Lures or bait?

[Flattiefisher]

I believe that bait is better than lures because it creates more species to possibly catch. But I want to know what others think so please say lures or bait and why.

[Wellzy94]

I think it depends where you're fishing, and whether you're aiming for a target species. I like to use a mix in the same place, as sometimes fish don't always want the same thing. 

Bottom bashing I'd say bait, but recently I've been using an SP on one of my droppers. So again, a mix.

Cheers,

Wellzy

[dirvin21]

no surprise to anyone that knows me on FR lures for me

I have caught 10 times the species since i started lure fishing along with better average size bait fishing i can be 90% sure a small bream will be what i catch lures could be anything from a bream to a trevally to a cod

i want to go for a uick fish can literally get my pre rigged rod out of the back of the car (yes thats where it lives) have a fish and put it back no problems with storing bait

most importantly i dont have the patience to sit there and soak a bait when luring I'm always on the move 

thats my 2 cents worth 

Dave

[Flattiefisher]

It is true that you will get bigger fish on lures most of the time

[Flattiefisher]

Soft plastics like gulp are great though because they last long and have a great scent

[ARC H]

whats better depends on alot of things like

quality of bait

and prsentation of bait

lure presentation

if you are using the right lure for the species and

style of fishing

 

i prefer lures to use but still use bait alot i actually usually chuck a bait out then with another rod use a lure this covers two types of  fishing

[ARC H]

1 minute ago, Flattiefisher said:

Soft plastics like gulp are great though because they last long and have a great scent

yeah they are good tho they are not as strong as some i basically only use squidges and ones made from 10x material like the zman and samaki softplastics

[Matt]

There is never a definitive answer to that sort of thing.  It all comes down to the individual and how much effort you are willing to put into learning about your intended target fish.   I don't think it is correct to ever say that lures out fish bait etc, it is how the individual puts those things into play. 

I know awesome anglers from all spectrums of styles.  I think maybe the illusion that lures are better comes from the fact that the 'chuck and chance it' or the holiday fishermen uses bait and generally don't do all that well? 

Here's an interesting scenario to ponder for the Bream spinners out there.  If I went out to target Bream under the boat hulls and I had two options, one a lightly weighted soft plastic (my lure option) and a lightly weighted live prawn (my bait option), which do you think would do better? 

Of course the above scenarion would require collecting the live prawns, but that goes back to the point about how much effort are you willing to put it.

Cheers

Windy

[Aardvarking]

From my experience you catch more fish with bait, but with a lot more small fish. With lures you catch less fish, but the fish you catch are bigger. Lures are a bit more fun and exciting imo, and much more satisfying when you get a strike. I generally leave out bait lines and use a rod for lure fishing while I wait for those to get a bite. If I only have one line with me I usually start with bait, but if there are a bunch of little bait stealers around I switch to lures, so only the fish I actually want to catch will strike. That said, it's different for all types of fishing.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Aardvarking

[DerekD]

When I teach people soft plastics I point out that if I have to guarantee that someone will catch a fish I'll use bait. On the flipside I also point out that in general the size of the fish I catch is better on lure. If you put a piece of food in the water the small fish will often get in before the bigger more cautious fish. The small fish on the other hand can have a nip at a plastic but the bigger fish will engulf it. My biggest fish (104cm) jewfish was caught on a whole squid with snelled hooks.

It depends on the species you are chasing too. If chasing tailor I think use of a metal gives a better result than bait. If chasing blackfish I'll stick with weed rather than weed flies and I have only ever caught one blackfish on a soft plastic. A flathead is an ambush predator so I do better with lures as I can cover a lot more ground.

[Flattiefisher]

You know what Matt I am going fishing on the weekend so I will create your scenario and see which wins I will tell you the results when I can

[Guest Guest123456789]

Fish for tailor at night then tell me if you feel the same

[Matt]

2 hours ago, Flattiefisher said:

You know what Matt I am going fishing on the weekend so I will create your scenario and see which wins I will tell you the results when I can

I have always wanted to try it, flicking fresh baits into the same structure that I do with lures.  I used Live Prawns as an example but I guess fresh squirt or blood worms would be good and of course live nippers?   On hard hit areas like the Parra and Harbour in Sydney it may well turn a tough day into a winner, who knows?

You could do something similar when target Flatties, run a live Poddy Mullet along a drop-off while throwing big plastics?

Or on a beach targeting Tailor/Salmon, run a Pillie out and throw some metals?

I would be interested to see how you go, be sure to pop a report up!

 

Cheers

Windy

[blaxland]

I think both methods have merit I love the pro active side of Lure fishing but I have also had very good catches on bait. I like squid jigs better than bait on a squid spike, I have only caught blackfish on bait, My best King fish was on live bait (squid) and I got a mac tuna on a pilly tail that was unexpected. But when there are plenty of fish around lure fishing is very exciting!

[Flattiefisher]

Matt in fishing reports I will call it lures vs bait scenario results

[Cargo05]

If your ambition is to catch more fish my mate would tell you to use bait. But, if like me, you like to enjoy the challenge, then artificial lures is so much more enjoyable. Generally we have been using SP, but today we managed a 52cm and a 50cm, and a few small flatties on vibes in water temperatures between 15.4 and 16.7°.

[big Neil]

One of the biggest benefits of bait fishing is the ability to wait for the fish to come to the bait. Most dead baits still give off the scent of food for the fish to home in on. Lure fishing is (usually) limited, in its ability to do this, although there are some exceptions. Both methods have their pluses and minuses depending on the angler and the anticipated outcome.

I consider myself lucky that I have access to a pristine environment where both work and I can decide which I want to use on any given trip, some of the time. However, there are times when I have no choice and can only use bait...like when the river is running too fast to use lures.

It's a buzz catching fish either way but catching them on lures is far more exciting. BN

[rickmarlin62]

personally I think there are too many variables to compare..location..species available..effort vs catch rate..tackle used...I wont even offer an answer because I believe you truly cant pick one over the other..i say this as I fish both and often at the same time..instead of choosing one I just call it FISHING...rick

[savit]

It is easier/faster to fill the fridge with fish using bait , however lures are just more fun.