Controversial thread

Water dogs / Live bait for Bass fishing.
Let me start out by saying that I have used them and have caught a lot of fish on them.
I have never gut hooked our killed a Bass by fishing this way. I catch them and reales like everyone else does.
In my experience, it greatly increases your chances of catching quality fish.
In the past I have been criticized on this forum for fishing this way. I say to each it’s own.
I catch them take a quick pic and release. In my 40 years of fishing I can count on both hands the total amount of Bass
I have gut hooked and had to take home to eat. I do 99% of my fishing artificial lures, Just like to use live bait during the spring to catch a lunker. Some people think that live baits cheapens the catch.... Maybe coming from the people
With 3 graphs the size of TVs on their boat and the ones who put out corn feeders, then kill deer...
Just my thoughts....

Yeh. Not for me. To each his own. I’d rather learn how to fish better.

+1

I think just being out there fishing is a plus. Releasing the lunkers is even better. Don’t see any controversy in this at all.

It is what it is. You use a hook either way and reel the fish in. No it doesn’t take as much skill, but who’s to get mad at someone else for that?? And let’s remember state sets the limits. If it’s a legal bass you can mount it, or filet and eat it, or what ever. Thought it’s crazy to get mad at people for using live bait. And as for the it kills them argument. Maybe a few. Bet waaaaay more die in tournaments.

Heck ya, if you can still look yourself in the mirror and not sit down to pee than use them dawgs!!

Is there a benefit to using that bait over bluegill?
I dont have an issue with using live bait..
Like most of the folk here who shoot over corn and call it hunting...
I also dont sit to pee.

You have 7 posts on the TFF. In 7 posts, you have already drawn criticism? Or were you on the TFF under a different ID?

In all fairness only 2 of his 7 refer to using live bait. IMO that's 2 too many.

I predict this thread is gonna get “movie” good. Real quick.

I’ve used them to no regret except when they get swallowed whole. Lost too many bass gut hooked.

When I guided Fayette I used them regularly for clients who weren't used to bass fishing and for clients with kids. Nothing like watching a 7 year old catch a 5lb bass. I will say that I tried them at different lakes and had very limited success using them at lakes like Rayburn where nobody uses waterdogs. I tried them once at Bastrop and the bass would run off of a bed away from them. I'm not a purist. I don't fish tournaments and while I understand the skill required to catch a double-digit fish on an artificial lure, it's not a given that you can load the boat with 10 pounders using live bait. I enjoy fishing. One of the reasons I got out of guiding and bass fishing in general was the massive pressure on area lakes. I enjoy peace and solitude of being on the water. Following 5 boats on every shoreline isn't my idea of solitude.

photofishin, you mentioned you got out of guiding and bass fishing in general, but do you still fish fresh or salt sometimes just to get out? I only ask because I also enjoy the solitude and relaxation of being on the water even if fishing is slow.

Biggest bass in Texas came off a minnow.

Fished yesterday with a guide in Florida he gave us the choice at the beginning of the trip when we met him, live bait or artificial, we chose artificial. In Florida it’s normal . We boated 36 bass up to 8lbs. Wife caught the biggest.

I fish mainly offshore...although I'm headed to Rayburn on Thursday with my wife. Thankfully I'll be away from the weekend crowd a bit.

Live bait fishing isn't my bag, but there is a zero doubt it's one of the higher percentage approaches to catching a giant. Bill Murphy, Doug Hannon, John Hope. All these guys caught a pile of giant bass on live bait.

Go to you tube and search Roland Martins biggest bass he ever caught. Best bass fisherman ever in the history of the world and aliens. Caught it and lost it using LIVE BAIT. It’s fishing it doesn’t matter!! It’s personal choice. People just get mad because they choose not to and then see a live bait fisherman catch more and think it’s not sportsman like. You can’t change what’s ingrained in people. Black people used to have to use black only bathrooms. Some things are just retarded. Some people want to catch a bass and love it. So their smart like Roland who in his you tube story, took bread went to the stream caught 12” shiners, hooked that sucker on, and caught a 15 lber!

What about circle hooks, don't they keep the fish from getting gut hooked?

I still contend that a crappie ate that minnow and was eaten by the state record bass.

I have peed sitting down, and you know you have too.

while reading bassmaster and spooling 5 reels!

I see no "controversy".....just two different ways to fish.
Live bait or not.
Like car racing....lots of different formats, still racing.

As long as it is legal. All good.
I bet most learned to fish with live bait.

When we start looking down our noses at a man putting a minnow (Large or small) on a hook, its not his problem.

My two largest bass, a 10-3 and 8-2 were caught on a shad and a minnow while fishing for stripers and crappie respectively

Lets be honest, if we all were fishing our "best" we would be wading in the shallows with a sharpened stick.

mark bourassa, Is this your Idea of fun? Coming on the Forum every couple of years and posting about fishing with water dogs or Live bait in order to see who all you can stir up?
Please stop trying to be a Troll.

Jody

Pretty exciting watching bass chase a live perch in post spawn when the big females setup around perch beds. Maybe the easiest way to catch an 8+ other than sight fishing, which it's closely related.

I think about fishing with live bait all time, but I feel I can cover more water with artificial than live. And I never feel I am fishing in the right spot, so I am always moving. If you got the patience for live bait and can pick the right place to put it, you can catch a SAL. I don't and hope to catch a SAL on a giant piece of plastic.

If someone else wants to use live bait to catch a giant largemouth, have at it. Its not for me.

Still trying to break the double digits on a largemouth and I personally would not want that first fish to be on live bait.


Fished Alan Henry a few weeks ago right up to dark. Was a pretty afternoon and my buddy asked to troll back to the ramp. Started trolling 6xds and about 5 minutes in my rod doubles over. I thought I was snagged in a tree, so slammed the boat in reverse, picked up the rod and nope it was a fish. Had a lot of line out and fought it for 15-20 minutes with a few short runs mixed in. Reminded me of the 38 lb blue cat I caught last year in Louisiana.

The entire time I was fighting that fish, I kept saying, please don't be a bass. The crank bait pulled out when it got under the boat. Never did see the fish. Came to the surface about 20 yards behind the boat at one time, but never could tell what it was. I was actually a little relieved.

I knew if it was a bass, it was over 10 lbs. I'd rather go the rest of my life and not catch a 10 lber, than to catch one using any method not allowed in most tournaments.

But that's just me.

How others choose to fish, or what they choose to count as a "catch" is purely up to them.

I remember in the very early days of Fork. I think it was in Glade. Boats would be tied off to trees in a long row, everyone of them fishing dawgs. I thought at that time and still do that is not my cup of tea.

I watched a guy a fork a few years ago absolutely stroke fish every other cast on big shiners in front of the golf course. He was having a good time. I’ll sore lip em on live bait in heart beat. Guides on Lake Okeechobee fish big shiners below balloons all the time.

I know several trophy hunters from the past that used them on Monticello and Fairfield.
They work their walls were full of trophy’s not replicas. I will say only a few came on dawgs most on large plastics and jigs . Either way you have to be patient and be in the right area.
J D

My FOAL had an 8" crappie in her mouth along with a black/blue jig and craw worm. She was gluttonous.

If you fought a fish for 15-20 minutes I guarantee you it wasn't a bass....

There’s a guide on fork who made a name for himself using live bait, much success I believe too.

I think I read where the 14# caught at Lake Conroe a few weeks ago was caught on live perch while fishing for catfish

On highly pressured waters I’d say you have a much greater chance of catching a DD bass using water dogs or large shiners.

I caught an 8 pounder off a bed Saturday with a 6lb line drop shot and medium light rod. It only took 2 minutes to have her in the boat.

It seemed like 15-20 mins at the time, but I will admit likely exaggerated. I should have put for what seemed like 15-20 mins. Was hoping it was a catfish while fighting it, but regardless if it was a bass, I’m glad it got off. It didn’t peel line for very long like big catfish Ive caught before. Just a few short runs, which didn’t make me think big gar either. Wasn’t using 6 lb line, but with 12 lb line wasn’t trying to horse her in either. Most of the time it was like reeling in dead weight with a ton of line out. Had most of what a Revo winch will hold in 12 lb invisix. Trolling is a great way to target offshore spots if you just want to catch fish, but just not my cup of tea. Will do it occasionally for stripers on P.K.

First time I ever fished with water dogs was on Monticello about 20 years ago. You’d get your [censored] tore up if you weren’t fishing with at least 20lb big game.

You can do what you want as long as its legal. Artificial only for me.

I call B/S on that , you are NEVER peed while sitting down. Everyone knows that is false.

Learned to sit a pee after drinking all night at pool halls. Wife said she was tired of cleaning up after me. Lol.

I also had to make sure it was a toilet too. Not a clothes hamper.

I was a bad drunk. Lol

Most people are conditioned to think that if you don't do it their way, or think like them, that you're some kind of idiot or outcast. I say, whatever works for you, go for it. I'll know better than take a artificial lure bet against waterdogs.

I fish waterdogs off and on.


https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/River2Sea_Nest_Raider/descpage-R2SNR.html

Tourney's definitely kill a sizable share of bass.

I live in Florida and I would prefer to fish artificial, even when live bait is probably the better choice for certain species in bass lakes, like peas, clowns, etc. Even when I fish inshore and we are using shrimp on the boat, I only enjoy the catches on artificial lures.

I fish with live bluegill and crawdads on deep water humps and deep points searching for big blues. When I do hook a bass, it is normally a nice one. CPR and on to the next one.

Who raised you? Bitter much?

I wanted to try to fish with Water Dawgs back in the 90's. Before we got to the lake I had befriended them and even named a few. Couldn't go through with putting a hook in them.

LOL hardly ever bitter. Raised by Mom and Dad. Mom was in management and knew how to boss us around and well Dad was quick with the strap when we did not mind.
My point on this post was that this guy gets on the forum every couple years and makes a thread about fishing with live bait to see how many hits the thread gets. You can look back at his previous posts to see proof of this if you want. I said please with my request. But I do fully expect to see his next post in 2022 and maybe next time he will ask about fishing with bluegill instead of water dogs just to change things up a bit.


Jody

E
Exactly.... I swear once i had one that was pushing 1-lb and when you opened the bucket lid he would wag his tail like a happy Dachshund. Found one these natives at Fork a long time ago under a log in the back of Mustang

Wait, you guys are cool with hunting high fence and fishing private ponds but shun anyone using live bait?

Very weird.

Jody,
You proved my point. I guess you missed my post about Jigs /color/trailers.
And yes I have fished Fork with live Perch/Bream.
I did not know that you were Judge/ Jury of TFF. If I like to troll as you call it, that’s my choice... If I want to discuss live bait fishing, that’s mine as well. My point is that I have caught a lot of nice fish on live bait, with zero gut hooked or harmed fish.
And yes, I stayed away from this forum for quite awhile because of some comments that were made on threads that I felt was uncalled for. I feel if someone has a opinion on Tackle, Boats,or methods of fishing, that’s their choice.
Mark

I did okay picking up women with different presentations and techniques then got a little older and bought a Ferrari. It's so much easier now and the quality has gone way up.

Fishing Live bait is OK. I have never said I have a problem with it. I have never shunned anyone for doing it, and I have done it myself several times. Fishing Live bait of any kind is not the problem here. Most the posts on this thread are of a positive nature and thus the thread stays open. I have not proven any point for you other than you have made now 8 posts in 10 years and 1/2 of them were trying to see if you could raise anyone's blood pressure. I guess you have proven my point. No need to worry please continue and I can't wait to read your post in 2022.

Jody

My joy is fishing artificial lures just for the fun of it. to each his own, but I don't care for live bait.

I used waterdogs once for my son to catch a big bass during the spawn at Bayview Marina on Ray Hubbard. It worked. Safely released also and watched her back on that bed for a bunch of times after that. Didn't get to weigh her because didn't have a scale and my son was real worried about keeping her out of the water too long. I'm guessing she was in the 6-7 pound range.

My personal best largemouth was a 10-6 caught about 50 yds away from that same spot real late one night several years later also on live bait but by accident.
On a live cricket hooked on a #6 mustad wire cricket hook! Fishing shallow under a cork for bluegill/crappie. She got released alive also and seemed fine when she swam away.
Neither fish was hooked deep.

Why do you care? To me it's an interesting thread.

Best response yet!