There is little doubt that live bait is an extremely effective way to catch large amounts of fish. It takes time to get used to, and it isn’t for the faint of heart, but the die-hard fishing fan will quickly recognize its benefits. For those of you who love getting out on the water all day and coming home with enough to feed a family, Woody’s Sports Center in Port Aransas, TX, would like to share some of their favorite types of live bait and what they’re good for catching:

• Madtoms: Madtoms are tiny catfish, which are particularly attractive to smallmouth bass. You can find them in rocky streams, usually hiding underneath rocks. Also known as “stonecats,” madtoms are hard to find, but once you capture a few, they will last a long time as live bait. Just be careful of their poisonous spines.
• Hellgrammites: You can also use insects as live bait, including the hellgrammite, the larval form of the Dobson fly. You might find a few hellgrammites if you’re looking for madtoms, as they tend to hide under rocks as well. Fish with hellgrammites if you’re fishing in a rocky river and want to catch catfish, trout, or bass.

• Minnow: Are you interested in catching a large fish, like a bass, trout, catfish, or striper? Stop by your local tackle shop in Port Aransas, and buy a bucket of minnows, or ask them for a mesh minnow cage, so you can catch your own. One way to use a minnow is to let it swim near the shallows under a bobber. You can continue using a minnow when it no longer swims by casting it out and reeling it, giving it the appearance of being alive.

• Crayfish: Just about every species of fish will be attracted to crayfish, which you can find in fresh water, either hiding under rocks or in the mud. You can use them as live bait in drift fishing, or by weighting them with split shot.

• Shad: If you love open water fishing and want to catch something huge, like a striped bass or blue catfish, you’ll be better off fishing with shad. One of the most effective ways to use this live bait is drift fishing, with or without a float.

Do you need live bait, or do you want to go fishing on a chartered boat ride? Stop by Woody's Sports Center in Port Aransas, TX. For more information, give your local tackle shop a call at (361) 749-5252, or visit the website.