Ice fishing. Bait or no bait?

[beerhonky]

I have always wondered about this while ice fishing. This year I have caught both brookies and whitefish using no bait at all. Just wondering what people think on the use of bait? I have always used it in the past but have always wondered if it makes a difference.

[Stewie]

I have found with Whitefish that it can change from week to week... we usually start with wire worms tipped with a maggot and have a another line that is just the wire worm...

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I fish both with and without bait . Just depends what Im targeting .

If its pike or Walleye I like to use Smelts , Anchovies , and dew worms .

For Perch , trout , whites I like Maggots , or meal worms or pieces of dew worm .

And for just hooks a Sweetish pimple , or something along them lines , a small spoon jigged . A fly weighed down with split shot , and Tie the fly to the main line have your weight sitting on bottom so your hook is in that prime spot .

[beerhonky]

I'm just wonerding if the fish are more attracted to the lure or the bait?

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I'm just wonerding if the fish are more attracted to the lure or the bait?

Whoops , Ummm not sure , might wanna ask them :lol::lol::lol: I think there like a redneck just attracted to shiny things .

[Lambo]

For me, I want every advantage I can get so definitely - bait.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

For me, I want every advantage I can get so definitely - bait.

You gotta be careful making sure you know your regulations because there places there are bait bans . And so its lure only . Makes it fun that way .

[Sir Landsalot]

While it isnt necessary to catch fish, I dont think it ever hurts to use bait when/if allowed.

[Cal]

If I'm using two lines I will usualy fish my dead line with bait only and my jigging line with a lure, with or without bait depending on the lure. I would say 75% of the time my dead line outfishes my jigged one for all species other than perch and whitefish. So I would definatly use bait where its legal. The one exception to this is Slave Lake, for some reason I catch very few fish on tippups here. I will tip a lure with little action like a jig, or a spoon depending on how I'm fishing it with a minnow because I feel it cant hurt, using lures like rattling rapalas or cicadas the bait hampers the action and I dont think they work as well.

[Lambo]

You gotta be careful making sure you know your regulations because there places there are bait bans . And so its lure only . Makes it fun that way .

Of course man! I know the regs, I would only use it where allowed.

[Drano]

go with bait, shrimp, smelts...:wave::wave:

[harley65]

definitely bait:evilgrin:

[Mr.goldeye]

Bait all the way for every species. For perch and rainbow I put a little bit of shrimp on a 1/36 once jighead and put by rod over a bucket and let it sit there with no action. I catch all but a few of my Rainbows and perch that way. As for everything else I always have a tipup with a small smelt on it (6inchs long) and a meduim action rod to jig with a jighead with a rubber body tippet with a peice of smelt and let the fish decide what they what. For Pike the Tip Up usally hooks about the same amount of fish but produces bigger fish.

[GummyMonster]

Morning all,
I've tried both ways, and bait isn't always better imo.
one lake we fish with the kids for perch, adding bait steady to everyones hook takes a lot of time and makes for cold hands.
We've found using jigs with no bait is as good or better as far as size and number caught.At other lakes the reverse is true , bait = bigger and better catches.
Either way, experiment and use what works.Most of all. HAVE FUN.
I would assume this logic would work for all species.
bEST HOLIDAY WISHES AND TIGHT LINES.
:evilgrin:kEN:evilgrin:

[honker_clonker]

Bait is more finesse to me and plastics work well when the fish are aggressive. This weekend was a good example to me anyway: weather front moved in and the monday I hammered on plastics. Next few days it slowed down and bait was the ticket. New personal best 14.5" perch on plastics makes me a believer.