Does it matter the size live bait you use? I read where people use live gills and just wondering what size.
The bigger the better. What some people eat would be real good bait. Normlly the ones 2 to 3 inches are used, but thats probably because they are the most abundant.
i've never seen one too big to use. it may take longer to get a bite but it usually will be a good one.
We only have channels here in central Florida.I do mostly river fishing. I like 3" to 5" live shad or bream. Thats the only effective bait I found so far. They will take the dead ones too.
i like to have more baits aposed to bigger. i can keep and transport more 5in gills than i can 8 inchers. i havent found that bigger is better, just get it in thier face and they will eat it. imo
when i was alittle dude, bout knee high to a grasshopper i lobed a huge gill out, i mean bigger than my hand is now, more than big enough to eat, an after bout 30 min my rod shot toward the water. i picked it up and didn feel anything so i set it back down, 2 minutes later it did it again an this time i set the hook. idk what it was cuz it broke 25lb test after about 5 minutes, but it felt like a whopper. so i gues any size. just depends what kinda cat your after
I use hand sized or larger. Like it has been said over and over. The bigger your bait the better your chances that the bigger your catch will be.
I've always liked to use big Bluegils...the bigger the better. I've also caught some nice large fish on live Skipjacks and Large Shad. Big fish do eat small baits too...but I prefer larger baits.:wink:
i'll use anything above 4 inches. in my experience the liveliness of the bait has more to do with it than size. a samller hyper bait will outdo a big, tired bait most of the time.
Well, being that I always have a hard time getting my hands on skipjacks and shad, I usually use bluegill as bait. I either go to one of the farm ponds that I have access to or I go down to 14 mile creek (a big creek near where I live). When I go to the farm ponds I usually catch eatin size gills, so I throw em on ice, take em directly to the river, and use em as fresh cut bait. Usually I cut the gill in half and use the side w/ the head (hooked through the eyes). When I go to the creek I catch a mix of sunfish and bluegill, all about 3-5 inches long, and I usually keep them alive in a bucket w/ an aerator, then use em as live bait. Both of these methods work well for me.
2inch to 4 inch sunfish or gills for me easier to get and they work well for channels or shovelheads rick not to mention the nice largemouths i also get with them
