Our favorite bait is the big Creek Chubs, thats when the artificials aren't werking.
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Our favorite bait is the big Creek Chubs, thats when the artificials aren't werking.
Stoneroller minnows, followed closely by crawfish. I've heard some people say that spring lizards are the best bait for the biggest smallmouth, but I've never tried them.
bd
shiners..its a bait thats hardy, stays out of the rocks, easy to get, easy to keep alive, and catches lots of fish.. the spring lizard is my all time fav for the spawn though, but getting them can be a day's work in itself
Guys, what kind and what size hook do you have the most luck with when using live bait? I use whatever kind of minnow I can get my hands on, Fantails or skimmers, shiners, creek chubs or shad. You put one of about any type in front of a smallie and its hard for them to pass it up. I use a size 1 hook but probably need to go to a bigger size hook. Thanks.
We use a 1/0 gama. octopus hook for live bait and haven't had a bad hook-up since. Is there any live bait you can't use at Dale Hollow?
I have been using a No. 6 Eagle Claw plain shank hook for the stonerollers and crawfish. I like a smaller hook for live bait when I can get away with it, since sometimes smallies in the creeks can seem to get a little hook shy. Lately though, I've not been very happy with the Eagle Claws because the last several packages I have bought have been too dull. There is no reason why a small hook shouldn't be needle sharp straight out of the package.
bd
>Our favorite bait is the big
>Creek Chubs, thats when the
>artificials aren't werking.
Done fairly well on large Bluntnose minnows (Tuffy's) ... 3-4inch Shad. Younger brother used to seine Hellgramites and use them (creek fishing).
Done most of my "live bait" Smallmouth fishing - Cumberland (jig/minnow & splitshotting) in Oct --- Watts Bar (jig/minnow & slipfloat/hook/sinker/Shad) in Nov. Gave up most of my Bass fishing time to Crappie fishing, several years back ... now I catch more and bigger Smallmouth, while Crappie fishing, than I ever did when fishing specifically for them ... LOL!! (especially when using minnows for Crappie) I do still catch the occasional Smallie on a jig or Roadrunner, while targeting Crappie ... but, nowhere near as many as when using live bait (minnows or shad). No "monsters" ... but, several 4 pounders have been caught & released. ........... cp
There is a new live bait available from Anderson Minnow Farms located in Loanoke Ark. There called Black Salty's. These buggers are awesome lively and almost impossible to kill. You can keep them in a bucket with a bubbler for weeks and they will ship them right to your door. Just go to [url]www.blacksalty.com[/url] and tell them Team Psycho sent you
I wish the website said what species the black saltys are, and whether they are native to Tennessee. Without that information, I'm kind of leery about using them on my local waters.
I'd hate to see another disaster caused by introducing non-native baitfish into Tennessee waters - look what has happened with the explosion of alewives on a lot of our lakes. Among other problems, there is evidence of a connection between the appearance of alewives and the decline of the walleye population in Center Hill and other places. A new baitfish could have unknown consequences like this, or it could introduce parasites and disease (like whirling disease, likely from hatchery fish, that has decimated rainbow trout out West).
If the saltys are a native fish to this area, then in that case, they look like a great bait. Otherwise, every time we use live bait, there's a possibility of a few surviors escaping into the lake, and we could be setting ourselves up for a lot of trouble.
bd