One of the hardest things for an angler to do is figure out the best fish bait for a given fishing situation. In this article I will outline 3 common fishing situations and a fishing bait or two that is effective in that particular fishing situation. From this information you will be able to decide the best fishing bait to use for your given fishing situation. I have personally fished (and continue to fish) all of the fishing scenarios being outlined in this article, so you can be assured that these ideas are born of “real world” fishing experience and not just conjecture.
The key to remember when it comes any type of bait for fishing is that the best bait will vary from situation to situation and experimentation is the key to success when it comes to fishing. Anyone who has been fishing for any length of time understands this fact, but it’s still important to remember. When it comes to fishing there simply are no “magic formulas” and there is no substitute for spending time on the water practicing your craft.
With that being said the following fishing scenarios and baits are a wonderful starting point for determining the best fish bait when fishing in the following fishing situations.
River fishing while wading is a very popular fishing situation that many different types of fish bait can be used in. The first choice are live baits such as worms or minnows. A key to using live fish bait while wading is to present that bait in the most natural way possible. For example when you are using live worms as fish bait while wading in a river, rather than “balling” your worm onto a single fishing hook use a set of gang hooks to present your worm naturally. Another excellent bait for river fishing while wading are artificial flies. Whether artificial flies are used by “fly fishing” in the traditional manner or they are fished with a casting bubble by a traditional spin fisherman, many anglers consider artificial flies to be the best fish bait to use while river fishing.
Many anglers enjoy fishing in a lake from shore. There are obviously many types of fish bait that can be used for fishing from shore such as; chicken livers for catfish, live minnows under a float for Crappie, or Powerbait on a bottom rig for rainbow trout. Some anglers even like to fish crank baits or top water plugs while lake fishing from shore.
Lake fishing from a boat is a scenario that many anglers use and it would not be possible to determine the best fish bait for fishing from a boat, the choices are too vast. There are many different techniques that can be employed when lake fishing from a boat from trolling, to casting, and even still fishing while anchored. If you are trolling or casting, a crank bait that mimics bait fish that appear naturally in the lake that you are fishing is a wonderful choice and if you are still fishing from an anchored boat live fish bait can be an excellent choice.
The “best fish bait” is impossible to determine at the end of the day, but this information should help to point you in the right direction when it comes to determining the best fish bait for your particular fishing situation.
