Live Bait vs Fake Bait

Vollmer

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I have always been a big fan of live bait. Minnows early, and worms/minnows later. This is for jigging, lindy's, spinners, etc ...
Lately I have been playing around with fake baits. Gulp worms, fake minnows, and so on.

What is your preference?
Certain baits for certain situations?
What is your 'go to' fake baits?

Any other tips?

thanks!
 


FishReaper

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Minnows I use either gulp 3 or 4 inches. I don't buy minnows in the summer. If I want live baitfish its chubs. Worm I use real crawlers. Haven't had same luck with gulp. Same for leaches
 

Davey Crockett

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It seems like I gotta bring it all with since they are cheap. Trap my own leeches and minnows and try to find crawlers but they are rare unless we have a good rain. So I end up buying them. Last summer at Devils Lake I went through more crawlers than anything.
 

701FishSlayer

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I've never been able to have a great deal of success with fake bait so I guess so far I'm skeptical. I still bust out the Gulp every once in awhile, but it hasn't made me a believer yet.
 


KDM

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On the sheyenne river, I rarely use live bait. I have found I don't need to very often. If I do use live bait, it's a half a crawler on a 1/16th oz jig under a bobber, aka bobber rig. Most of the time the walleyes don't have very much time to look a bait over in the current so they hit whatever looks even remotely like food. Even with the bobber rig, I rarely get that tap tap tap kind of bite from a walleye. Usually the bobber just rockets under. Using gulp, power baits, or other "Real" type plastics doesn't seem to increase or decrease my catch rates. I normally suit up with an 1/8th oz jig and a twister or paddle tail and start fishing.
 

DirtyMike

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I think they could have stopped producing artificial baits just after the white twister tail. I try to use more ripple shads but end up going back live bait.
 

raider

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i fished with my dad with him using live crawlers and me using gulp pulling spinners... one spring i started with gulp crawlers, then switched to 5" leaches in about 4 different colors... we fished like this about 50 days per year for 5 years, and unless the fish were negative, the gulp would do at least as well but usually better...

also went to tobin or last mountain for a week for several years with 2 buddies... i fished with gulp and they fished with crawlers only for the first year, then slowly started to switch over... we went from taking a flat of crawlers the first year to about 6 dozen the last year... same results with trophy eyes up there... there were times we would struggle to catch 2-3 fish for supper under the 21" slot while catching 10 to 15 between 25 and 32" in a day... the biggest fish we caught would usually come on gulp...

i know it has gotten way more popular over the years... when it was new, i would buy all mine in the bargain bins at the scheels and cabelas stores for about 2-3 bucks a pack... not anymore... i still have 2 of the original gulp alive quart pails that i bought when that came out... i still fill them with the bagged regular gulp and they work just as well as the alive in juice...
 

RustyTackleBox

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I made the commitment to switch to plastics this year and honestly mr twisters and authentx and gulp 1/2 crawlers have all been working
 


deleted_account

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Authentx pulse-r and moxie are fantastic spring into early summer baits. Gulp minnows are a second. Walleye assassin's once the water temps start warming up a bit.
 

Kickemup

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I run minnows in the spring when the fish want it dragged on the bottom. But other than that its twister tails on the river and gulp with a spinner. I hate having to put new bait on after every fish or checking it with a missed bite.
 

Hamm's

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3" pearl white minnow grub Gulp is my go to bait. Rarely lets me down on the river or lakes.
 

raider

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I run minnows in the spring when the fish want it dragged on the bottom. But other than that its twister tails on the river and gulp with a spinner. I hate having to put new bait on after every fish or checking it with a missed bite.


THAT is the key for me... if i miss a fish on a hook set, with the gulp, i have the confidence to dump some line and try again... with live, not so much...

i would be lost (and pist) without gulp...
 

Downrigger

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My goal this year is to not purchase live bait outside of when my dad comes up for 2 days to fish. Going to pull cranks, jigging raps, pitch cranks and soft plastics and rip lipless cranks. We will see I guess but I think it's defiantly doable.
 


Up Y'oars

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I go crawler hunting in April/May and usually get about 10-12 dozen to put in bedding. That may last me all summer, if I also integrate Gulp crawlers or leeches. I have 20pkgs of different forms of Gulp/plastics, too.

I rarely ever buy real leeches anymore. They are costly and hard to maintain.
 

Holmsvc

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It all depends on what I am doing.

Right away in the spring it's minnows on the river for me. If the current is fast I switch to plastics, Moxis or twisters.
In the summer I usually run real crawlers on spinners and gulp on slow death hooks.
I always use live bait while vertical jigging in the boat.
When pitching in the boat it's plastics or cranks. BFishn makes some good plastics and the gulp ripple shads are good to.
 

martinslanding

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It all depends on the type of fishing…pitching once the weedlines come in its tails and assassins … jigging mix of live/gulp/tails spinners it’s mostly leeches sometimes crawlers…and trolling weedlines it’s slamos

I very rarely use minnow open water fishing
 

Enslow

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I like to hang leeches on my ear lobes. It really tickles...
 

iceman1944

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I've not used live bait in 15 years, fish 90 per cent on sak. Cranks and twister tails, dont have a problem getting limits, as you all know some days are better than others
 


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