trap. All you need for bait for a great catch is a filleted carcass of a fish and before you know it you’ll have a five gallon supply of these crabs for live bait.

If you are looking to save money on your fishing, catching your own bait will save that money. Combine the savings features along with the thrill of the catch, and you may soon discover that you enjoy catching your bait as much as your game fish.

When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Fishing Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Reels.