Live bait for trout..do you consider this sporting?
 

Just to let you know where i stand, I use my live well for storage. I find using artificial lures far more satisfying in the pursuit of trout than the use of live bait...including dead shrimp on a grub tail.
It seems down here out of VB more than half the fishermen use live bait to fish the wells and platforms. I just don't see the sport in taking a live shrimp or croaker and dangling this in front of a trout. They gonna eat it no matter what the conditions are. I've found in the last coupla years that the live bait movement has moved to the reefs big time. I stopped fishing the rigs because of the proliferation of live bait fishermen; hard to compete next to a boat fishing LB when you're throwing plastic...I just move on to other areas.

I sound like I'm complaining but I have no problem with anyone who chooses to LB fish. I guess w/ the price of fuel and expenses involved with trout fishing that some guys want to stack the odds in their favor the bring home some meat. I've noticed even on BL that some of the guides use live shrimp for their sports, is this the only way you can catch fish at certain times on BL or is this just to hurry and fill a limit?

Should LB be allowed in trout fishing tournaments or artificial only?

Like to hear your thoughts..

....

I have nothing against live or dead bait. My PB 29" Speck was caught on cut bait. There is an art to catching big Specks on cut bait. My great uncle taught me how to prepare and rig the bait.

However, I have converted to mostly arties over the last couple of years. I agree there is something about working the bait to find fish. Feeling the strike. Being more in tune with what’s going on around you. Drinking less beer while fishing. I also do a lot more catch and release.

The only problem I have is my two 14 year old boys. To keep them interested, they have to catch fish. So we do use live or cut bait just so they can catch something. They don’t really care what is on the hook at this point. I have started teaching them about arties, but it’s a slow process.

As far as tournaments, I think that’s up to the sponsor running it. I could see a case for lure only tournaments as more companies try to get their products out into the saltwater community.

Well I can tell you this 1st hand........My dad never let us use live or dead bait at all......
I can remember when we was fishing next to a boat and they had live shrimp ripping them end left and right.....I told my dad...We need some live Shrimp...
He said and you tell me what those guys are learning from this fishing trip???



Im glad he never let us use Live bait....Might of wished on some trips we did but now Im thankful we didnt

I like using artificail especially topwater nothing like a trout or red smacking a topwater. Way more satisfying.

I love live bait late summer. SOWS!! And oh yea live bait offshore too. And for catfish. And bass like live bait too!!

Live bait
 

I have two kinds of trips....Fishing with my buddies, artificial ONLY! no exceptions....When taking my family or my Dad (CONVINCED SOMETHING LIVE OR DEAD IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO "OLD SKEWL") I always use live or dead, because I have tough enough time serving as deckhand baiting, re-rigging, rebuilding reels, re-spooling, getting them drinks, etc....that I couldn't imagine the hangups and lost $$$ in my artificial lures...

I feel it is more of a challenge to look at water clarity, light, tidal movement, time of year, stage the fish are in and determining what to use out of the box...ofcourse we have our go-to baits, but to have the discipline to go away from that and adjust, then when you get into them with the change, makes the whole trip...That's the way I see it anyway....Ofcourse if nothing else, we can break out the nikon glasses and spot that Haynie and see what he is throwing!!! A little "LONG DISTANCE POTLICKING!" Commonly refered to as SNIPER LICKING....:):rotfl::)

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Messing with ya...
 

You know I'm just messing with you dub....:grinpimp: I've never even fished Big Lake....

While I'm at it, if you lay on the bow and rest the optics on trolling motor mount, this would be "prone long distance sniper licking" Utilizing the trolling motor as concealment....If you prop up, in a standing position and rest on your T-top risers, this would be considered a "Standing Pilgrim Licking Sniper"....I really need to stop!!! No, I don't have a T-top

If you think anyone can catch a limit of trout with live bait, come fishing with me. I'll prove you wrong

I know that's right...Been there, done that!

My buddies' boss fishes VBay alot and has a camp out there. He drives all the way to Cocodrie with a huge baitwell in the back of his truck and fills it up with prob 1000 croakers and brings em back to VBay where he has a big bait well under his camp. That's crazy!

I'm old school........
I fish to catch fish.

And what ever it takes to catch them is what I will use.
I've had days in Grand Isle where artificial was better than live shrimp

Beleive it or not

I believe it cause I've done the same. I prefer to catch on artificial, but I'm not afraid to get some live bait in the summer sometimes. I also get bait when there are people fishing with me that don't really know what they are doing cause I want them to have a good time and catch fish. Fishing is fun to me so I don't take it as seriously as some people on here.

As far as tournaments go I think if it is a charity tourney live bait should be allowed because it is for fun and to support a good cause. You will get more people to fish in a tourney when bait is allowed. If it is a "professional" tourney I think artie only cause its for big money and everybody knows how to fish and adapt to different conditions

Some people fish to catch fish, and the "sport" is just lagniappe. I use whatever the fish seem to watch, because I want 25 trout coming home with me.

No it is not sporting to use live bait, I never use it, but if thats what it takes for a person to catch fish I understand. With the advancement of plastics its hard to see why so many people still use live bait.

I much rather use plastic or hard baits....but during the summer I'm not scared to soak live bait.

I fish because I love it, but I also fish to eat. Im not one to waste gas and time unless the freezer is full, I like throwin artificial for the challenge and you have to figure out the pattern for that day. But when its all said and done I just like the fight whether its live bait or artificial

I prefer to use artificial. But fir the SC tourney ill be soaking mullet fa sho!

No pride in live bait .... I have used live Mullet but that is easy fishing no skill ,no technique in that

You don't learn nothing other than putting bait on and waiting


When my little girl can't cast a rod...it will be artificial only

I prefer artificial baits.
The satisfaction I get out of catching on lures far outweighs that from live bait.

I'm not going to bash anyone who wants to use them though...it's all about enjoying time on the water

Said it before and will say it again,when i only get to fish 2-3 times a year i'll fish w/ a friggin cheeto if that's what it takes to catch fish. Live ,plastics ,dead it don't matter.

I definately prefer arti, but if I have my son and/or Dad in the boat with me we will always have live bait on board.

LOL!

Yep!

http://seafavorites.com/bmz_cache/2/...ge.504x337.jpg

LOAD EM UP!!!!!!

The funny thing I 've noticed fishing the reefs out of VB is LB for the most part is not as effective as offshore. Many times I've noticed LBers catching more gaff tops and sharks than trout. Interesting to hear all these comments. I can understand those who have limited time on the water wanting to increase their odds in catching fish. However, I personally believe that LB should not be allowed in trout tournys...just my $.02

I think you are spot on with the advancement of plastics.
The Gulp stuff is hard to beat.

Gulp not really a trout bait....mainly for reds and flounder
I hurt a lot of feelings in my boat against gulp....

Trout are reaction bite ..... Ill out fish gulp 7-1 with a sand eel

Agreed W gulp are not that good for trout, maybe one of the worst trout plastics out there and smell like sh## anyway

:rotfl:
:rotfl:
:rotfl:

just like you outfished Micah's popping cork?:smokin:

W, who's gonna teach her how to cast.....Cora?

:p

LMAO!!!!

You've seen me in action with artificial. It just ain't for me. I'm more worried about catching the fish to eat than the sport of it

I believe it ,but i more than once have pulled up on a spot where a boat was on one side of a platform catching a few trout on arties and started fishing the other side w/ live shrimp. arties never got another bite.
We fish live shrimp ,get the fish feeding then go to plastics till they slow down then back to shrimp to turn em on again.

:beathorse: Some like some don't, no wrong or right, just preference.

What he said. I primarily bass fish and it has always been artficial. Just my thing. Now if I would cave in and buy a bay boat like my wife wants me to, I would have to use LB because she and my stepson would get extremly burnt out using arti's. Just my opinion.

Ask him who caught the most the day and that's after his 7-1 lead

Lol. Im the same boat as you. I was out fished by weewacker last yr and he was using artificial and I had live.


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I agree....everytime I fished live bait at t butte and other reefs I mostly caught sharks. Hard to beat a sparkle beetle under a cork out there or a suspending plug.

Soak em . . . . . . . lol
I love arti's and throw that primarily but i will say i am not scared to soak a mullet, now a shrimp . . . . . well thats for the birds

Only live bait on my boat is the 25 minnows my daughter makes mebuy when we go out so she can have something to play with when she bored. My wife if an artificial freak, everytime we go to bass pro or academy she finds 2 or 3 arti's she has to have. We used gulp long time ago but hardheads and sailcats love em so agreed on the sand eels. I had a chance to fish with a guide one time long ago and he said he doesnt use live bait and when the trout get in a frenzy he can throw his jighead itself in and catch em. I called B:S. ... well he showed me that day. I watched him pull in 10 trout with no bait just plain jighead . Good man showed me alot in 2 days cant recall his name I was a teen at the time in Grande Isle. My Favorite bait is the bass pro brand XPS twin tail shrimp in chartreause...have caught more fish off that bait than any other.

Whatever it takes to make it happen. Im gonna throw what puts the fish in the box .

I enjoy fishing with both! I love catching on artificial but a live bait bite can be very exciting as well. As far as not being sporting I would disagree. Often I find fish bite artificial better. My dad ensured that we had what ever bait they were biting on in the boat so that we caught fish and I learned plenty even if they came from live bait. Tournaments should be on an equal playing field. Either no LB or either. Make the rules on the front side

I find a few things funny......

Guys with 60k boats fishing with live shrimp and pop n cork

Guys fishing live shrimp in June , july, sept.

August should be the only month on Big Lake you would need live bait.....

I seen guys with live shrimp come up to us while cleaning trout and say damn ..yall was using live shrimp
We LOAO....

No we use plastics....... There floored because they spent 70 bucks on shrimp and have 12 trout..140 ladyfish and gaftop

What in the hell does the price have to do with what someone fishes with??? Is that someo sort of elite status quo or something? Geez

:p

How did I know you would post a pic of something?:shaking: But all in all, fishing is a SPORT, live bait or not. It doesn't matter if you have a 200K boat or a 10K boat, it all boils down to one thing and that's having FUN. Shouldn't matter how you do or what you do it with.;)