If there was no effort and no cost involved with using live bait, everyone would have it in their livewell. Usually having it is an insurance policy, and if you have it, you don't need it. We've all been out there on days when there is no artificial bait that works, but the guy with live shrimp is at least catching something. Saying that you would never use live bait is the same as saying you've found the one lure that you like best, and you are never going to bring any other lures out there with you. It means you are ignoring something that works and being completely close minded.
For personal satisfaction, if I was just randomly fishing on a bank on a normal day with live shrimp under a cork and then I caught a personal best, that would be a blind squirrel finding a nut. There's no satisfaction in sitting around and waiting for fish to come to you. But if I was breaking out live bait on a day that only live bait was working, and had to grind it out and hustle before I managed to find that trophy trout, that would be one of the most satisfying days there is. On a day like that, there's no sense in leaving the best tool in the tool belt. You've gotta do what works.
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