Do any of you prefer live bait in the BW during the fall or some other time? I had poor fishing last fall with lures, but it may have been just a bad time to fish.

I prefer live bait most of the time. Although artificials can help you cover more water, when they're not aggressive I like a slower,controlled, precise presentation which a slip bobber + leech/nightcrawler/minnow/sucker allows.

If fish are actively feeding, you'll catch more with lures, as you'll cover more water. If fish are neutral or off feeding, bait is best. I use both and often switch back and forth, trying to determine what's best at that moment at that spot.

A couple days back, we fished from 2 to 3. It was a terrible time to fish, as it was sunny and hot, but my partner, casting lures, caught 11, while I, fishing bait, only caught 2. Other times, I caught many more than him while using bait.

I think live bait is better. I agree that with lures you can cover more water, and thats why I prefer to fish live bait using a more active presentation. I like to drift or slow troll leeches/minnows/crawlers behind a little joe type spinner rig. The spinner rig allows me to cover alot of water, and gets the job done for me.

Good things come to those who bait.

quote Beaverjack: "Do any of you prefer live bait in the BW during the fall or some other time? I had poor fishing last fall with lures, but it may have been just a bad time to fish."

I almost always prefer Live bait. In the fall though big minnows have been the best for me. The fish are fattening up and looking for big bait to eat expending the least amount of energy--sort of like me on Thanksgiving :)

Fall can be hit or miss as well so it might have been your timing and not your presentation. When you find the fish in the fall it can bethe best and biggest fish of the year but it is easy to have bad day as well---high risk = high reward.

With all that being said--in the fall trolling large cranks can be the most productive technique for both size and numbers on some days. ONe year we did well with minnows on a reef 12-15' deep for 2 days then nothing--on a whim we started trolling and couldn't keep the walleyes off the cranks. They had just moved off the reefs and into the deeper water basins followign the baitfish as we could see clouds on the depth finder. They went form being 12-15' to 22-26' deep and suspened within a day. You just never know what is goign to work the best so I try not to get married to a technique before I go on a trip.

T

I prefer to fish lures whenever I can catch fish with them, which seems to be most of the open water period. Fishing with artificial lures takes more than just casting them out and reeling them in though.

I mostly fish live bait early in the Walleye season and through the ice.

Some people on this site hear the word fishing and just think Walleye fishing. For Walleyes, live bait is the most consistent way to catch numbers by far. For Bass, Northerns and Lake Trout that is not necessarily the case imo.

The only time I've ever used live bait in the canoe country has been when seeking walleyes in the BWCA in summer, or when using a tip-up for lakers through the ice in winter.

In Quetico you can catch plenty of any species of fish on lures.

Live bait for sure!

quote Beaverjack: "Do any of you prefer live bait in the BW during the fall or some other time? I had poor fishing last fall with lures, but it may have been just a bad time to fish."

We were up on the Gunflint last year in mid-September. Fishing was the worst I've encountered in the BW. We tried minnows, crawlers and a wide assortment of lures. Hate to say this, but neither produced many fish. We also had windy conditions that limited where we could fish and the weather was one continuous string of cold fronts. Sometimes, they just don't bite.

Very early spring and late fall when fishing walleyes or crappies is about the only time when I might use bait more than lures. I will go to leeches when the walleyes arent hitting lures also.

quote Beaverjack: "Do any of you prefer live bait in the BW during the fall or some other time? I had poor fishing last fall with lures, but it may have been just a bad time to fish."

I catch 90% of my fish on live bait, so I always spend more time fishing with live bait. I think fishing in the fall is feast or famine. I've had great days and lousy days in the fall. If the water is cold, leeches bunch up and don't work as well as minnows or crawlers. My brothers and I do a fins and feathers trip in October. Grouse hunting and fishing. We usually have better luck with the feathers.

When I fish, I have two rods setup. A live bait rig and a lure rig. I spend more time fishing with the live bait setup, and I catch the most fish with it. In May I felt like live bait was slightly favored for walleye/pike/perch. In June, it felt like there was no difference for walleye/pike/sm bass/perch/crappies. A few days ago, I could only catch pike with the artificials, while the walleye and sm bass attacked leeches and worms.

Live bait is my bread and butter. Top waters for morning and evening smallies and shad raps for pike.

quote blutofish1: "Live bait is my bread and butter. Top waters for morning and evening smallies and shad raps for pike."

I often catch smallies on top water in the middle of the day. It's weird, but it often works.

Live bait is always better if they weren't, lures wouldn't be made to imitate them. BUT! There is always exceptions to the rules and most of them have been mentioned above.

So to answer your question if live bait is available and practical try it. If it don't work try the artificial's or the other way around. I should have been a politician with that answer.:)


JB

Liny rigging....do you use a 3 way and what kind of weight would you drop off for a slow troll?

quote missmolly: "

quote blutofish1: "Live bait is my bread and butter. Top waters for morning and evening smallies and shad raps for pike."

I often catch smallies on top water in the middle of the day. It's weird, but it often works."

I also did well with top water in the middle of the day. And to my surprise seemed to do better in areas where the water surface was not smooth. Middle of the day and rough water seems like the wrong situation for good top water action. I definitely will try it again though.