[rodney07]

Does it matter the size live bait you use? I read where people use live gills and just wondering what size.

 

[AwShucks]

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.

 

[gottagetabigun]

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.

 

[Matt77]

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.

 

[allflats]

Like using as big a gill as i can get.

 

[montgomery#1]

Any size should work.

 

[river scum]

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

 

[orion_xxvx]

I like to use a 4 to 5 inch females if i can catch a few.

 

[oklahoma caveman]

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

 

[CATFISHERMAN001]

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.

 

[varmint_sniper]

i like 4 to 5 inc gilles for channels depends on top end size of fish in ur lake

 

[john catfish young]

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:

 

[massa_jorge]

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.

 

[Hoosier_Catman]

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.

 

[katkiller77]

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

 

[mariofish]

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.

welcome to boc:wink:

 

[mariofish]

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:

nice flathead great job:big_smile: