QuestionI live in Idaho, what crank baits or live baits do i use for large mouth bass and for trout?
AnswerCould you give me a little more information about where you are located, and the lakes/rivers you are fishing?
There are so many different types of crank baits out there, and there are countless combinations of water temp, weather pattern, time of year, size of fish, etc. Each of these combinations requires a special color pattern, and even knowing this, the fish often for no reason just "prefer" something different, just like you might prefer pizza to hamburgers today and not tomorrow.
They only way to know which crankbaits are working, is to fish them. I would start with some basic colors and fish each one in known fish holding areas. Try 5 or 6 casts with each one. Continue changing until you find one that catches fish. This is why professional bass fishermen spend days on a lake "pre-fishing" before a tournament. They locate fish, and hopefully find they lure that the fish are preferring. A few tournaments a year becomes a full time job for them.
As far as live bait goes, I have always believed that worms, even as well known as they are, are HIGHLY underestimated. I sometimes fish worms for trout, kokanee, and steelhead and even salmon in the local rivers here. So many people in this area are stuck on the notion that cured eggs are the best bait, that they often miss a really good bite on other baits. I wouldn't go fishing for trout without them.
I keep a syringe and needle in my tackle box, (no I don't do drugs), but I use it to inject scents into the bait, I also sometimes just inject air into worms to make them float. Using simple split shot on a line, and inflating a worm like this is keep it drifting off the bottom where the fish can find it.
Minnows are also a good bet for bass, but need to be fished differently than worms. minnows need to look alive, but sick. Constant twitching and retrieving will do this.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at
[email protected].
