Want to Catch More Fish? Read on to Find Some Advice on What Bait to Use!

Choosing which bait to use is a hard task when you are fishing. Below is a list of common baits for you to use when fishing and how to fix them on to your hook.

You should always try to match the bait you are using to what the fish you are chasing are eating. If you think the fish you are chasing are eating shrimp, try using shrimp as your preferred bait. If shrimp on your hook doesn't work, try using another form of bait.

If using shrimp as bait, always place the bait on your hook from the tail end first. This will ensure the bait sticks to the hook rather than floating away in the water. Shrimp is my favorite kind of bait. It is cheap, versatile and many species of fish will hold onto it for dear life.

Any small fish can also be used as bait for larger fish. A gang hook (a series of hooks next to eat other) is best for attaching a fish too. This will ensure your whole fish will not fall of your hook. A whole small fish is best for catching larger fish such as trout and dolphin fish.

Any local species can also be used as bait. If mussels are growing on a pier, consider pulling them off and using them as bait. Always try using the wildlife that you can find around the fish that you are chasing.

A final option of bait is to try using whatever you have. Salami, ham, corn kernals, bunions from toes and plastic straws are just some of the items that have been substituted for bait. Have a go and see what the fish are attracted to. Use your imagination and you might just land the catch of the day.

Have a go and remember, fish may be attracted to one form of bait one day, and another form of bait the next. Keep an open mind and have a go today.

James Fletcher is a boating and fishing enthusiast. His website is a great source of boating and fishing knowledge. Find more useful boating and fishing tips at: http://www.freeboatingtips.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Fletcher

Fishing Local Ponds For Bass

I live in the Midwest and I have fished plenty of ponds and largemouth bass are very adaptable gamefish, they can be found in lakes, rivers, and ponds all across the United States. Largemouth bass doesn't need big water areas to grow to hawg size. Just about any body of water a few years old can produce some nice bass. While cover along the banks isn't necessary, cover in the water with plenty of forage is a must for bass. Even if there is alot of fishing pressure I have 3 techniques that I use to catch some big bass.

1. Early Morning Buzzin - Over the last 36yrs I've learned how speed can often trigger a strike, especially when the water warms up. Buzzbaits have always been great producers of big bass in ponds during hot weather, start throwing buzzbaits right at the crack of dawn up until the sunlight starts to penetrate the water, during this time throw the buzzbait past cover and along edges, the bass are often active and looking for their breakfast. If the water is clear I will retrieve the buzzbait at a faster retrieve than dirty water, if it's dirty water with plenty of cover I'll slow down and put a plastic trailer to help the lure stay on top at slower speeds. I use a 3/8 to 1/2 ounce buzzbait.

2. Spinnerbaits along edges - In most of the ponds that I've fished over the years the bass are holding in a narrow band of weeds or algae running parallel to the bank. Cast your lure along this vegetation by casting from turns (points). Bass hide in this weed edge even if it's floating cover like lillypads, bass usually will not come up and strike a topwater lure during sunny days so I use a willowleaf blade spinnerbait because the flash of the willowleaf blade attracts bass and I can retrieve it slow enough to allow them to react, when I come to an opening in the vegetation I use short pauses to let the spinerbait flutter down into the openings. The willowleaf blade sheds weeds better than round style blades.

3. Frogs - When you have to get a lure in a 6 to 12 inch opening in thick cover surrounded by lure fouling weeds and vegetation my lure of choice is the frog, a weedless, hollow-bodied frog is great for working heavy vegetated surface cover to get the bass to strike. I've tried many lures over the years such as jig and pig, weedless soft baits but my favorite is the frog because it works best getting through the weeds. Cast the frog out and reel it back across the surface of the vegetation to an opening then stop and let it sit there for a few seconds and then give it a few twitches to try and get a surface strike, this really gets bass stirred up. If you don't get a bite there got to the next hole and repeat the same procedure. I use a natural looking frog because my belief is that a frog is a natural food of bass and if it looks like something they naturally eat than I'll have a better chance of a strike.

Article by P. Roberts http://bassfishingbyproberts.blogspot.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lester_Paul_Roberts