Fishing with crickets is a great way to fish as long as you know how to do it correctly. While being a productive way to fish, many experienced fishers will avoid cricket fishing because of the skill that is needed to do it properly.
Where to Cricket Fish
Cricket fishing is most productive if it is done in a small lake. Cricket fishing is done best if it is within fifteen feet of the shore, or within ten feet of a boat.
Requirements
Do not put a heavy sinker on the line. This will way the line too much and bring the cricket too far underwater to be extremely productive. Do not have a heavy hook, as this will also bring the cricket down faster then it should be.
Cricket Container
You should have a small container to store the crickets. I like to use a small butter container.
Make sure that you have a few blades of grass in with the crickets. This way they can feed when you are not using them.
Poke about ten to fifteen pin-sized holes in the top of the container so that the crickets can breath.
Some people like to use a brown sandwich bag to store their crickets. While this is an effective way to store them, the bag is still paper. If any water gets on the paper, then the crickets can chew their way out. I have had this happen to me.
Make sure that you keep the container in the shade when you are not attempting to snag a cricket from it. The excess heat that will be caused by direct sunlight will kill the crickets.
Snagging a Cricket
It is easier to bait a hook with a live cricket then it is with a dead one. You should never open your cricket container all the way. The crickets will all jump out at once.
Open the top of the container slightly so that only one or two crickets can come to the top. Grab the first one that comes to the top, and then close the container and put it into the shade.
Make sure to hold the cricket between you thumb and your first two figures. Apply a small amount of pressure only in an attempt to hold the cricket still.
Baiting the Hook
Push the hook through the cricket’s rear end just under the tail. Slowly push the hook through and push the cricket up the hook. Try to aim the hook to come out the either the thorax or the throat.
Introducing Your Line to the Water
Do not cast the line out far out as you might lose the cricket during the cast. Lightly fling the line so that it will fall about ten to fifteen feet from you. If flung softly enough, the cricket will land on the surface of the water, and slowly sink down.
Hit on the Line
If you have a fish make a bite for the line, proceed to give your pole a quick snap back with you wrist. Do not pull hard back on your pole until you are sure that the hook has caught the fish.
A sharp snap back will pull the hook away from the cricket. Remember that the cricket is easier to take off of the hook for a fish then a worm. Be delicate when attempting to sang your fish.
Cricket fishing adds an extra challenge to fishing. As long as you are familiar with how to correctly use crickets while fishing, you will reap many rewards and tasty fish.
