The Best Time to Use Baits & Lures

When Using Bait is Best:

• At night
• When instructing new chums or kids
• When the water is muddy or discolored
• When it’s very cold (especially while ice fishing!)
• When targeting vegetarian and omnivorous species
• When catching a meal is absolutely paramount!

The Best Features of Bait

• Bait is extremely effective at fooling most fish.
• Bait is usually cheap (free if you catch your own!).
• You can cast out a bait, set your rod down, and wait for the fish to come to you!
• Leftover bait can be returned to its natural environment or taken home and frozen for future use.
• Many fish hook themselves when they eat bait; thus, knowing exactly when to strike is less critical.
• Bait appeals to an extraordinary range of fish species in most aquatic environments, and you will nearly always catch something on bait!

The Downfalls of Using Bait

• Most bait needs refrigeration or a water-circulating live well to maintain freshness.
• Finding and catching bait can be a dirty, difficult, and even potentially hazardous task.
• Most bait smells! Your hands, clothes, and gear will also become smelly when you go bait fishing.
• Bait is non-discriminatory; it often attracts under-sized fish and non-target species.
• Bait fishing is less spontaneous, and it usually requires at least some planning.
• Using bait often results in deeply hooked fish that can’t be easily released with a high chance of survival.

When Using Lures is Best

• In most catch-and-release fisheries
• Where undersized and non-target “nuisance fish” are abundant
• In clearer water
• In warmer weather
• For aggressive, predatory fish
• On waters designated “artificial only” or “fly and lure only”

The Best Features of Lures

• Lures are simply fun to use! Catching a fish on a lure always seems especially satisfying.
• Lure fishing is an active, engaging pursuit, and you can cover a lot more water with a lure.
• Lures tend to catch slightly larger fish on average and attract less unwanted by-catch.
• Lures nearly always hook fish in the jaws, lips, or mouth, facilitating easier, safer catch and release.
• Lure collecting can become at least as addictive (and pleasurable) as lure fishing!

The Downfalls of Using Lures

• Most good lures are expensive, and some are very expensive!
• Many lures are easily snagged on obstacles such as rocks, trees, or strands of water weed.
• Lure fishing demands constant motion, such casting and retrieving or trolling from a moving boat.
• Many species of fish are much less responsive to lures than they are to bait.
• Lure fishing generally demands better-quality tackle and a higher degree of skill than bait fishing.
• Lure collecting can become at least as addictive (and expensive) as lure fishing.

Source: Fix.com