# Cricket how to?



## SCal (Jun 27, 2016)

Hope ya'll can help me with some cricket information. What crickets and what hooks should I be using?

I've gotten crickets at three different stores. They always end up being small tan anemic looking. Is there a place to get larger crickets around Freeport, Carryville, DeFuniak Springs, Crestview areas? 

I bought some small wire hooks and could not get a cricket to stay on the hook. It may be that I'm accustomed to those big crickets that we catch in the yard at times. But don't see many of those.

I ended up getting frustrated and throwing the crickets in the water as chum. And that didn't even work.

Help?


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

I don't know what's available in your area but yeah pretty much all bait crickets are the tan ones. But I use fat ones , perhaps whoever you are buying them from isn't feeding and watering them as they should.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

The bait shops around DeFuniak get their crickets from the same supplier. Sometimes they are small and sometimes larger. With the season on right now and demand high most are small. 

Crickets will keep for a week or more very well if you feed them. That's what I do and they get fatter within a few days. The best thing to fatten them up fast is a piece of orange and change it when it looks to need changing. 
Also, I will feed them extra fine cornmeal and water in tiny containers. Other times when I know I will be using them in a day or two I just put a piece of cut potato in the box.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

yep, me n daddy used to get a whole bunch of those lil ones. leave potatoes in the cages, by the weekend they were fat n sassy.

Use a #6 hook, under the collar, very small bb shot up the line 'bout 6-8".
Good bream bait when used slash fishing. I prefer a tight line, no bobber.


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## SCal (Jun 27, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. Feeding them had never crossed my mind. The "big ones" I mention are actually grasshoppers. I'll give fattening them up a try. 

When you tight line crickets do you cast out to cover/beds and let sink to the bottom? Or do you let the hang down from the boat? I've always used a bobber so that would be new to me. Thanks again.


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

I have a cricket box at the house you can have if you wanna buy in bulk and grow them yourself. Gonna burn it next time I light a fire if not.


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## kmerr80 (Oct 28, 2013)

Splittine said:


> I have a cricket box at the house you can have if you wanna buy in bulk and grow them yourself. Gonna burn it next time I light a fire if not.


Post a pic of said box please. I might be interested since I still want one of those bamboo poles you offered a while back (if you still got em) Got to make a trip to Defunk real soon so I could swing over your way

If op doesn't want it


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

SCal said:


> Thanks for the replies. Feeding them had never crossed my mind. The "big ones" I mention are actually grasshoppers. I'll give fattening them up a try.
> 
> When you tight line crickets do you cast out to cover/beds and let sink to the bottom? Or do you let the hang down from the boat? I've always used a bobber so that would be new to me. Thanks again.


Others may have a different definition and approach, but what I call slash fishing is a controlled drift using a tight-line presentation. I'll drop the cricket/worm into likely spots controlling the depth and sink rate by slowly lowering the line further into the water, like dipping it into a pool to see how deep it is.

Give it a couple seconds, maybe a slight jigging motion. No action, keep moving.

I always sling crickets off when trying to cast, it's more of a swinging motion. You can fish them at any depth within the water column just like any other bait.


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## SCal (Jun 27, 2016)

Splittine said:


> I have a cricket box at the house you can have if you wanna buy in bulk and grow them yourself. Gonna burn it next time I light a fire if not.


I appreciate the offer. But we are downsizing in anticipation of moving to 55 and over condo (or something). Don't think the neighbors would appreciate my cricket condo. LOL.


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

Hooking the cricket is an art form. I remember my grandmother could hook one with one hand while eating a sandwich with the other. She would sent the hook straight down thru the plate on its back behind the neck then rotate the hook and come back up thru the soft belly. She liked to tight line them with nothing but a hook and she would pinch off their back legs or they wouldnt sink!


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## SCal (Jun 27, 2016)

Sounds like the lady spent some time on the water with a pole in her hand. Bet she came home with a full stringer when she went fishing. Did she by any chance give you a recipe for chowder. I have a hankerin' for some good fish chowder.


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

No chowder. Her and my grandad ate lots of fried fish, fried steak and garden vegetables fresh or out of the freezer. My grandad would slice a tomato then cover it with salt till you couldn't see the red tomato. They were married for 74 years and both died in their 90s


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

I use a number 10 tru turn hook and thread the hook from their throat all the way to their tale. I have a great hook-up rate even with smaller bream and even creek chubs that I use for flathead bait.

Cut up a potato and put in their basket. They get water and food from the potato. 

I hardly ever fish a cricket on bottom. I like to keep them up off bottom a foot or two. But usually I start pretty shallow (1,2, or 3ft) and work my way deeper if needed. If i'm fishing bottom I use worms.


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

I too use a #10 hook, but I use Mustad #10 blued hooks. 1 or 2 split-shot and a pegged cork. I set at different depths and drift until I find them in open water. When I slash fish, it's the same rig, and I cast to areas I think may hold them. My "tight-line" is a #10 Mustad, 2 split shot and a egg weight sufficient to keep it where thrown, but small enough not to miss a hit. 
Hooking my cricket, I insert the hook point right behind the head, going underneath the shield/plate, and thread it down the middle of the body, all the way out the tail-end. 
I use rabbit pellets, soaked in water and placed in a quart jar lid with cotton balls and water. I use biddy crumbles (dry) for feed too. Also small potatoes cut in half, every day I cut about 1/4" slice off the top to get fresher potato meat/moisture for them. Mind you, I do not use all this together, just depends on how long I want to keep them alive. But a minimum, I put the cotton balls and water in the mason jar lid and sliced potatoes in the cricket box/basket, and remove it from the cricket box before I take them back fishing, to prevent injuries to them while transporting.


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## SCal (Jun 27, 2016)

Thanks for sharing the information. Soon as I can I'm hitting the river or pond. Fresh out of fish.


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## SCal (Jun 27, 2016)

Try'n Hard said:


> No chowder. Her and my grandad ate lots of fried fish, fried steak and garden vegetables fresh or out of the freezer. My grandad would slice a tomato then cover it with salt till you couldn't see the red tomato. They were married for 74 years and both died in their 90s


My Granny and Grandad where farmers. Died in their 90's. Someone asked Grandad how Granny died. "To much lard and to much man for a young woman." He was frisky. Still active until one evening after supper he went out to sit on the porch and watch the sun set.


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

SCal said:


> Thanks for sharing the information. Soon as I can I'm hitting the river or pond. Fresh out of fish.


I tore them up this past weekend. Fishing a private lake/pond. Caught 15 bass early Sunday morning. They were killing the plastic worms. Largest was around 7 pounds, average was 4-5 lbs. Seen larger ones swim by, but they had lock-jaw. Wouldn't hit nothing, not even live bait stuck at their nose. The Bream were hitting 5" top-waters and they were nailing it. They'd just pop at the smaller plugs, but wouldn't hit/lock on it? Gonna take crickets tomorrow morning and slay them. But I toss them after catching. I catch and release. I just like fishing. I caught a 13 pounder last year. I felt bad about keeping her, had to, she kept bobbing the top of the water, even after aerating her 3 separate times. I'll try and post a pic later. Lost 2 bigger ones that same day, 1 broke the line, the other wrapped up on a few stumps and pulled loose.


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## DLo (Oct 2, 2007)

CurDog said:


> I tore them up this past weekend. Fishing a private lake/pond. Caught 15 bass early Sunday morning. They were killing the plastic worms. Largest was around 7 pounds, average was 4-5 lbs. Seen larger ones swim by, but they had lock-jaw. Wouldn't hit nothing, not even live bait stuck at their nose. The Bream were hitting 5" top-waters and they were nailing it. They'd just pop at the smaller plugs, but wouldn't hit/lock on it? Gonna take crickets tomorrow morning and slay them. But I toss them after catching. I catch and release. I just like fishing. I caught a 13 pounder last year. I felt bad about keeping her, had to, she kept bobbing the top of the water, even after aerating her 3 separate times. I'll try and post a pic later. Lost 2 bigger ones that same day, 1 broke the line, the other wrapped up on a few stumps and pulled loose.


If you need a ride to this pond, I'll drive..


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

Okay, here's the Big'un, and I have a Big Fist. Plenty of room left in thar.... Those Big'un Brim were hitting full-size Bass Topwaters. These are 2 separate pics of bass. Bottom bass is about 5 lbs.


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

DLo said:


> If you need a ride to this pond, I'll drive..


I'll let you tag along one day if you want.


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## ironman (Oct 18, 2007)

I use a small light wire hook. Make sure the barb of the hook comes out the other side or the cricket will crawl right off. Most of the time I start at the belly and come out at the head.


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