In regard to links throughout this Site, you may see a word that is underlined but NOT highlighted blue like a link, It IS a link and these are words that can be found in our Dictionary. In case  you're unfamiliar with some of the fishing lingo. search engine by freefind Home Sitemap What is Fishing and Why Go Kids & Fishing The VERY Basics of How To Fish Basics of How To Fish (more detailed) Basic Equipment Needed for Fishing Supplementary Tackle About Fishing Rods Purchase Fishing Rods About Fishing Reels Purchase Fishing Reels About Fishing Line Purchase Fishing Line About Fishing Hooks How To  Bait a Hook Bait Presentation Buy Fishing Hooks About Fishing Bait Buy Bait About Lures Buy Lures About Bobbers and Floats Purchase Bobbers About Swivels Purchase Swivels Kids N Fishing Types of Fish Fishing Rules and Regulations Safety & Fishing Fishing Terminology The FUNdamentals of Fishing Store at Amazon.com Other Websites made by Jon Anderson (Web Master of this site) FUNdamentals of Camping FUNdamentals of Baseball (learn how to hit, pitch, field, etc. How to Coach, Parent info, Official Rules) This Is Indiana

How To Bait A Hook How to Decide Which Fishing Hook to Use Live bait should always appear to the fish to be alive. Once you put them on your hook they will eventually die, so you need to make them look like they are still alive! When attaching the worm to the hook, you'll want to hook the worm more than once so it stays on the hook. The less you handle the bait with your fingers, the more effective your bait will be. Human hands have an amino acid that is an aversion scent to fish, so the less of this you deposit on the bait through handling, the more effective your bait becomes. There are small, syringe-like applicators that allow anglers to bait  hooks without touching the bait at all or you can use disposable sterile gloves (they're cheap).  I wouldn't recommend hand soap or sanitizer, as it may not fully eliminate the scent. See the diagrams below to learn how to hook different types of live bait: How To Hook A Worm When it comes to nightcrawlers, the relationship between bait and hook comes down to your targeted species. For Small Fish For small fish, threading the worm (or portions of) along the shank of the hook or impaled two or three times is preferred. Leave the ends dangling slightly for added action. Since these fish have small mouths, a segment between 1 and 2 inches works best. If you are continuously dealing with a 'nibbler,' it is usually telling you that your presentation is too large. For Large Fish For bigger fish, such as walleye or bass, hook the worm once through the collar or directly through the middle. These larger fish will suction up a whole nightcrawler effortlessly. So don't be afraid of the excess worm that is away from the hook, as this adds to a realistic presentation. A couple lil' tips Blood Blood from your local butcher injected into the worm with a syringe is the ultimate attractant. Just dipping your bait in blood helps a little but that washes off right away. If you inject it, it stays with the bait and you are almost guaranteed a bite. That's how good it is. This method can also be used with dead-bait fishing. Air 'em Up A way to make a night crawler more visible and enticing to fish is to inject them with small amounts of air, this allows the bait to float off the bottom when using weighted bottom rig. Bait shops sell worm air injectors, a small bottle with a needle and a protective cap. Click here for another lil' trick to having big, fat, juicy worms every time you go fishing Meal worm or Grubs Insert a size 6 - 8 hook into the underside of the meal worm (note tiny legs) near one end. Run the hook inside and bring the point of the hook out near the opposite end. They can be used singly or in multiples. Night crawler Use larger hooks, such as size 2. Can either be hooked like a red worm or in one spot only. To give the worm a natural look, run the hook inside the worm to hide the shank and barely bring the point of the hook through the skin of the worm. Red Worms Leaches They should be hooked through the suction cup in the tail. Leeches have suction cups at both ends. But the tail suction cup disk is larger than the head disk. Hooking it through the tail will allow it to swim in a very natural and enticing manner. When a fish strikes, a leech often rolls up in a ball, wrapping around your hook and making hooksets tough. If using larger leeches, a bigger hook should be used in order to combat this predicament. There is a simple rule of thumb when using leeches. Don't fish them faster than they can naturally swim. The attraction is the swimming motion. Minnows Minnows can be attached to a hook various ways: 1.) The first is in the mouth. Insert the point of the hook under the lower lip and push the hook through the top lip, the hook shank will be facing forward with the tip of the hook facing up. This allows the baitfish to look natural as it swims forward. By hooking the baitfish through the lips will keep the water from circulating into the gills and it will eventually die. Check your bait often. Another option is to hook it through the lips upside down. By doing so the minnow will try to "right" itself thus attracting fish with its movements.  Use this technique when you are fishing in moving water.       2.) The second option is hooking the baitfish through it's back in front of the dorsal fin, be careful to pierce only the skin and not through the spine. Using this method the baitfish will remain alive for a longer time. This hooking technique is used when stationary fishing or when fishing in calm water, a floating/bobber set-up or for ice fishing. Attach a bobber above the Fish Hook. Add a split shot if the Minnow swims to the water surface.   3.) The final option is hooking through the tail for free-line fishing. Insert the hook tip at the fleshy base of the tail and run it through, ending with the hook tip and shaft facing rearward. Use a simple split shot and hook rig cast the minnow gently and let it sink and drift while it swims freely.   Rigging Crayfish    The most common way of rigging Crayfish is to hook them through its tail with a larger Fish Hook and using them with a split shot. Another method is to slowly hook the Crayfish through the ridge between its eyes. Be careful when doing this because you might kill it when you hook it too deeply. In this set-up, use a split shot only when necessary. Whatever method you use, your objective must be to make the Crayfish look natural. To hook crayfish, thread the hook shallowly through the back or forward part of the body so as to not hurt any vital organs. For catfish, bullheads and carp, use dead crawdads threaded on a hook.   An alternative is to hook the crayfish through the meaty part of the tail. For smallmouth bass, use crayfish whole and alive, hooked through the tail     You can also cut the tail off the crayfish. For pan fish use the tail meat or meat from the large pincers.   Frogs Although not as popular, frogs can be great bait for both bass and walleye. Leopard frogs are the most common and easily found bait for those looking to use them.  (Check your local Rules and Regulations for restrictions.) Hook the frog through both lips, coming up from the bottom. This will present a life-like presentation, while allowing the frog to swim in a natural manner. Rigging Crickets  Use a fine-wire Fish Hook. Place a split shot about six inches above it. It would be better if you use a lighter weight. Insert the Fish Hook in the thorax of the cricket. Cricket Use a size 8, long shank hook. Looking at the back of the cricket, run the point of the hook under the sheath behind the head. Bring the point of the hook out behind the sheath. You want to use thin wire hooks for sunfish (#6-#10) and medium-sized hooks for bass and catfish (#1 or #2). Make sure the point of the hook is completely covered to increase bites.  Rigging Grasshoppers  Grasshoppers have this distinctive trait of splashing into the water naturally. They do not splash in like a rock. To fish with grasshoppers, hook the insect through the collar or the thorax part.  A dead grasshopper can still be used as a Fishing Bait, but a live one is still more effective. Place one or two split shots then cast out. How To Hook Maggots Always hook the maggot blunt end first, and use the sharpest hook you can find. The maggot mustn’t burst when you pass the hook through the flattened part of the skin – the hook should just lightly nick the skin. If it does burst, do it again with a fresh bait.  If you intend using more than one maggot on your hook, keep hooking the baits in the blunt end so they sit next to each other perfectly. Dead maggots are superb for long sessions for big fish as they won’t bury themselves in the mud and silt on the lake or river bed. To kill them put them in a polythene bag, squeeze out all the air and pop them into the freezer for a day or two. Hellgrammite   Cut Bait Cut bait for Still Fishing (fishing in a single spot with bait) To prepare cut bait, fillet your catch and cut bait chunks from each side. For best results, scale the fish but leave the skin on. Thread the hook through the skin of the fish to help keep the bait on the hook. Cut bait is ideal for still fishing using a float or on bottom rigs. Cut bait for Trolling (dragging bait behind a boat)     You can use caught fish to cut strips of bait for trolling. For this, use the thin belly area and cut long "V"-shaped strips for adding to a hook and trolling to simulate a fish or eel. Include a pectoral or pelvic fin on the bait to increase the attractiveness to the fish. If necessary, scale the fish strip but thread the hook through the skin to help keep the bait intact. Click here on How to Decide Which Fishing Hook to Use  1.  Pick your quarry. The type of fish is an important factor in choosing a hook. 2.  Choose bait. Use hooks with barbs on the hook shank with live bait; use an offset worm hook with artificial bait. The size of the hook should equal the size of the bait.  3.  Decide on multiple-use or single-use hooks. Mechanically sharpened hooks are easy to resharpen, which will save money. Chemically sharpened single-use hooks are higher grade and sharper, but also more expensive.  4. Decide on the hook gap. Bigger bait requires a bigger gap in the hook.  5. Use treble hooks for dough bait.  6. Determine cover. Use a weedless hook in weedy or mossy areas.  7. Choose between a "snelled" hook and a loose hook. Snelled hooks are pre-rigged for tying directly to the angler's line; loose hooks hold dough or softer bait. There are other methods of catching fish  WITHOUT  using live bait Click Here for LURE FISHING   If the Back Button Does Not Work, CLICK HERE It is important that people who fish follow all fishing rules and regulations. These rules help conserve fish populations and also help anglers be successful. Regulations may limit the size of, number of, and season that a type of fish may be caught, and may require a license to fish. In some cases, only “catch and release” fishing is allowed, which means the fish must be let go. Some bait is illegal in certain areas. Contact your state wildlife agency by visiting Our Rules and Regulations Page. If you have any hints, suggestions, techniques or anything that you would like to share or have me put onto this web page, please feel free to Email me Copyright © Jon's Images, Inc. All rights reserved This website is the composition of many hours of research. Information contained within this site has come from numerous sources such as websites, newspapers, books, and magazines. No animals were harmed in the making of this site.   Please direct website  comments or questions to webmaster DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ - By printing, downloading, or using you agree to our full terms. If you do not agree to the full terms, do not use the information. We are only publishers of this material, not authors. Information may have errors or be outdated. Some information is from historical sources or represents opinions of the author. It is for research purposes only. The information is "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS". User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. 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