To Bait or not...

I posted some of my ties recently on another forum, many people said they looked good and would probably work if tipped with a minnow. Now I rarely use live bait, and I never do on one of my tied jigs. What are the thoughts of the rest of the hive?

I feel a good jig just needs water and willing fish. Do any of you tip your jigs?

If I am going to fish live bait I would just use a plain jig or bare hook. I have fished jigs/plastics most of my life and rarely tipped, the past summer I fished nearly all tied jigs I made and they all worked very well without the aid of anything.

Thanks for the input and this ends TA's rant for the day!

most of the time using my jigs or plastics for fishing for crappie I usually use crappie nibbles they do have one other similar to them I believe it's called crappie bait sold at Walmart both of them worked real well but yes I do use nipples when I finish with jigs and plastics. been doing this for over 30 years course with different stuff.

TA,

I let the fish tell me what they want, a plain tie or one with yummy added, sometimes an added scent is all it takes to go from not catching to catching

my boat usually has crappie nibbles and wax worms and minnows in it every time I go out, sometimes none are needed and times when it saves the day

I like my jig/plastic most of the time. IF I need to shift gears a little I go from the plastic straight to a 1" Gulp minnow, color varies. In this area we see a lot of people tipping jig/plastic/hair with waxies or minnows but they generally don't do all that well. IF I put a bait on a jig, there's nothing else on that hook. No plastic, no hair or feathers. I try to avoid minnows and waxies, but I will carry a few goldenrod galls in a pocket if I want to fool some sunfish and plastic isn't getting the job done. But for the most part natural baits and I are not great company. I never use the nibbles but have tried them years back without much luck....small fish like to peck the things to death was what I remember most about nibbles. The Gulp minnow mentioned, on the other hand, can be a solid producer when plastic just isn't cutting it.

Personally I like the challenge that plastic and hair/feather jigs bring to fishing. I enjoy working thru colors and profiles and actions using these baits as is with no assist from a live bait or a nibble type of bait. I have enough confidence in the jigs I do use to be successful, yet there are times when these totally artificial baits can't schnooker the fish. Then I go to the Gulp. Then to the goldenrod grub. I do not tip anything.

I rarely add anything to my jigs. Like you said a good jig needs no help.

I do use the nibbles on occasion, I think the smell helps at times.

Rarely. If I feel the need to have minnows I fish it on a hook a foot or so above my jig. Sometimes I will stick a piece of worm or shad on a tied jig for white perch and bream but that's when I'm in a hurry for catfish bait.

I have generally done very well with plastics or tied jigs alone. For the most part I rarely bring live bait with me.

I do know that it seems like a waste of my time to tie up a bunch of jigs just to hook a minnow on one to see if it will catch fish!

Only time I use minnows is in summer after spring is done and I don't tip my jigs. When summer hits I do use a minnow, but on a hook maybe 12" to 18" above my jig.

Nibbles just make me mad so I don't use them even thought I have some!

Skip

I have not used minnows for crappies since the twister tail and tube jig came about. I do use scent on my lures if needed.
I look at it this way, if the lure looks good and smells good the fish will bite.
I have some friends that use minnows and I usually catch three fish to their one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bob/MN

I have not used minnows for crappies since the twister tail and tube jig came about. I do use scent on my lures if needed.
I look at it this way, if the lure looks good and smells good the fish will bite.
I have some friends that use minnows and I usually catch three fish to their one.

---

In a nutshell. 100% agree to this.

I never use minnows. When younger i did because of lack of faith in my ability to catch crappie without them. Of course i never consisitently tried to catch them with artificials so who knows. Havent used minnows in over 20 years and have caught thousands of crappie, even in freezing water with soft plastics. When the bite is slow i have tipped with a nibble or a power bait honey worm and caught fish, but there is no way to know if those same fish would have biten a plain tube or not. My concern with using live bait is the tendency to believe that you cant catch without it and out of habit and that belief you continue to buy them until you are "addicted" to live bait. In the end its my belief that confidence in whatever method you choose means more than whether your using live bait or artificials. I have also found that proper use of electronics is a huge confidence boost. Real time sonar and verticle jigging helps understand the fishs reaction to your offering no matter what it is. Its amazing to see a fish react to one action and ignore the bait only to respond with an imediate strike to another. Just knowing they are there makes a big difference.

Fish bite for two reasons. One is sight and second is food or smell. Warmer water sight is very important. Cold water ( ice fishing) fish are lethargic and usually take a jig when it is not moving and bait such as a small mill worm or mousee is almost a must. I watch a yellow perch chase a minnow through a hole in the ice when the split shot was about a foot plus from the minnow. I shortened the distance from the shot to minnow to about 2 inches and with a few seconds the perch had the minnow. Hope this helps.

I have grown to like using crappie nibbles on the jigs hook, I am pretty sure it is getting me more fish. when I first tried them years ago I didn.t like them and didn't give them much of a chance, but after a few banner days using them my fishing buddy who has been tipping with a piece of worm or minnow took note and he too started using them. After 50 years of tipping with live bait he switched to the nibbles, this is using 1/32 calftail hair jigs under a float.

I have never used Nibbles and probably never will. I guess I am just set in my ways of using jigs as they are. Call me old school but I have no electronics, aside from a flasher for ice fishing, in my boat. I fish structure in farm ponds mostly and drift fish the same ponds. I think it all boils down to confidence in your presentation. I fish a pond and a white 2" twister will work most of the time while I drift. I have added some tied jigs while I drift but i can grantee you one rod will have a white twister on it!

I always use nibbles, Why Not?

For crappie, I never tip.

For bluegill, I very often tip.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zippy

I never use minnows. When younger i did because of lack of faith in my ability to catch crappie without them. Of course i never consisitently tried to catch them with artificials so who knows. Havent used minnows in over 20 years and have caught thousands of crappie, even in freezing water with soft plastics. When the bite is slow i have tipped with a nibble or a power bait honey worm and caught fish, but there is no way to know if those same fish would have biten a plain tube or not. My concern with using live bait is the tendency to believe that you cant catch without it and out of habit and that belief you continue to buy them until you are "addicted" to live bait. In the end its my belief that confidence in whatever method you choose means more than whether your using live bait or artificials. I have also found that proper use of electronics is a huge confidence boost. Real time sonar and verticle jigging helps understand the fishs reaction to your offering no matter what it is. Its amazing to see a fish react to one action and ignore the bait only to respond with an imediate strike to another. Just knowing they are there makes a big difference.

---

I am addicted to minnows . I have been to many "MA" (minnows autonomous) meetings but just can't shake this addiction. It's those darn minnow farm pushers that have me ( hooked). Oh no! I feel another minnow fix coming.lol.

I'm strictly catch & release, so no bait for me. But I will sweeten bait with plastic or pork trailers.

The only time I break this rule is for little kids. I want them to catch fish & see the gleam in their eyes and smile on their faces.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HookUp

I'm strictly catch & release, so no bait for me. But I will sweeten bait with plastic or pork trailers.

The only time I break this rule is for little kids. I want them to catch fish & see the gleam in their eyes and smile on their faces.

---

I am not opposed to using bait. I love catching nightcrawlers and use them for gills, catfish and catching bait to catch catfish. I just dont usually see the need to tip a jig when I am crappie fishing.
My boys love going fishing, not sure if it is the fishing or the fact they can go stomp in the water, catch frogs, throw rocks...you know little things that make little boys happy!
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...psv5wmoh2h.jpg
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...psh5skluut.jpg

Nice pics there. Good job keeping them on fish.

Baits is a personal thing. I won't knock anyone who wants to use it, especially when children enter the picture. Often its not anything more than just plain catching when kids are involved and bait will deliver. When those kids get older they'll find out about hair and plastics and draw their own conclusions in time.

Great topic.

We do a lot of long line trolling here in SC and at times it makes a big difference in tipping or not. Most of the time you will not need to add bait but the times you do the fish are wanting a bigger profile bait and the scent of a minnow can not be replaced but there are scents that work very well. Most don't think about the size bait you end up with after tipping a jig but if you stop and think about it you start with a 2 to 2 1/2'' tied jig or plastic bait then add a small or med minnow that is also 2 to 3'' long. You add the minnow by hooking throw the lips and now you have a 4 to 5'' bait that has minnows for the scent. Bam! The fish goes to biting.
If I'm using a float and jig I never add anything to a tied of plastic bait. I use Sliders most of the time if using plastic baits and adding anything to the hook will not allow the jig tail to work as it should.
If spider rigging using minnow I use only a #2 gold hook and a minnow. If using tied or plastic jigs spider rigging I don't add anything.
If a person wants to use live bait or wants to add sent no one should ever put them down for doing so. For each their own but I do enjoy reading different thoughts about using live bait or scents.

Will use a tipped bait every now and then, but usually just a straight jig gets it done.

I like live bait. I like to tip my jigs with minnows. The reason behind this is that I believe there are fish out there (wether they be crappie, bass or any other specie) that will not bite artificial lures at times. I used to guide for 35 years on the Upper Mississippi river. I have observed shore lines where bass boats went by in what seemed like a never ending procession . Thousands of cast were made at the shoreline with some success for talented anglers and none for many others. I would approach this shoreline with my customers and anchor just offshore to let them observe the "congo line". They asked me if we were going to fish deeper out away from the shore. I told them "No just sit and watch what these people are useing and let me know what you think is the best lure to use." after a half hour of watching my customers would comment on the various lures and size fish that were caught and then asked if they were going to use the same baits they were seeing these "Pros" throw.
I laughed and told them "NO I just want you to see the difference between what you have observed and what you now will expeirence"
I reached into the bait well and slipped on some 4 inch live shad on their hooks 2 feet down from there bobbers and had them cast to the same shore. Within 10 seconds the customers would remark (Where did our bobbers go?"
LOL" Set the hook boys". In a short time limits of 4 lb bass were caught on the same shoreline that they had observed small fish being caught by artificial baits.
Why did this happen they asked. My opinion is that there are fish (Many times the big ones) that NEVER bite artificial lures, only live bait.
I have seen this with all specie of fish in my years of guiding. Not that fish (even big ones) can not be caught on artificial lures. just that My personal belief based on actual events observed over 35 years of using both live bait and artificials seems to support my theory on this "Happening".
Mother nature is hard to fake to a fish. LOL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by badaxed

I like live bait. I like to tip my jigs with minnows. The reason behind this is that I believe there are fish out there (wether they be crappie, bass or any other specie) that will not bite artificial lures at times. I used to guide for 35 years on the Upper Mississippi river. I have observed shore lines where bass boats went by in what seemed like a never ending procession . Thousands of cast were made at the shoreline with some success for talented anglers and none for many others. I would approach this shoreline with my customers and anchor just offshore to let them observe the "congo line". They asked me if we were going to fish deeper out away from the shore. I told them "No just sit and watch what these people are useing and let me know what you think is the best lure to use." after a half hour of watching my customers would comment on the various lures and size fish that were caught and then asked if they were going to use the same baits they were seeing these "Pros" throw.
I laughed and told them "NO I just want you to see the difference between what you have observed and what you now will expeirence"
I reached into the bait well and slipped on some 4 inch live shad on their hooks 2 feet down from there bobbers and had them cast to the same shore. Within 10 seconds the customers would remark (Where did our bobbers go?"
LOL" Set the hook boys". In a short time limits of 4 lb bass were caught on the same shoreline that they had observed small fish being caught by artificial baits.
Why did this happen they asked. My opinion is that there are fish (Many times the big ones) that NEVER bite artificial lures, only live bait.
I have seen this with all specie of fish in my years of guiding. Not that fish (even big ones) can not be caught on artificial lures. just that My personal belief based on actual events observed over 35 years of using both live bait and artificials seems to support my theory on this "Happening".
Mother nature is hard to fake to a fish. LOL

---

Excellent story. I think a lot of people buy into the "artificial only" bass pro mentality and miss out on some good action.

For the most part I am a plastics guy for crappie. sunfish and waldo, but I have been known to hang a Gulp minnow on a hook too if the fish are showing a preference in that direction. Maybe 10 years back I went fishing with a couple buddies down on the Mississippi River backwaters where a reported super bite was taking place for sunfish. he other two guys had plastics along with waxies and minnows. I showed up with my plastics and a couple jars of Gulp1" minnows. We got to where we wanted to start fishing and these guys pitched out their lines, both using the waxies to start. I hung a Gulp on. My first cast landed smack between their two lines. My float didn't have a chance to right itself as a crappie nailed it almost as fast as it hit the water. I got dirty looks as I unhooked a nice 15" crappie. My second cast went right where the first one went and had the same results. When my third cast got my third fish one of the others came back and got a Gulp, "just to see for himself". His first five casts had the same result and my first three. At about 8 fish each for the other Gulp user and I, the third guys saunters back and digs in the bottle. Every single fish we caught that day came on Gulp. Minnows went un-bit. Waxies got snubbed even by small sunfish. Plastic? They just took up boat space that day. And we had an outstanding day of fishing!

Now I am a plastic dude from square one as a rule, but if I have an inkling at all that plastic is not going to cut it, the Gulp comes out before I try anything else. I seldom find it necessary to use live bait of any kind. I carry a lot of plastics in a whole world of colors so I can match the hatch so to speak and I also carry four colors of the 1" Gulp minnows and three colors of the Gulp 2 1/2" minnows....all used for crappies and panfish. If I am headed to where walleyes might get tossed in the mix during the day I make certain I have equipment and plastic specific to that species too but I use powerbait minnows for the walleyes instead of Gulp products. I've had days where plastic and hair get shoved aside by the walleyes along with the minnows or leeches, but put a power bait minnow on and hold on.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't knock anyone who has their confidence in live bait or nibbles or whatever. I have my confidence in my plastics, my hair jigs and the Gulp and Powerbait products. Everyone has their own thing and that's what makes this fishing stuff so cool.

I'm old enough to remember when plastics were made out of ... plastic. Nowadays, many are loaded with salt, scent, etc. They practically are bait. Many plastics are illegal in my local trout river precisely because the DNR sees no difference between them and live bait.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by deathb4disco

For crappie, I never tip.

For bluegill, I very often tip.

---

Same here.

If I believe that using some live bait will help me with crappie during the spawn I guess I would probably go get some, LOL! However I never needed any for crappie that time of year. However with badaxed's story I feel like that is very true and can happen that way a lot of times, but the big boys also will hit an artificial bait many times so it's more the time than the bait I believe. I do also believe the same fish the next day may just hit that artificial, but that's hard to prove.

Heck in Florida that has been the way to a big bass for many year, they use the big shiners and a bobber!

Skip