Some local favorites include minnows of all sizes, night crawlers, leeches, crickets and grasshoppers and an entire host of grubs. These baits are incredibly popular because they are readily available and represent the major food sources of most of the fish species mentioned above. Gathering your preferred bait is often cheaper than buying at the tackle shop and is usually easily accomplished. A simple seine is effective for gathering minnows while night crawlers can be found on most damp nights with the help of a flashlight.
Many fishermen get as much pleasure out of collecting the bait as they do from actually fishing.
The major drawback of live bait is trying to keep it alive and lively for use on the water. Temperature, food and containment all play a large part in keeping your live bait in good shape for fishing. Check out some of our tips below to keep your live bait as lively as it should be. A favorite bait of children and adults alike, the night crawler has likely accounted for more fish in the boat than any other bait. Widely used because it is both easy to collect on your own and relatively inexpensive to buy at the tackle shop, night crawlers are the mainstay of serious bait fishermen.