combine a leadhead jig and a plastic worm and you have two of the best bass lures all in one bait. charlie brewer made a significant impact on jigworm fishing in 1970 when he developed his original regular slider head jig and adorned it with a 4-inch plastic worm. during the mid-1970s, danny westfall of arizona created the westy worm which featured either a 4-inch or 6-inch worm attached to a jig with a stinger hook. the shaky head worm …

minnows are the best bait for trout in my opinion. shiners are a great trout bait for ice fishing and soft-water fishing. they are hardy baits that can remain alive for a long time with a size 2 hook through the lip. they are soft and give trout a great texture to grab onto. i catch a lot of rainbow and brook trout using this technique. for a complete guide to using freshwater shrimp as trout bait, check out this …

a livewell full of frisky, live bait fish can be a dangerous thing for the species you’re seeking. on the first drift that bait yielded a sailfish; it was a great start to a day that ultimately produced a few kingfish, blackfin tuna and a dolphin. that knowing how to bait a hook can make all the difference, especially when you’re fishing with live bait fish. this is ideal for surface live-baiting, such as when drifting offshore, around bait schools, …

lake trout can be jigged at just about any time of year, but later in the summer the conditions are ideal to find trout stacked up on deep water structure. the best approach for jig fishing lake trout on structure is to use digital mapping aids to get the boat over structure. similar to how an ice fisherman might tease a walleye or panfish into biting, lake trout can be fished the same way in deep water using active target …

there’s both an art and a science to baitfishing, part of which involves knowing to use the right bait in the right way at the right time. hook a 3-inch sculpin through the lips with a size 4 bait hook and add enough split shot 18 inches above the hook to make the bait bump -bottom as it drifts downstream. alternatively, hook a fathead by its lips to the back of a small crappie jig, and dip vertically without a …