Not fretting about what we caught also made it easier to choose a bait - something that s become tougher given the glut of lures out there. It s a simple, inexpensive live-bait Carolina rig that Cima swears by at Powerton or in any water with current. After bumping along the bottom Friday and catching more fish than snags, I can see why. Among our catch were six smallmouths, including two Cima caught that measured close to 18 inches. Sure you might deep-hook a few fish with live bait, though the smallies we caught returned to the water vigorously.
Minnows are also tough to keep alive during the summer.
And real crawlers are messier than plastic ones. But mostly I think advertisers and we outdoor writers have done too good a job persuading people to spend money on artificial baits when, in fact, nothing works better than the real thing. Somewhere a purist is cringing. And a fish is biting. Jeff Lampe is Journal Star outdoors columnist.