# How do you catch your live bait?



## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

My hope that I could buy shiners didn't pan out. Catching live bait has always been a chore for me. You can't use a trap to catch bream and you can only use those that you personally caught. It amazes me that Cathunter has enough bait to fish like he does. How do you guys catch enough bait?


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Catching bait has ruined most of the epic catfish trips I've planned. I tried making some traps for bullheads and caught 2 baby turtles lol.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

You're just gonna have to become a good bream fisherman. That's all I know to tell ya. Cathunter is a great catfisherman because he's a great bream fisherman...and I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing. Don't look at the bait catching as a chore. Enjoy fishing for bait and you'll catch more bait.

I'm primarily a saltwater fisherman, and plan A for me is always bait fishing. I may spend the first 2 hours of the day wearing myself out with a cast net or hook/line...but I love that aspect of fishing. I simply love catching bait, and I always find my bait.


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

Has anyone tried using mullet as cut bait? I never seem to catch enough bream and usually run out by midnight. If anyone considers themselves a bream expert and would be willing to teach please let me know.


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

We tried mullet and menhaden without a nibble last time. I want to take a sabiki and try that one time for bream.


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Catching bait is what keeps me from flathead fishing more, it can be a pain especially when those fishing with you are not good bream fisherman. In my experiences when we catch less bait we catch more flatheads, but when we have a live well full of live bream we can't buy a bite...If you can find a few small creeks that hold bream that will help you get some bait before hitting the river.

Also when the river is right it's usually not a problem to catch some 3-6" river roaches with my umbrella net, I like those for everything.


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

TFRIZZ30 said:


> Has anyone tried using mullet as cut bait? I never seem to catch enough bream and usually run out by midnight. If anyone considers themselves a bream expert and would be willing to teach please let me know.


If fishing with R&R use fresh cut bait from a bream, the heads work good too..you can sacrifice one good bream for several good chunks of cut bait. But to answer your question mullet works good for channels and polywogs.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

I've had good luck with frozen cigar minnows.


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

As said above, to be a great catfisherman, you have to first master bream fishing. 

Locate several good places to catch bait. If you have just one, it will let you down when time comes to get bait from there. Find you several ponds and creed bridges that look like they may hold bream. I would put a cooler in the back of my truck and ride around to creek bridges and usually do pretty good. If I could rob a friends pond then I'd go there and throw my net. 

I wouldn't suggest ever planning on catching bait on the same trip you plan to use the live bait. It very seldom works out. I would try and catch up my live bait days or weeks before using them. I built a huge bait tank out of an old deep freezer so I would just throw them in there when I was ready to go I would have bait. If any died, I'd throw them in the freezer to use as cut bait if I got in a jam when I ran out of live bait.

Using live bait is work, but well worth the ROI.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

For shad - I use a 6' bait net and troll with my trolling motor looking for a shad to flicker the top of the water.... if you can get there soon enough there will be 20 under him. I also will use the same method using the fish finder - as soon as I see a good school I throw to the right of the boat - 50/50 chance on guessing which side of the boat they are on. Shad is the ideal bait for all catfish except flatheads, but ive caught plenty of flatheads on them.


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

I wonder if pinfish will live in my bait tank? The bay is mostly fresh water.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

.....I kinda doubt it.
Sorry your having so much trouble, My dad always says when you cant catch bait, they are hiding because the (bigger) fish are biting. If he ever fills his net on the first throw - he frowns and says "uhoh" they aint gonna bite today!
Having them in a tank - will be good. If you have gotta have bream - knowing somebody with a little pond or knowledge of a little roadside creek, I think you could mop up with worms and a cane pole!


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