The best live bait for bass fishing in my opinion is crawfish overall. In this video my friend and client target primarily Smallmouth bass on Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto using live crawfish that we trapped near the mouth of the Humber River. Let me know your thoughts on what you think is the best live bait for bass fishing in the comments. The best live bait for bass in summer can vary from late fall though and it also depends on the region you’re fishing in. For example the best live bait for bass in ponds where tad polls and frogs are really abundant, the best bait would probably be tad polls and frogs. But overall and from season to season it’s hard to beat live crawfish or crayfish when it comes to bass fishing with live bait. Another great thing about live bait fishing is that it can teach you a lot about what lures to throw and what size of lure to use. When big live bait isn’t working try a smaller live bait even when targeting trophy bass. Hopefully the tips in this video help you catch a giant!
Here's some extra details not covered in the video...
BEST BAIT SETUP FOR BASS
For pitching super light live crawfish I personally like extremely 'gummy' action rods. For rods we were using a 6'6" ML Ultralight St. Croix Avid and a 6'10" St. Croix Legend Extreme Dropshot Rod paired with a Shimano Stradic 2000. I personally preferred the Avid setup. In this video I was using a Daiwa certate 2000 with 6lb Suffix Nanobraid ( found in this months subscription box by TACKLE BOX LOTTERY ) and 6 feet 8lb bps fluorocarbon for a leader joined by an FG knot. And it was the same line set up for the Stradic.
The gummy rods and and light nano braid allowed us to pitch light weightless craws into tight places where a lot of the smallmouth were hiding on this particular day. The Gummy rods are also ideal for the thin wire hooks that I like using with live craw. The softer rod won't bend the hook out and all you have to do is reel into the fish with light wire hooks. Bigger hooks could require and heavier hook set and a heavier rod ( not ideal for the situations we were catching them in).
We also caught a bunch of fish on a 1/16th oz Ned Rig and Nishine Lure Works Drop Shot Minnow. Many of our catches were not shown because the editor ( me, lol) thought the video would drone on for too long if we were to show all the fish caught ( sound was also scuffed for a few of the fish clips, lol ).
BEST NED RIG SET UP
For Ned Rig set up we were using a 6'8" MXF St Croix Legend Tournament rod paired with a 2500 Stradic Ci4. The line preferred for this was 10lb Nanofil with a 10' -20' 8lb BPS fluorocarbon leader. I personally like a slightly longer leader with rods that are bit stiffer because the longer leader length reduces stress at knots and on the line.
BEST DROP SHOT SETUP
For drop shooting the NLW drop shot minnow I was using a 6'10" G Loomis GLX ML Drop Shot Rod from the 1990's ( so scuffed lol). I love this particular rod blank because of its "gummy" feel. At times Smallmouth Bass have a tendency to lightly peck a bait and drop it as soon as the feel too much pressure from stiffer rods and stiffer lines. August is definitely a month when I like smaller hooks ( not seen in this video because I ran out lol), softer rods and I also like running fluorocarbon direct. I like the combo of these three ingredients because....
1. it lets the fish peck the bait and hold onto it for longer
2. the smaller hook is not felt by the fish
3. the presentation is softer and more natural ( easier to trick skeptical fish )
Hopefully the video and info provided helps you out a bit if you ever try fishing this way. Please comment and or message me if you have any further questions.
I love hearing feedback and it only helps me get better as I go forward.... Always forward lol! xoxo TM
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