how to fish live bait?

[orsrt05]

in all my years of fishing.....i have never used live bait....but it seems that quite a few of you guys on here have excellent results with live bait.

my main question is......after you rig the bait to your hook.....either through the lips or through the back below the spine.......do you just cast it into the water and let it do its thing.....or do you reel it back in slowly?.....maybe fast?

also....do you guys use sinkers like as in the saltwater kind of sinkers to cast with or do you use split shots mainly as weight?

forgive me i am totally new to the live bait scene....but i am anxious to give it a try

[KenH]

You didn't mention if you were fishing from shore or boat and what fish you were targeting.

[orsrt05]

oh sorry......i mainly target bass from a boat

[joel137]

there are many methods for this.i like to hook them thru the snout with a small hook that on a 3' leader tie that to a good barrel swivel in front of the swivel i use a bullet weight1/1 1/8 tungsten.then i let the line out as i row.this keeps the fish swing in line with the boat i try to keep them out from the boat about50yrds.when you stop rowing or turn the bait will fall .this is deadly for trout(fish real deep) or bass higher up.you can also hook them in the back with a slip bobber and suspend them at your desired height

[orsrt05]

good stuff....thanks for the info.  i mainly wanted to know more about live bait because everytime i take my fiance and or stepdaughter out fishing, they always have a hard time with any of my lures...they seem to be too technical for them

i know when were out in the middle of the water im not gonna break out my bobber and hook and use some worms to catch anything......so i figured i would get them live bait and have them cast it out there and let the bait do its thing while i try to snag some bass with my lures.....who knows they may wind up being the only ones who catch any fish next time we go out....i know i certainly havent had any luck with my lures....so i may switch to live bait myself

[KenH]

I think that the easiest live bait fishing for bass from a boat would be to suspend a shiner hooked through the back under a float, either a slip bobber or a fixed kind. At this time of year close to shore where the weedbeds and structures are. A lot of the biggest LMB taken from the reservoirs are caught this way although it sounds awfully simple. For SMB I'd fish slighty deeper waters among the rocks, putting the
bait down closer to the bottom with a sinker, or slip bobber set to depth.