If worked properly will artificials generate as many strikes as live bait?
Cant decide wether to use both or one or the other next week when I'm there

Good Question. Be prepared for both. If the Trout/Reds are feeding aggressively your good for artficals. But several times I have found Trout/Reds that would take a live shrimp and not hit a spoon, plastic or any artifical. The way it was explained to me they would take the shrimp because it was offered and no chase involved. The times this has happened the Trout/Reds are usally full at the time but ain't going to pass up an easy meal. I enjoy the thrill and sport of catching fish on artificals but, if I'm after fillets I'll have some live bait on board. Also I always have my cast net in the boat. Live finger mullet,piggy perch or croakers can save the day.

BINGO!!!

I find fish with bait then when i locate ill try to lures

Good info from the other posts.
But...................... in July had SonOne and a newby buddy fishing west side of CC bay. I had brought back a self imosed half limit of trout using live shrimp a few days before.
We got out there and fished with live shrimp/Alameda float usually a solid choice to find and catch fish.
3 fishermen, total catch along that area for us........1 trout and 1 skippy.
Had a guy fishing between us and the shore using a jigged paddle tail Cocahoe and was burning the plastic and caught 7 keepers that I know of, maybe more. Caught some undersized as well.
Plastic out caught live bait that morning, there was no tide moving and I'm thinking the trout were reaction biting to a fast moving bait buzzing by them, much like a cat does on moving things. They sure didn't like a nice live shrimp hanging around them.
That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Could be I was just the lousiest fishermen that day.

I have been that fisherman more than once. It's good for the soul.

Rig for both, it never hurts to go both ways. Find what's hot and go with it. In thge saltwater world you have to be flexible and a great multi-tasker. Rig one with live shrimp one with live croaker free line it and use your spare time throwing a gold spoon w/pink tab or glow w/fire tail DOA shrimp. Early mornin about sun-up to about 8:00 am use cc super spook "clown" color you will limit out. Hit the grass line early morning w/topwater buy a few. I lost two last weekend great fishing never fish deeper than 7 feet. Know your bottom contour stay on the shell bottom.

I like to find my fish drifting with artificials and then I can wade or anchor on them with croaks. Call me cheap but I cant stand to jump out of the boat with that expensive live bait and end up catching hardheads or nothing.

Call me crazy but I love it when I come home with a cooler full of hardheads. They are one of the best tasting fish.

You're Crazy!!!!!!

LOL...

Most of the time they will hit arty's as good as live bait... there is an occasional time that they won't eat anything unless it's a Livey.

The focus realy isn't is one better than the other... it should be "am I on Fish" ?

if you are in fish then most of the time you can get them to hit either a top, suspender, or plastic. Many times the fish are in a school less than 30-40 yards wide... so if you don't know how to key in and use sign to really hone in on them ... yes someone with plastic 50yrds away can smoke you... I really don't care if you use live or hardware... but take the opportunities to really learn to read the water and find the fish by using sign. how to do that... well several ways... Get the TroutSupport DVD's is one of them, go with guides, go with buddies that know how for sure, read books... on of the best is to combine getting the DVD's with one of the above because you'll see it in the vid and then you'll see them do it and it will give you a real mental pic that will be engrained in your brain.

We built our videos so you can see what to look for and know how to respond to it to key in on the fish and weed out unproductive water... check out the free clips on the website http://www.troutsupport.com

My problem is that artificials are too much work at my age. I went to the Galveston jetties with nothing bot Bingos, mostly King Bingos back in the 60s. People looked at me as if I were crazy when I was going out, but not at the cleaning tables.

Some good posts and advice here.

Most anglers I know like to fish with both live and artificial, and both on the same trip.

Locate structure or know where it is: reefs, points of reefs, where the mud meets the shell of the reef, like I discuss in the CBSR� DVD which can be applied to your own bay system when reef hunting, and when the bait is present - the fishing is usually catching.

Then have fun catching on either live or artificial.

Everything loves shrimp - so you'll have to deal with that.

Trout love croaker this time of year - but so do slimey Gafftops - so you'll have to deal with that.

Color of your artificials will be your biggest hurdle, but once you find out or know what color they want - "IT's ON" !!!

I never ever sling meat, my neighbor never ever throws hardware...he nets his own croakies, and here's the tally after a year of unscientific results....

September through April, I wear him out... May through August I still wear him out on reds, but he's killing me on trout numbers. So, take that as you will...

I sometimes catch more fish on arties but I always catch bigger fish on arties and almost never catch trash. I can promise you that I've never caught a danged hardhead on arties.