A huge hello to all anglers! In this article, the site ryba4ok.ru will tell you how to properly place live bait on a hook, which hook is better to use - double, tee or single and why. You will learn the best and most effective bait methods for catching fish such as pike, perch, pike perch in currents and in still water.
Each method has its positive aspects and is better suited for use in a given situation, for catching a particular fish. Let's take a closer look at each of the methods. To make it as clear as possible, the article will be supplemented with visual photos and videos. Go!
How to put live bait on a hook: classic method No. 1
If you are not a fan of experimenting and inventing anything, then the classic method is suitable for you - by the dorsal fin. This method is definitely the most popular because it is both simple and very effective. When baited in this way, the bait on the hook looks very natural, slightly showing signs of a wounded fish, which acts on the predator as a call to attack.
But, in order to successfully catch a predator using this method of baiting with live bait, you need to know several very important rules in order to use the effectiveness of the method at 100%.
So, it is very important to bait the bait in such a way that it causes minimal harm to it and it remains active for as long as possible. To do this, it is enough just not to damage the fish’s ridge, which runs approximately in the center of its body. Try to insert the sting about 3 mm below the fin, then the live bait will stay securely on the hook, and its spine will remain intact.
As a result, your bait will be active for a long time and actively attract a predator all this time. Predator bites on dead live bait will occur much less frequently, or pike, perch or pike perch will not be interested in it at all.
The second important point is that the position of the live bait should be as natural as possible. In its natural environment, the fish usually swarms in the ground in search of food, so its usual position is at an angle to the bottom with its tail slightly upward. Therefore, when placing live bait on a hook, you need to hook it slightly moving the center of gravity forward so that the head tilts.
It doesn’t matter how much the bait fish’s head is tilted; you can experiment with different tilt angles. But, approximately, it should be at an angle of 30-45° to the bottom.
Attention: live bait hooks under the dorsal fin with only one hook, regardless of whether you use a single hook, a double hook or a treble hook.
Method number 2: “Through the gills”
The way in which the fish is not injured and remains alive for as long as possible is to thread a double through the gills. Thus, the fish is absolutely not injured and remains active for a long time. To do this, you need to unfasten the hook from the leash, thread it under the gill cover of the baitfish from the outside and bring the leash out through the fish’s mouth. Now we hook the double to the leash again.
Please note that this method requires a double. When the double is again attached to the leash, pull it by the leash so that the fore-end is completely inserted into the mouth of the baitfish, and the stings stick down, bending under it.
This method is very good, the fish are perfectly hooked on it, and often even hook themselves. But here it is very important to use a very soft leader so that the fish behaves naturally in the water. And when fishing for perch or pike perch, it is better to use a braided cord as a leash.
Method number 3: “By the nostril”
The method of baiting by the nostril is as safe for the health of live bait as the previous one, only it is more suitable for fishing in the current. Live bait mounted in this way holds perfectly on the stream and behaves very naturally. The predator will never suspect that danger may await him.
Installation is extremely simple - one of the hooks is threaded through the nostril, but carefully so as not to damage the vital organs of the fish. The sting can be removed through the second nostril or near the eye of the fish.
Place and time of spinning fishing with live bait
Throughout the open water season, pike exhibit a variety of activities. The highest activity of pike is observed in the spring before and after spawning, as well as in the fall from the end of August until the freeze-up. Therefore, during these periods, catching pike with live bait will be the most promising. And during periods of pike passivity, in particular in the summer, fishing with live bait is considered the most promising way of fishing for it. Moreover, a toothy predator can take bait at any time of the day - therefore, it is better to install live bait spinning tackle for a long period of time - in this case, the probability of capture will be higher. The striped predator prefers calm weather, both clear and with light drizzle. During full moons and periods of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, the likelihood of catching a pike is significantly reduced.
The prospects of a fishing spot largely depend on the time of year - the colder it is, the deeper it is necessary to look for a striped predator. Both on the river and in a standing reservoir, the probability of capture significantly depends on the bottom topography and the presence of vegetation. The most promising places are:
- sand spits and rifts, possibly with a small amount of underwater vegetation;
- bays behind sand spits with moderate currents;
- places near snags or fallen trees;
- edges and other depth differences;
- fairway holes;
- places near coastal vegetation, water lilies, reeds;
- next to the bridge pilings.
In such places, very often the predator stands in ambush and waits for the fry to swim past. If fishing is carried out in a large water area, for example, near large fields of water lilies, then in the absence of bites it is advisable to transfer bait to different promising places. The same tactics are acceptable when fishing near the walls of reeds.
Photo 1. Channels are rich in small fish and predators.
Method number 4: “By the lip”
The method of attaching live bait by the lip is considered very popular. That is, in essence, you hook the fry in the same way that the fish itself is hooked when fishing. You can hook it separately to the upper or lower lip, or to both at once, passing the hook through the lower lip and out through the upper lip.
This method is also harmless to the fry and helps it remain active for a long time, just like the previous one. It is used mainly when fishing with a float rod in the current. The method is distinguished by excellent bite rates and a high percentage of fish self-hatching.
Placing live bait under the gills
This is one of the most common and reliable methods. It has several options. One of them is when the hook is located at the very mouth of the fish and the stings are turned towards it. Such fish do not pierce, and, therefore, remain alive longer.
No hooking is required, the fish hooks itself. The leash must be soft in order to ensure the appropriate position of the fish in the water.
Another way is to pass the leash through the gills , and the hook clings to the back of the baitfish in front of the dorsal float. In this case, the fish is injured and does not live long. Roach and crucian carp are well baited by the gills, but bitterling and bleak quickly die with this method.
Method number 5: “The tricky way”
The method when the hook does not injure the fish at all and does not thread it into any place is called a cunning method. Although, in fact, everything is ridiculously simple - a rubber band is put on the fish’s tail and the hook is placed under it. Instead of an elastic band, you can use fishing line or thread to wrap the tail of the fish.
The method is reliable, the live bait will not go anywhere and, at the same time, will remain as active as possible almost the entire time of fishing. But this method also has disadvantages. For example, the percentage of pike bites rarely exceeds 50%, since this predator has the custom of grabbing its prey across the body.
That is, initially the hook does not fall into its mouth. And with further swallowing of prey, the pike can either prick itself on the hook and throw out its victim, or simply suspect something is wrong. Other predators such as perch, burbot, pike-perch and catfish are excellently caught when baited with live bait in this way. But to catch pike with live bait, it is better to use another method.
These 5 methods are the most popular, proven and effective. The site ryba4ok.ru chose them based on its experience and recommendations from experienced fishermen. You can safely use any of these methods, and be sure to write about your fishing results in the comments.
Which hook is best to use for live bait fishing?
If you are not yet an experienced fisherman or have simply never fished with live bait, then a logical question will arise - which hook is better to use? After all, you can fish using a single hook, a double hook or a treble hook.
Here I have clear advice - to optimally use a double. The double incorporates the advantages of both the single hook and the treble hook. At the same time, it practically negates all their shortcomings.
The problem with a single hook is idle bites, since the fish can attack the bait from the wrong side or slightly past the hook. A tee solves this problem, but often a predator, having pricked itself on it, refuses to further attack the bait and does not bring the matter to a confident bite.
The double hook is at the same time not as rough as the treble hook and, at the same time, much more effective than the single hook. It is precisely based on these considerations that it is the best option. There are even special doubles, in which one hook is smaller and the other is larger - this is done so that the bait is less injured. As you might have guessed, the smaller hook is designed for baiting bait, and the larger one is for attacking predators.
When and how to use bait bait options?
In each case, when fishing, the necessary gear is used, and various options for attaching live bait are used:
- In reservoirs where there is a lot of grass and algae, it is convenient to use a float rod 5-6 meters long for catching pike perch and pike. In this case, the bait clings to the nostril or lips on a single or double hook.
- When catching fish with a cast, a steel leash is used, and live bait is attached to the gills.
- Fishing with live bait is carried out at different depths depending on the type of fish expected to be caught. For example, burbot is caught closer to the bottom, and perch, pike and asp are caught in the upper layers of water. For greater reliability, live bait is attached to the lips.
- When fishing in a reservoir with a large number of snags, it is recommended to fish with fry, which will not be able to hide under the snags.
- Fishing using a boat is especially effective in the autumn season. To do this, it is best to use a place with shallow depth; you can fish with three fishing rods at the same time. We place the live bait from the bottom at a distance of 40 cm and secure it through the mouth and gills. Only in calm water is it possible to bait behind the back.
The best live bait for catching predators
Since we have found out the best methods of baiting, information about which live bait is best suited for catching a predator will be no less interesting for you. Let's look into this interesting question.
Among the live baits suitable for catching predators are:
- crucian carp;
- perch;
- ruff;
- gudgeon;
- bleak;
- roach;
- pinching;
- minnow;
- rudd;
- loach.
Any of the listed fish will be a very effective live bait, just do not forget that pike perch, for example, prefers narrow-bodied fish due to the structure of its mouth. For pike perch, select live bait such as ruffe, gudgeon, bleak, spined lance, minnow, and loach. It is better to adhere to the same rule when catching perch.
Pike, catfish and burbot can attack both narrow-bodied and wide-bodied fish with equal success. The main thing is not to overdo it and understand that bream, for example, will not be a suitable candidate for the role of live bait due to its structure, because it will be difficult for a predator to swallow it.
You should also divide the fish into those that are tenacious and those that quickly become dead. Thus, live bait such as crucian carp, ruffe, and gudgeon will remain active for a long time. And bleak, roach, and rudd will quickly fall asleep.
Also, when choosing live bait for catching a predator, you must be guided by information about the main diet of the predator in a particular body of water. After all, if there is a lot of gudgeon in the reservoir and the predator is accustomed to feeding on it, then the gudgeon will bring maximum results in fishing. And if there is no gudgeon in a reservoir, then there is no point in catching it.
Your catch can tell a lot about a predator’s diet. When you cut it up, pay attention to the contents of the predator’s stomach. Usually the predator always has undigested fish left in its stomach. This way, you can determine what kind of fish the predator in the reservoir is used to eating and present it with just such live bait.
It is also important for fishing to use live bait from the same reservoir in which you plan to catch the predator. The behavior of a fish from another body of water, or, moreover, an artificially grown one, can differ radically from local live bait, which will alert the predator. As a result, the number of bites may be reduced.
Ruff, as a live bait, is good because the predator is aware that this prey will be prickly. This means that even if a predator gets pricked by the sting of a hook, it will not spit out its prey, as it will consider this to be a prick on the sharp spines of the ruff. Thus, the ruff helps to increase the percentage of successful strikes, since the predator is very good at swallowing such live bait, unaware of the danger.
That, in principle, is all the useful information that we wanted to convey to you. I hope all the information that ryba4ok.ru offered you in this article was interesting and useful for you. We are waiting for you on the pages of our website - no tail, no scales!
What kind of bait do they catch what?
Considering that predators feed on small fish, it is necessary to select live bait approximately 5-7 cm long and not very wide. Good examples are the loach and goby. The exception is catfish, for which the size and shape of the bait do not matter.
Let's look at bait options specifically for each type of fish:
- The best bait for catfish and perch is loach;
- Ruff and crucian carp are very tenacious and attract pike well at any time of the year;
- For catching pike perch and perch with live bait, goby is popular, especially in those reservoirs where there is a small amount of it;
- Pike perch, perch, asp and chub can be caught well with gudgeon;
- One-year-old perch serves as good bait for asp and pike;
- Roach is popular among pike due to its high level of mobility;
- In reservoirs with weak currents, pike and perch are well caught using minnows;
- The plucked fish, which is applicable to catching all types of predators, is in great demand among fishermen;
- They also often use bleak, which needs to be changed quite often due to its nimbleness and jumping off the hook.
It should be remembered that the smaller the live bait, the sooner it will cease to be alive and move naturally.
You cannot use catfish, pike perch, bream and other valuable fish species as bait. In Western Europe, there is a general ban on live bait; it is replaced by canned fish of various sizes.
