10-19-2003, 04:56 PM
[cool]Hey, "Guest"...do we know you (forgot to log in), or are you a potential member who has not jumped in yet?
The short answer is yes, I was using a bit of "sweetener". In this case it was a small strip of yellow bass fillet...frozen from an earlier expedition. The night before I go out, I thaw the little fillets, cut them into bait-sized bits, sprinkle on a little salt and then squirt on either shad scent or crawdad scent. Then I put the plastic bag full of prepared bait strips back into the refrigerator, and hope I don't forget to load them up the next morning.
I also use nightcrawlers...anything from just a pinch (for sunfish) to a half a crawler for walleyes and other larger prey. If the fish keep nipping off the end, without getting hooked, I either shorten the piece of worm or add a "stinger" hook.
Hanging a bait bug under a bobber is a good technique in shallower waters. It works especially well if there is a bit of a ripple on the water, to keep the jig and bait dancing at the right depth. I used to use that when fishing over the rocks at Willard Bay, when the cats were in the rocks spawning or just hanging out. They would rush up out of their hideouts, grab the jig and head back down. One second the bobber would be sitting there unmolested. The next second it would plunge under and send a jet of water squirting straight up. That can be fun, but you have to be able to haul the fish out of the cover or you donate some tackle.
There are a couple of bait substitutes you can use...if you do not have bait or if you wanna fish baitless. One is a small tube jig, hooked lightly in the tip. It flutters nicely when jigged right. The other is a piece of craft felt, in an assortment of different colors, cut into small strips. These take scent and hold it well. You can also use some of the Berkeley fly rod strips, or any other bait simulating product.
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The short answer is yes, I was using a bit of "sweetener". In this case it was a small strip of yellow bass fillet...frozen from an earlier expedition. The night before I go out, I thaw the little fillets, cut them into bait-sized bits, sprinkle on a little salt and then squirt on either shad scent or crawdad scent. Then I put the plastic bag full of prepared bait strips back into the refrigerator, and hope I don't forget to load them up the next morning.
I also use nightcrawlers...anything from just a pinch (for sunfish) to a half a crawler for walleyes and other larger prey. If the fish keep nipping off the end, without getting hooked, I either shorten the piece of worm or add a "stinger" hook.
Hanging a bait bug under a bobber is a good technique in shallower waters. It works especially well if there is a bit of a ripple on the water, to keep the jig and bait dancing at the right depth. I used to use that when fishing over the rocks at Willard Bay, when the cats were in the rocks spawning or just hanging out. They would rush up out of their hideouts, grab the jig and head back down. One second the bobber would be sitting there unmolested. The next second it would plunge under and send a jet of water squirting straight up. That can be fun, but you have to be able to haul the fish out of the cover or you donate some tackle.
There are a couple of bait substitutes you can use...if you do not have bait or if you wanna fish baitless. One is a small tube jig, hooked lightly in the tip. It flutters nicely when jigged right. The other is a piece of craft felt, in an assortment of different colors, cut into small strips. These take scent and hold it well. You can also use some of the Berkeley fly rod strips, or any other bait simulating product.
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