Predator Fishing

[Dales]

I am not trying to start a live or dead bait debate, that's a personal thing. You either do or you don't, but what does interest me are certain species off your bait list whether alive or dead for some emotional reason or it just seems wrong to you.

 

I ask because I often see skimmer Bream and Perch in tackle shops and have never used them because I fish for Bream and Perch and so it seems a little strange then to use even a dead one as bait. I think I would feel the same about using Tench or Carp. I don't do a great deal of fishing for Roach, Rudd etc and don't seem to hold them in the same high regard so don't give it a second thought.

 

When fishing in Thailand earlier this year, I told my guide that I wanted to use some live bait and so we stoped near the place we were going to fish to buy some live baits. While the guide haggled over price, I was admiring the Carp in the guys garden. They were stunning metalic Koi, we ended up agreeing 100 bhat a bait. The guide was not happy, but I was keen to get on fishing and we still had to go and buy some dead baits. So we agreed the guy would go get the baits and bring them to us in an hour or so.

 

Well I guess you can see where this is going, a while later the chap turns up with a giant bucket with a lid on. The guide takes the lid off and we have a bucket of stunning looking Koi. I used the bait but it seemed so strange, one of them even looked like one of the Koi in my pond Not sure what I should have expected, some how I just thought we would get generic fish and not fish I consider pets.

 

So do you have any of these weird ideas on fish for bait? Or is bait just bait and I should get over it and treble them up

[Dick Dastardly]

No not as such Dales (well any more any way!) as I consider it wrong to value the life of one species more than another.

 

My only preferences species wise are dictated by practical issues such as strength,silhouette,oxygen requirements etc.

[Dick Dastardly]

I am not trying to start a live or dead bait debate,

 

 

But I bet my fat backside it will turn into one! any takers?

[Andy_1984]

id use anything dead or live(where live baiting is allowed) but anything i would consider a "specimen" i wouldnt use as a live bait

Edited November 11, 2010 by Andy_1984

[Dales]

No not as such Dales (well any more any way!) as I consider it wrong to value the life of one species more than another.

 

My only preferences species wise are dictated by practical issues such as strength,silhouette,oxygen requirements etc.

 

 

I know it's a little stupid but most likely comes from been a keen fish keeper as a kid, when I kept a load of species including Bream and Perch.

 

But I think I could get over any reservations if I thought it would get me a 20 lb Pike

[Dick Dastardly]

id use anything dead or live(where live baiting is allowed) but anything I would consider a "specimen" i wouldnt use as a live bait

 

 

And quite right to mate.Simply not necessary and most wastefull.

[AddictedToScopex]

As I have never done livebaiting I dont think I could bring myself to stick a hook in a larger fish but something such as a minnow for perch I think I could handle. I would definetly agree with anything classed as specimen sized being off the list. So far the opportunity to do some livebaiting has not presented itself.

[watatoad]

But I bet my fat backside it will turn into one! any takers?

 

Are you kidding?

 

But not from me I have used both methods in the past and I fully intend to use both again.

 

If you use a maggot then accept that there is no difference between a maggot (it lives), a fish, a reptile or a mammal, you are only being governed by size and familiarity and possibly a touch of squeamishness towards maggots.

 

Almost all dead baits were alive once (plastic or manmade don't count as I do not think we should get into microbe and bacteria killing), someone had to kill them. Don't be a wussy do it yourself.

 

If it was legal I would have used mammals dead or alive it does not matter during the time I fished for the great white in the end I used me and a scuba set up I get less seasick underwater than I do in a boat although like many I hunted for many species between bouts of nausea on boats.

[Andy_1984]

And quite right to mate.Simply not necessary and most wastefull.

 

totaly, id much rather release them to pass on there genes. Its getting quite hard to get specimen roach up here.

 

came close this year almost netting one roach lookin around the 2lb mark with 3 others cruising around who promptly vanished when i hooked their mate.

[Dick Dastardly]

I know it's a little stupid but most likely comes from been a keen fish keeper as a kid, when I kept a load of species including Bream and Perch.

 

But I think I could get over any reservations if I thought it would get me a 20 lb Pike

 

No not stupid at all mate.Mine was a slow progressive change of heart.Initially I preferred not to live bait but I saw it was necessary in many cases.At first I wouldnt use carp or tench but happily used roach,dace or chub! But sense told me this wasn't really fair after all who was I to rate one species life higher than another? If it was acceptable to use a roach from where they were prolific then surely morally it was just as acceptable to use a carp from where they were. No these days I have no hang ups species/sentimentality wise but dont ever knock others personal choices.....just those that try and dictate what mine should be!

 

Your last comment is very true! When guiding I had several clients who didn't want to live bait full stop (this is pre pellet days) so I would set them up on worm or leech rigs........after watching their mates get a few fish they would gradually change their mind! It didn't take long and quite a few commented at the end of their trip that they would now use a baby if I said it would catch them a lump!