Question

[Wolfdog91 7,005]

So quick question I've been wondering for a long time. Watch a lot of stuff form your guy's side of the pond ( find it pretty interesting) and noticed I never see any use of live bait, well like live bait fish and such. Any reason for that ?  I know y'all don't have as many predatory fish as us but when I'm watch guys fish for pike and wels I'm always finding my self thinking " man he could just catch a little bait fish ,hook him though the back use and toss him out". 

Just curious, are there laws involved or is that just not a "norm" in fishing culture your y'all ? Not saying y'all's method are wrong or right just curious is all

Edited May 18, 2021 by Wolfdog91

[tatsblisters 9,617]

It's a deadly method for catching certain fish though these days it's frowned upon by a lot of the angling fraternity and depending on who has the fishing rights on certain waters it is banned.

[BEARINATOR 2,867]

Can't beat a live minnow for river trout, most places will only allow dead baits to stop any diseases. My ex club water only allowed sea fish for the pike 

[comanche 2,990]

Live- baiting is an excellent way of catching fish but over the last forty or fifty years a lot of anglers have taken to long stake-outs rather than more proactive forms of fishing.

       This applied mainly at first to carp and specimen  anglers who started camping ,sometimes for days, with their perfectly presented hook baits nestled in areas patrolled by big fish .

Slowly the technique was adopted by anglers seeking other species ,including predator anglers .

The method became even more popular when  the Law started to allow the use of up to four rods. 

At its best this ambushing technique is a very clever business that brings its  patient practitioners deserved success.

In many cases it involves an angler buying a vaste amount of shop bought bait ,hauling a barrowload of gear to the waterside and setting up a semi-permanent residence that ain't  gonna get moved on a hurry.

So  imagine an angler relaxing in his little tent, headphones on, full of the breakfast he has just cooked on his stove ,kicking back in his chosen manner and possibly even asleep . Add to that  a squad of bite alarms  to sound the alert that a fish has picked up the bait and probably hooked itself . 

If you can imagine  that scenario you can probably imagine that with four rods out ,each with a livebait , the potential for tangled lines is immense.  Even without the tangles ,for some people the input required to guide and reposition   a lively live bait is not something they want to get involved with. 

So, the sort of angler that goes in for the home comforts and off the shelf approach to fishing is likely gonna buy frozen dead baits. 

Yet because they are putting so much time in on the bank there is a  good chance that even the laziest most inept angler will  catch fish ,eventually. So the myth of static dead bait superiority  gets perpetuated .

Though some anglers have a distaste for live- baiting and its disallowed for various reasons on some  private  fisheries ;  here in UK we are permitted to use a few small fish as live-bait  but they must be caught in the same  river or lake that they will be used as bait in ,and used on the same day.

So , there's no catching them the day before or getting fish from one water and using them as bait somewhere else . This  is to stop the spread of disease and introduction of unwanted species .

In mid-winter or flood conditions it can be hard- going catching little fish for livebait,  so taking a few frozen baits as back-up makes sense. 

Deadbaits are convenient and easily aquired. If l have to use them l find the old fashioned method of wobbling or fishing them sink and draw in the manner of a slow- working plug more interesting and effective than just plonking them out to lie stationary. 

I have seen a few you tube films of American anglers buying goldfish from pet shops and using them as bait . Get caught doing that over here and you'd run out of  fingers counting the number of offences committed .

Me ? l don't own a fishing tent or tackle barrow   . I don't  sleep on the job when fishing ,or use multiple rods ,and l find livebaits  work quite well. 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by comanche

[Daniel cain 45,270]

Most waters don't allow live baiting...but what they don't know/see won't hurt

[socks 32,253]

38 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

I often have better fun catching bait then I do the bigger fish

A lot of people that can’t catch big fish say that

[socks 32,253]

[South hams hunter 8,921]

Live baits are used quite alot in sea fishing for all manner of species. 

[Lenmcharristar 9,761]

On 18/05/2021 at 08:14, Wolfdog91 said:

So quick question I've been wondering for a long time. Watch a lot of stuff form your guy's side of the pond ( find it pretty interesting) and noticed I never see any use of live bait, well like live bait fish and such. Any reason for that ?  I know y'all don't have as many predatory fish as us but when I'm watch guys fish for pike and wels I'm always finding my self thinking " man he could just catch a little bait fish ,hook him though the back use and toss him out". 

Just curious, are there laws involved or is that just not a "norm" in fishing culture your y'all ? Not saying y'all's method are wrong or right just curious is all

Worms and maggots are about the only live bait ya can use in northern ireland, but as daniel cain says what they dont know wont hurt

[Wolfdog91 7,005]

On 18/05/2021 at 06:10, comanche said:

Live- baiting is an excellent way of catching fish but over the last forty or fifty years a lot of anglers have taken to long stake-outs rather than more proactive forms of fishing.

       This applied mainly at first to carp and specimen  anglers who started camping ,sometimes for days, with their perfectly presented hook baits nestled in areas patrolled by big fish .

Slowly the technique was adopted by anglers seeking other species ,including predator anglers .

The method became even more popular when  the Law started to allow the use of up to four rods. 

At its best this ambushing technique is a very clever business that brings its  patient practitioners deserved success.

In many cases it involves an angler buying a vaste amount of shop bought bait ,hauling a barrowload of gear to the waterside and setting up a semi-permanent residence that ain't  gonna get moved on a hurry.

So  imagine an angler relaxing in his little tent, headphones on, full of the breakfast he has just cooked on his stove ,kicking back in his chosen manner and possibly even asleep . Add to that  a squad of bite alarms  to sound the alert that a fish has picked up the bait and probably hooked itself . 

If you can imagine  that scenario you can probably imagine that with four rods out ,each with a livebait , the potential for tangled lines is immense.  Even without the tangles ,for some people the input required to guide and reposition   a lively live bait is not something they want to get involved with. 

So, the sort of angler that goes in for the home comforts and off the shelf approach to fishing is likely gonna buy frozen dead baits. 

Yet because they are putting so much time in on the bank there is a  good chance that even the laziest most inept angler will  catch fish ,eventually. So the myth of static dead bait superiority  gets perpetuated .

Though some anglers have a distaste for live- baiting and its disallowed for various reasons on some  private  fisheries ;  here in UK we are permitted to use a few small fish as live-bait  but they must be caught in the same  river or lake that they will be used as bait in ,and used on the same day.

So , there's no catching them the day before or getting fish from one water and using them as bait somewhere else . This  is to stop the spread of disease and introduction of unwanted species .

In mid-winter or flood conditions it can be hard- going catching little fish for livebait,  so taking a few frozen baits as back-up makes sense. 

Deadbaits are convenient and easily aquired. If l have to use them l find the old fashioned method of wobbling or fishing them sink and draw in the manner of a slow- working plug more interesting and effective than just plonking them out to lie stationary. 

I have seen a few you tube films of American anglers buying goldfish from pet shops and using them as bait . Get caught doing that over here and you'd run out of  fingers counting the number of offences committed .

Me ? l don't own a fishing tent or tackle barrow   . I don't  sleep on the job when fishing ,or use multiple rods ,and l find livebaits  work quite well. 

 

Very very well written thank you! I've alot if that makes sense. Personally never cared to store bought bait fish. They seem to lack the natural fear that drives big fish nuts lol. Always try to keep a ultra light of extendable cane pole with me so I can catch bait on the spot. Alot if time sill have rods for big fish soaking and I'll be sitting around catching bait lol.

[Lenmcharristar 9,761]

57 minutes ago, Wolfdog91 said:

Very very well written thank you! I've alot if that makes sense. Personally never cared to store bought bait fish. They seem to lack the natural fear that drives big fish nuts lol. Always try to keep a ultra light of extendable cane pole with me so I can catch bait on the spot. Alot if time sill have rods for big fish soaking and I'll be sitting around catching bait lol.

They blue gills? We used live silvers (similar to our roach) for bass when we were over in florida, we had a few nice fish that day over the 6lb mark