Snelled Knot
Makes a strong connection when fishing with bait and using a separate length of leader
1. Thread the line through hook eye about 6 inches.
- Hold line against hook shank and form a circle.
- Make 5 or 6 wraps through loop and around line and shank.
- Close the knot by pulling on tag end of the line.
Tighten by pulling on main line in one direction and the hook in the other.
Guidebook
NATURAL AND LIVE BAITS
Always check current fishing regulations (see page 46) to make sure your choice of bait is legal.
COMMON FRESHWATER BAITS
Crickets and Grasshoppers
These are excellent choices for sunfish, bass and catfish. Both of these insects can be caught by hand or with an insect net. Look for them in thick, tall grass or at night under lights. Laying a cloth, towel, cardboard or newspaper on the grass will attract crickets. You want to use thin wire hooks for sunfish (#6-#10) and medium-sized hooks for bass and catfish (#1 or #2). Make sure the point of the hook is completely covered to increase bites.
Worms
Whether it's an earthworm, red wiggler or nightcrawler, worms are a favored choice for the majority of freshwater fish in Texas. You can either raise your own in a compost pile, dig them from your garden or purchase from bait shops and fishing tackle stores. Remember to cover the point of the hook when fishing for sunfish to keep them from pulling the worm off the hook. Store live, leftover worms in the refrigerator for the next time you go fishing.
NATURAL AND LIVE BAITS
- Guidebook
Minnows
Varieties of minnows are used to catch both fresh and saltwater fish. Keep minnows in an aerated minnow bucket and don't crowd them. Remember to change the water often to keep the minnows lively. Hook them through the lips or under the dorsal fin. Avoid hooking through the backbone because this will kill the minnow.
Crayfish
Crayfish, known as crawfish, craw-dads or mudbugs, are used for catching largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, catfish and freshwater drum. They can be caught in small ponds, roadside ditches or where depressions hold water frequently and usually after a rain. These can be fished either live, dead or using just the tail. Hook through the underside of the tail so the point protrudes through the top. Catfish and freshwater drum don't mind if it's live or dead. Grasp the crayfish, and pull the tail away from the head, threading the hook through its tail or both sides of body. Freshwater drum prefer crayfish to any other type of live or dead bait.
PREPARED BAITS
From homemade concoctions to commercially-made baits, these are primarily used for catching bottom-feeding fish like catfish and carp. Your choices include canned corn, stink bait, cottonseed cake, hot dogs, dough balls - the list goes on with this type of bait. Fishing with treble hooks works best to keep the bait from being flung off during casting.
Guidebook
NATURAL AND LIVE BAITS
COMMON SALTWATER BAITS
Shrimp
Shrimp are widely-used bait for saltwater fishing. Shrimp can be either alive or dead. Hook shrimp under the rostrum "horn" on the head to fish with live shrimp. You can either peel or leave the shell on fresh dead shrimp for fishing on the bottom. Many anglers fishing for freshwater catfish use dead shrimp for bait.
Crab
Different species are used for saltwater fishing to catch sheepshead, black drum, cobia and snapper. Sheepshead and snapper go after hermit and fiddler crabs hooked through the body. Black drum and cobia have a liking for blue crabs. Break in half or quarters for black drum and hook through the body sections. Use small, whole, live blue crab for cobia by removing the pinchers and hook through the body.
Squid
You can purchase dead squid for saltwater bottom-fishing. Fish such as gafftopsail, catfish, and snapper are good examples. Hook the squid two or three times in and out through body to avoid small fish stealing the bait.
LURES
Many companies make fishing lures in different types, patterns, sizes and colors. "How to" instructions are either on the package or inside with the lure. Both fresh and saltwater anglers use lures interchangeably to catch a variety of fish.
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