# Real Fishing Baits-Tried & True



## kyredneck

Share your's, live, dead, or concocted. I'll start off with one of the best overall baits in my area-Catalpa worms. 

I transplanted a small Catalpa tree from my brother's place to my front yard early 90s, it grew like a weed (excellent ground for it), had worms it's fourth or fifth year and every year after, sometimes two 'batches' a year. 

They're literally very potent 'scent bags' in very tough skins, and, they freeze well, which is where their true worth as a fishing bait lies. And many species of fish are attracted to them, I've even caught a large flathead cat on a dough bait scented with pureed Catalpa worms as an ingredient. Here's a 'can of worms' from around 07-08:


----------



## cnsper

Grasshoppers and beetles work well especially when no weight is used and they are floated. The innards from the fish you catch. Clam necks that you trim and innards from them.


----------



## kyredneck

You ever 'seine' grasshoppers from a field that's loaded with them?

Grasshoppers, like cicadas, make good trotline bait for pan sized channels, hooks get robbed a lot though.


----------



## kyredneck

Fish guts (and heads) make good turtle bait.


----------



## Davarm

I use grasshoppers when fishing in fresh water.

My grandfather used to set trot lines and jug/limb lines in the river and he would use small toads and catch 50 - 60 pound yellow cat.


----------



## kyredneck

We live in a wet place, and toads, tree frogs, and bullfrogs abound here. But the wife and I have a soft spot in our hearts for them, especially the toads and tree frogs, and I've never gotten hard up enough to have to use them even though I know that they would make a killer surface bait on a limb line simply because they would never stop thrashing around trying to swim to the bank.

In fact I've gone so far as to catch a coffee can full on a rainy spring night at the rain troughs but couldn't bring myself to go through with it and let them go (of course if I was going hungry it'd be a different story).

The toads and tree frogs here (especially the tree frogs) are like chameleons and will change colors to camoflage to their surroundings. This is a snapshot of one that 'blended in' to the stainless steel sink that it couldn't escape from out on our cistern shelter, the other is a baby tree frog.


----------



## kyredneck

Ah, found some Catalpa worm pics taken while actually trotlining. 

After being taken from their tree the worms immediately begin to either die or pupate, and within 2-3 days will turn nearly black, but that's OK, they still smell good to fish.

Each hook gets 1/2 worm.

Nice channel cat caught since last baiting, the worm has been pushed up the hook and is still there and will remain, being used again as bait. This is common with using Catalpa worms as bait, they're very tough, they just keep giving.


----------



## kyredneck

Another trotlining pic; don't know what the primary bait is that's being used here but a 'river gill' is on the hook in the foreground, we try to bait every fourth or fifth hook with lively sometimes eatin' size panfish. When the big cats become active that's the tried and true bait to use.


----------



## kyredneck

2008 marked the third emergence (locust year) of the 17 year periodical cicada that I've knowingly taken advantage of as a fisherman. These particular cicadas in this area are known as 'Brood XIV'. The fishing during the approximate five weeks of emergence is, well, fantastic. Nearly everything in the water is gorging on cicadas and top water fishing is at it's best. In 1974 on Lake Dale Hollow we caught catfish, suckers, drum, bass, crappie, and carp with fly rods using poppers. On that trip a 9 and an 18 lber were taken with fly rod, what a fight!

When these things decide to come out of the ground they'll even bore through wood to reach the surface.

Everywhere you look the metamorphosis to the adult stage is occurring.

They're everywhere, hanging onto trees, sides of buildings, fluttering on the surface of ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, EXCELLENT fishing. Something about the vibration from a lawn mower or garden tiller attracts them and you will get bombarded from the air. Women folk hate this because they WILL get in your hair.

They freeze very nicely also. I even used frozen ones the following year on trotline.

The next emergence will be 'Brood VII' about 5 years from now in NY. Head's up Yankees! It's worth looking forward to! Heck, if one was so inclined it's worth planning a 2018 fishing trip to NY.


----------



## BareGrills

Dontk know if anyone has mentioned this yet, CANNED CORN!!! epic bream bait.


----------



## kyredneck

I've caught white suckers and small rainbows on yellow kernels of canned corn. I also have a doughbait 'boilie' recipe that uses fermented canned corn in it (along with fermented cottonseed meal also); it's very effective for buffalo suckers and channel cats, sometimes carp ug.


----------



## kyredneck

Nothing beats live bait, but when sustaining a prolonged fishing operation like a couple of trotlines in the river live bait is not always feasible economically or practically, and in certain low water river conditions a good scent bait can sometimes outperform live bait.

Here's the basics for a very effective slow release, long lasting bait for trotlining, or omit the cooking process and you'll have a good fast release bait for rod & reel fishing. It is a 'boilie' dough bait which is traditionally formed into 'doughballs', but instead I've found it much more effective to roll the finished dough out flat and slice the baits into small (¼" x ½" x ½") dumplings, poke a hole for the hook in each one, and drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes. This recipe will make approximately 300 of these dumplings.

This is not an instant recipe, it requires a fermentation period of 2-4 weeks (depending on temperatures) to produce the best results. This is all the more reason to mass produce and freeze the surplus. It has proven to be a dependable staple for trotlining that consistantly catches channel cats, smallmouth buffalo suckers, and others. It is not a [hardcore] stink bait at all, but it does have a unique odor which is neither repulsive nor foul to most people, but it DOES attract the fishies.

You'll need:

1 can corn 
1 to 11/2 cups cottonseed meal - ESSENTIAL, no substitute for this
1 cup molasses (approximate; I've used stock grade deer molasses from the hunting store)

Drop cottonseed meal in blender and chop into a powder, remove; puree corn in blender and add molasses and then the cottonseed powder, blend all together, add a little water if needed, looking for consistency of tomato sauce; put in jar and cover with cloth, set it outside to sour for 2-4 wks.

When fermentation is complete (your nose will tell) gather:

1 can spinach
1 can sardines (in oil or water)
2 TBSP garlic powder 
2 TBSP onion powder 
[optional; 1-2 dozen catalpa worms (has given outstanding results in the past)]

Puree these ingredients together in a blender and add to the fermented batch, and begin adding in flour (approx 3 lbs) and stir & stir and mix & mix and knead & knead (this is the most laborious part) until you have a dough the consistency like mom's bread dough, it should not stick to your hands or the board when it's ready, you'll begin to think that you're never gonna get there, take a break if you have to; seal dough in plastic bag to prevent drying out and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 days to allow the "whole lump to leaven" with the various scents of the ingredients.

This can now be frozen as is until you're ready to use it. If you choose to make boilies from it, just remember, don't over cook. Drop the dough balls (or dumplings) into boiling water a few at a time, when they float they're about 30-60 seconds from done. Also, they'll stick to the bottom of the pan so you'll need a spatula to gently scrape them loose so they can float. After cooking, drop them into ice water immediately to chill (makes them tougher to stay on the hook better), drain, then spread them out on trays and allow the the outside to dry (the sun makes short work of this), just don't over dry. Dumplings will actually have a leathery quality when dried just right. I vacuum pack and freeze surplus baits.


----------

