Do you consider "live" bait cheating?

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Boomstick said:

They're scent feeders where bass are not, 

Really? I've caught LMB on cut bait, squid, and bacon just for S&Gs. LMB guys have some misconceptions about their beloved. They are fish, like all the others. But yes, catfish chase lures all the time. The blues are paving the potomac and its tribs right now, and eating everything in sight (or is it scent?) 

[Boomstick]

33 minutes ago, reason said:

Really? I've caught LMB on cut bait, squid, and bacon just for S&Gs. LMB guys have some misconceptions about their beloved. They are fish, like all the others. But yes, catfish chase lures all the time. The blues are paving the potomac and its tribs right now, and eating everything in sight (or is it scent?) 

You might get them with scent, but they certainly don't chase scent like a catfish or trout. And I'm not arguing that you can get catfish on lures too, but anything with a blood scent is just so effective with catfish, and garlic with trout so why not?

 

As my friend would say, catfish are like goats -- even more than bass. If they can fit it in their mouth, they'll swallow it.

[RAMBLER]

Yup!

 

[Heartland]

I have consulted the official fishing for fun rule book.     It says, the most important thing is that you have fun, there are no rules when fishing for fun.

 

[gimruis]

I’m surprised that no one has brought up the scientific data regarding the use of live bait vs artificial. Countless studies have shown that the use of live bait causes significantly higher mortality than artificial amongst many fish species. So if your after fish to harvest them, then live bait is arguably a better tactic. If your catching and releasing, live bait is not a good idea.

 

I do not target bass to eat them, so I do not use live bait when fishing for them. I do sometimes use live bait for crappies or walleyes with the intention of harvesting a few.

[soflabasser]

On 12/10/2018 at 8:32 AM, J Francho said:

Content is my side hustle. 

Nothing wrong with creating your own content on YouTube for others to enjoy watching. The problem is when others steal other Youtubers content and use it for their own. I consider those ''content stealers'' to be lower than garbage, especially when they are trying to make money off another person's video.

On 12/14/2018 at 2:05 PM, Arcs&sparks said:

You do realize that trout and catfish are aggressive predators too, that hit artificial lures

Have caught trout and catfish on various lures and I agree that both types of fish are agressive predators. I find catfish to be more aggressive than trout and I have caught catfish on topwaters, jerkbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits, and jigs.

On 12/14/2018 at 4:35 PM, reason said:

Really? I've caught LMB on cut bait, squid, and bacon just for S&Gs. LMB guys have some misconceptions about their beloved. They are fish, like all the others. But yes, catfish chase lures all the time. The blues are paving the potomac and its tribs right now, and eating everything in sight (or is it scent?) 

Largemouth bass will eat cut bait just like a catfish will. Have caught largemouth bass over 24 inches and well over 7 pounds as bycatch while fishing for channel catfish with cut bait. Have also caught bass with a bare hook, on bread, on hotdogs, on chewing gum, etc. I am sure there are elitist lure only bass fishermen that would hate knowing that I catch bass of this size on cut bait while they struggle with sub 5 pounders but it goes to show you bass are not the supreme fish many think they are.

[J Francho]

11 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Nothing wrong with creating your own content on YouTube for others to enjoy watching. The problem is when others steal other Youtubers content and use it for their own. I consider those ''content stealers'' to be lower than garbage, especially when they are trying to make money off another person's video.

I was referencing a couple of the "catch phrases" I detest.  Keep crushing it in 2018. 

 

[Deleted account]

4 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I was referencing a couple of the "catch phrases" I detest.  Keep crushing it in 2018. 

 

Should have had your words curated by an influencer, you click baiter, you...

[soflabasser]

27 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I was referencing a couple of the "catch phrases" I detest.  Keep crushing it in 2018. 

 

Have not heard that ''catch phrase'' in years. I caught a trophy bass last month that measured 25.25 inches long by 18 inches girth, along with other big bass this year. Not sure if that is considered ''crushing it'' but I think I did well for a person that mostly fishes for bass from the shore. Got a couple weeks left before this year ends hopefully I catch a couple more over 6 pounds, not interested in any bass smaller than that at this moment in time unless its a new species of fish which I am planning a couple trips for those next year.

[Cgolf]

Not a chance. I call using livebait for bass not catching fish. I used to try it for bass on reed beds to use up worms and leeches after a bad week of walleye fishing and my catch rate plummets. Switch back to soft baits and scent, slam em.

 

Not sure why, but livebait must not suit my style of bass fishing.

[boatinpete]

Hey did BASS brainwash you?

[N Florida Mike]

I guess I'm just a simple man, but arent we mainly in it to catch fish ? Live bait=more fish. 

I love fishing, but I love it more when I catch some.Therefore, I use live bait sometimes.

[DINK WHISPERER]

Y E S ! ! ! !

[RB 77]

No. While I haven't fished live bait for Bass since I was a wee youngster, I certainly do fish live bait when I'm offshore fishing  for tuna and that's a fact!

[Easy Andy]

Yes!!! Anybody can catch a fish on live bait!!! That’s one of the biggest reasons why using live bait is against the rules in a Bass Fishing Tournament! Besides it’s lame!!! I was a Pro Bass Fisherman for years back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. I had a nice Bass boat, a bunch of really great sponsors who gave me money, a ton of free lures (anything I needed before the next tournament, and other things such as rods, reels, hooks etc. I also wrote fishing articles for several different nation wide magazines and frequently gave seminars at large shows held inside sports stadiums and other large buildings depending on the city. But to this day I still never touch live bait! It takes a seasoned and long time fisherman to find the fish, what they were eating at the time and find their patterns which either stay the same but usually changed at least two-three times a day and sometimes more!!! But you quickly begin to learn when you are constantly on the water like I was. I might be doing a three or four day tournament with Bass Masters to turn around two days later and fish another two or three day tournament with SuperBass and other large tournaments with up to two hundred fishermen or more. Then when I had a short break before my next large tournament circuit I would often fish smaller club tournaments that only had between 20 -60 people on the lake my next large tournament would be on a few days after the small club tournaments which would give me plenty of time to pre-fish the lake while doing a smaller tournament for two days  or so. Then I would keep my motel room and would go out after the smaller tournament was done and keep marching special areas and fishing without hooks to avoid spooking the fish and ruining the area for myself before the much larger and more important tournaments. After each day I would weigh my catch up on a large stage, and sometimes they give you a short interview if you did well and get a bunch of photos and cameras for Bass Masters to play on television and this is when my sponsors would get a lot of attention because of my uniform given to me by different sponsors and you usually have to pay for someone to add the patches of your other sponsors onto the different uniforms so each sponsor is represented to anyone who sees it such as the large crowds of people that would often spend a few days watching the action. Also people watching tv see your uniform with all of your sponsors and this is good to marketing and selling their products which is why they give you the opportunity for a sponsorship in the first place but they have a very limited number of Professionals they can sponsor each year. But I did a good job of representing mine which is why they always held a spot for me as one of their Pros each year. Personally I represented Culprit Soft Plastics and even made a few designs of my own that sold very well, Terminator Spinnerbaits was another of my biggest sponsors along with Triton Boats until I eventually was offered a better deal from Ranger Bass Boats that I still take out when I ago fishing. I had a great sponsorship through Gamakatsu Hooks along with Storm Lures! The Storm Chug Bug was my go to bait. In the morning or during the afternoon especially if it was cloudy or large cove covered in shadow, sometimes even in the sun and during the evening trying to catch on more bid bass to cull a smaller one just before weigh in. And sometimes when the bite was really tough. I could always get a huge reaction out of giant Largemouth Bass when I needed it! Every fisherman, especially tournament fishermen has one of two secret go to lures that gives them that extra edge of confidence and especially that last BIG Bass that you really needed! I have several special lures that you have the perfect way to use them. Who needs live bait as far as I’m concerned, it’s just for the kids!

[bowhunter63]

No I read lunkers love night crawlers . Big chubs in the fall for Smallies . It’s all whatever a person likes to have fun. Plus big shiners in florida 

[throttleplate]

I bought a new minnow bucket last week on sale for $5.99. Some fisherman bought livescope forward facing sonar. Whos cheating?

 

[Zcoker]

It IS cheating if done during a tournament with rules stating "NO LIVE BAIT." With so many Fishing Chaos or Tourney X CPR tournaments out there, it may be a bigger problem than most think! Who's to say? No one around to watch things. 

[Captain Phil]

I have fished a few local bass tournaments where live bait was allowed.  Artificial lure fishermen always out fished them by a good margin.  Live bait fishing removes the angler's skill level from the equation. This is why guides prefer them.   Most times, a guide is being paid to produce fish.  It's very frustrating when you know you are on fish and the angler is not capable of catching them.  There have been times when I had to pick up a rod, hang a fish and hand the rod to the angler just to show them there are fish where we are fishing.  Anyone can catch bass on live bait if you put them on fish.  Finding fish is the hard part.  I hated shiner fishing, but I did what I had to do.   Living bait fishing kills too many bass.

[T-Billy]

Cheating? No. Boring? Yep.

[Deleted account]

On 12/7/2018 at 11:02 AM, Deleted account said:

Zombie alert!

Nope, not cheating. Fishing is fishing, for all the "I like a challenge" elitists, I'll leave you with this thought (cleaned up to PG) which I love to tell while I'm swinging fish with someone who shares this view;

 

"I fish to catch fish, If I wanted a challenge, I would learn to do handstands and work on flexibility so I could get naked on the boat and hold the rod between my butt cheeks and reel with my big toe"... 

 

Still no.

[Micaiah Lindquist]

Nice thread resurrection ?

And no, I don't consider it cheating but I just don't enjoy it as much.

[thediscochef]

oooooo zombieposting, always a good time. i think cheating is cheating and i also think that fish are better at living in water than i am. it's just fish and me, fooling each other on the daily

[throttleplate]

5 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Cheating? No. Boring? Yep.

 

Yeah it can be boring especially in calm flat water using a bobber. Where wife and i fish around the dams it takes as much effort as any lure.

We are throwing ball head jigs, and mooneye hair jigs with a minnow, workin it, skippin it off the bottom, dragging it..... back to shore all the while fighting the river rock snags.

We also bobber fish with minnows and watching for your bobber in swift current hiding in the swells coming off the dam keeps you on the lookout.

I spooled up our reels with 832 high vis yellow this year to hopefully be able to track our lines better in the current.

[TriStateBassin106]

I wouldn't call it cheating,  but it's more fun to fool a fish into biting artificial lures. I can't remember the last time I used a nightcrawler or shiner which is sad because those fat walmart brand nightcrawlers were basically my fishing childhood.