Does anything beat live worms?
I went three or so days being skunked trying out a Johnson beetle spin and a fly lure in new spots, as well as a plastic grub. The first day I return to my usual spot and use earthworms, I catch like 15 sunfish(the most productive fishing session I've ever had).
Is anything better than worms? I only ask because of how dispensable they are, I find myself restocking 12-packs frequently and I assume good, quality lures/baits would last longer. But even so, do plastic-equivalents beat the bite-rate of fresh, living worms?
Alternatively, if I could buy live worms in bulk I would love that as well lol.
edit: I've read some more and found that wax worms are just as, if not more effective, than earthy worms. Would fake wax worms work just as well or nah? I'm really skeptical of imitative bait because I've failed to catch anything with them.
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by PanzerWafer
If you’re looking to catch more than sunfish, then you should migrate out of your comfort zone. Fishing is all about trial and error, what works and what doesn’t.
The tricky thing is, a certain color or size can make or break a lure for a day. Sometimes fish want one thing and sometimes another. I would suggest looking up videos on how to work the certain lures you have, the way you’re working them can also be a big factor.
I personally farm worms and use them to catch big bluegill for eating or for use in catfish bait.
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by PoopaScoopaFTW
Thanks for the advice. For murky/marsh waters, what colour bait do you think fish would be attracted to?
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by PanzerWafer
You want something bright. Chartreuse, White, orange, neon. Stuff like that grabs attention.
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by PoopaScoopaFTW
For lures, the advice I’ve seen is darker colors (like black and blue) or whites/ bright colors are better in dirtier water since they give more of a shadow, and more natural colors (like green pumpkin or watermelon) are better in clear water
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by Cheetokps
For murky water you want to use darker colors like black or dark green
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by literally_a_goldfish
It depends if you want to cast out and let it sit there while you relax or if you want to actively be casting and covering water with lures. If it’s not live bait, you’ll have to move it and give it action because it won’t have a natural action or much of a scent
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by Cheetokps
I'm a beginner just like you and was in your boat a few months ago thinking that it seems impossible that anything could beat live bait. What changed my mind is wacky rigged senko sticks. I've caught at least one fish every session I used it. I don't know if it's because of the confidence that little bit of success gave me or not but now I have also caught fish on spinners and spoons. Keep trying, you'll catch fish without worms as well.
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by italophile
1" Gulp Alive minnows. Better than worms? No, but as good... you won't be able to keep the panfish off your hook. You'll be surprised at the number of bass that bite on 'em too. In June I caught an 8 lb catfish on the 1" minnows and 3# test line on my ultralight rig. THAT was a fun day :)
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by Racklefrack
I second that, just started using the 1” minnow as a replacement for worms and I love it. I target smallmouth bass
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by lucasnn
If you’re just looking to catch sunfish, I’d keep fishing with worms, as they’re the most effective bait for them, however the Berkley Powerbait Floating worm might be a good artificial alternative, so might those wax worms. Another lure you can buy is a pack of Trout Magnets, they work great for sunfish and they’re pretty cheap. I don’t know if you can but worms in bulk, so you’ll have to stick with buying 12 packs or foraging them. Hope this helps.
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by The_Casual_Angler7
Crickets will beat worms for me any day for pan fish. Cricket, tiny splitshot, #12-#8 hook under a small weighted bobber its my go to for non stop action.
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by Marblemuffin53
Worms will always catch you the most fish, the problem is you'll struggle to catch anything other than bluegill or rock bass.
Sometimes I grab a bucket of worms, and toss out a hook and bobber to just see what's out there and other times if I'm specifically targeting bass I'll rig up a texas rig Senko which I can usually catch a fish or two a session with. It just depends if I'm in the mood to work lures for bigger fish or sit back and drown worms.
Try looking into worm grunting, you can catch your own worms using a grunting stick.
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by uh_Ross
There's a guy on youtube PigPatrolTV who uses nitecrawlers quite frequently and he'll get multiple species. It's also in the presentation. He uses other stuff but those worms work really well for him for quite a few outings.
I think it depends on what you are fishing for and what type of water. The live worm just happens to work in a lot of different scenarios.
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by 5everlonely
Yeah minnows.
Worms are great, but I catch a lot of catfish, sheepshead, and suckers on worms.
Switch your live bait to minnows and you'll catch everything!
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by cybertoothlion
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