Guys,
Usual dumb question from me ... :-)

As I go out in my yard each evening, I am stepping over dozens and dozens of live june beetles. Now bitten by the fishing bug, I always ask myself ... can this be used as bait?

Well? Anyone ever tried a hard-shelled june bug as bait?

Neil

Just wondering,,,are you a yankee???

I was digging for worms yesterday and dug up a june bug and was wondering the same thing. I believe the larvae stage of the june bug is the grubworm. They are excellent bait. I think I might try to use a junebug for bait and see what happens. I'll keep you posted. One thing I have learned about fishing (and life) is that you have to keep an open mind.


t

Considering the way bream, bass and sometimes catfish will suck bugs off the top of the water, I think they might work out fairly well if you just tossed them out and let them float around and struggle.

FishyBoy ...

Hmmm ... A yankee ... nope ...

I am from Scotland though ...

what was the clue that I wasn't a native southerner?

YES SIR, I GUESS THE SECRET IS OUT NOW. HOTTEST BAIT AVAILABLE BUT ONLY IF PRETREATED WITH A SPECIAL LIGHT.

I HAVE A LARGE SUPPLY OF SPECIALLY TREATED ONES AVAILABLE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. ONLY $1.50 PER DOZEN.

CONTACT ME FOR A FRESH SUPPLY DAILY.

ERNEST

Not June bugs but I did use some little fuzzy caterpillars that use to pop out every year in the spring when I was kid. These were the kinds kids use to keep as pets since they were kinda cute, unless they got in you pecan trees. Think they were tent caterpillars. Anyhow I saw some falling in a local pond and watched them disappear as soon as they hit the water. Put 2 and 2 together and went home and got a cane pole with a small hook/no wieght and proceeded to catch some of the biggest bull bream I had ever seen. If in doubt, take some to a local pond and toss 'em on the water and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Keep it in the water

We had this discussion Saturday night so we decided to try it. Put a june bug on and in about ten minutes caught a small channel cat. I dont think it is the best cat bait but they will eat them. My brother was telling me about a guy at work who said he has a light close to his pond. The junebugs fall in the water and he says the cats come up and munch away on them....

who ever thought of naming "june bugs" when the come out in APRIL? old question but always... (lol..) 'BUGS' me... (sad, world...)

Hey Kujo, in answer to your question, I'm originally from Iowa, and up there they come out in June. When I moved here I was surprised to see them in April.


------------------
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UADXAvoX7s9ZgpxK5UwWhJT24u0A8ZvJTnq0eyC7wNu5!CBKvGdG0nc1fD1SZoIX3Y*7gc0xZzmgzR*99NjOMfKCD1W4tDGeE5qxBmbGg44AYfxgj3zZnoyCOBkccDgZ/RoadRunner-18.jpg?dc=4675400504701073152[/img]

Kolban,,,I hope you were not offended at my post as I was only kidding you. Welcome to Texas pardner.

Actually there were out by the last week of march this year and the blue bonnets seem early as well...... hope this doesnt mean we are in for a rough summer....

This is known as matching the hatch. Grasshoppers work too. Pretty much any seasonal bug will catch fish.

Here's a tip for using bugs. Put a bobber about 2' from the hook. This is just for added weight for casting. A water filled bobber works best.

Wax the line from the bobber to the hook. This will make the line float.

Now use a size to match the bait. Instead of putting the hook through the bug, use a very small rubber band to attach the bug to the hook. This will make the bug lively longer. You can't do this with catapillers, but it works well on June bugs and Grasshoppers.

In the summer I take an insect net with me. The kids catch bugs while I fish with them.

Bugs are good for catfish too. In the summer mornings, the catfish will be cruising the banks looking for dead grasshoppers.

------------------
Tight lines,
Steve-O

its a shame how kids cool hyper active children, everytime i go out and there is some family there, the kids are either fishing (or getting something done by parents), digging for worms, catching bugs, or circling around someones catch flopping around the floor as they try to remove the hook but get terrified as it moves more...this one parent had his kids in a bank of a lake swimming with goggles finding lost hardbaits! but the kids didnt get hooked, they seemed old enough to know that hooks hurt, but didnt know that you can fish and not get hurt and have more fun too! *past observations*

since junebugs stink so much, has anyone ever thought of using them as part of a homemade catfish stinkbait? a little garlic, dead minnows, rotten cheese and salt could be a recipe for success. please send royalty checks for my idea payable to michael todd.