Using bait with lures/ plastics

[Ninja-Nic]

Every once in a while I look at books and recently found the Anglers Times series. They all seem quit interesting but I got myself the R&S bait guide as it seemed to be the most useful one for me.

 

[Ninja-Nic]

So many interesting presentations but this one caught my eye. Crayfish and camo worm. Has anyone tried this or something similar before, and how successful was it for you?

 

[RotsRot]

I've not tried that specific presentation but am certain it would work, i would think the smell of the bait would be especially helpful in dirty water / low-light conditions when it's harder for the fish to see the lure or or find it by homing in on vibration alone. In this application i'd say the lure / how you retrieve is still your primary attractant - i've only done the opposite (as pictured) - bait the primary attractant, with a skirt added to help make it more visible through colour / movement (skirt can also / usually is popped on top so it drapes over the bait). Works well in clear water, got several kob this way.
just my humble opinion though - lure fishing is about the challenge of tricking a fish into eating something that's not actually food at all, through appearance and action / vibration, so adding bait to it is kind of like cheating. but if i was struggling on the day / the water was very dirty i would resort to trying this before packing up and going home

 

[Ninja-Nic]

Thanks for the reply RotsRot.What you say makes a lot of sense!

I have a bunch of plastic squids/ skirts somewhere at home that I will try out at Umkomaas in the river mouth.

 

[RotsRot]

You're welcome! I used the glow-skirt pictured thinking it resembles chokka more, but have actually had the most success with pink, but not sure it would be the same up by you? - the vibe is very down here vs your world...

 

[Ninja-Nic]

I have pink ones, a few dark greens and some glow in the dark yellow and white skirts. Will definitely give them a try. Never though to rig the bait above the skirt - such a simple yet brilliant idea!

 

[EugeneC]

Adding squid skirts or similar to a bait, when you are bait fishing, makes sense. Adding bait to a lure and calling it lure fishing is fooling yourself. It would be like putting a worm on a trout fly and calling it fly fishing.

 

[Ninja-Nic]

EugeneC wrote:

Adding squid skirts or similar to a bait, when you are bait fishing, makes sense. Adding bait to a lure and calling it lure fishing is fooling yourself. It would be like putting a worm on a trout fly and calling it fly fishing.

Maybe, maybe not. Not everyone is a staunch purist. I sometimes enjoy trying new and different things. Sometimes they work. Sometimes I fish for fun. Different strokes for different folks

 

[Brandon p]

i enjoy cutting my chocka bait into strips and tying them with cotton to give them the shape of a lure before i attach it to the hook and then adding cutlets and only after bait attaching it to the hook i find the combination of movement and smell really helps i have tried the above before with the plastic blood worm and some mud prawns i pumped and the results was amazing .

 

[Ninja-Nic]

Brandon p wrote:

i enjoy cutting my chocka bait into strips and tying them with cotton to give them the shape of a lure before i attach it to the hook and then adding cutlets and only after bait attaching it to the hook i find the combination of movement and smell really helps i have tried the above before with the plastic blood worm and some mud prawns i pumped and the results was amazing .

I have some bristle worm somewhere at home and I pump cracker almost every week too so i'll definitely give that a try too. Thanks man!

 

[frank22]

i might just be a purist but if you lure fish , you only use a lure no fish oils or pastes or bait smeared on a lure.
rod , reel , line , leader and lure.