| Bait Type |
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Target Fish |
Usage Notes |
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Bass Minnows |
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Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Pike, Walleye, Crappie, Striper, Trout, Catfish |
Best used when water temperatures rise, after ice-out. |
| Crappie Minnows |
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Crappie, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Catfish |
An all-season bait for smaller predatory firsh. Highly effective for cold water fishi.ng. |
Shiners
(Fathead Minnows) |
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Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Trout |
A larger bait for larger fish, Bass can be expecially aggressive towards them in the Spring, during breeding season.. |
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Nightcrawlers
(Earthworms) |
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Bluegill, Crappie, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Trout, Catfish, Carp |
Universal appeal to a wide variety of fish species. Nightcrawlers can be rigged in several different styles to be effective in many different situations. |
| Red Worms |
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Bluegill, Crappie, Panfish, Trout |
Appeal to a large variety of smaller species. Effective for trout in moving streams. |
Wax Worms
(Bee Larva) |
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Crappie, Bluegill, Sunfish, Perch, Trout |
Soft texture makes them irrestible to many panfish. Popular for ice fishing. Better action than spikes. Effective in weedy areas. |
Spikes
(Bottlefly Larva) |
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Crappie, Bluegill, Sunfish, Perch, Trout |
Tougher than wax worms, hold onto the hook better than waxies. An ice fishing staple. Must be kept refridgerated. |
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| :Leeches |
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Bass, Walleye, Bluegill |
A valuable food source for many predatory freshwater fish. Bass are particularly fond of leeches and actively hunt them. |
| Shrimp |
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Catfish, Bass, Walleye, Pike |
Excellent catfish bait. Work best in water temperatures below 70 degrees. |
Liver
(Chicken Liver) |
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Catfish, Striped Bass |
Strong scent makes it a popular catfish bait. Important to secure the liver to the hook using basket method or pantyhose so that it is not easily sucked off the hook. |