The bright colors and shiny, glittery aspects of lures are what make them at-
tractive, while live bait is fantastic for smell and natural movement. There
have been many fishing occasions where the live bait was used as a first
choice, and once it ran out, the lures were hooked on. Although this seems
to be the more popular way to integrate the two into one fishing trip, lures
are recommended as a cheaper alternative for early and late summer fish-
ing, when the fish are biting at nearly everything because food is abundant
and they are hungry. Would you rather spend a few bucks on a flashy lure
that will catch you fish after fish, or a good amount of money on live bait that
may or may not be wasted before half of the day is through? Personal pref-
erence is what it all really comes down to.
A common outcome of netting bait and searching for live
bait on your own is that the bait dies before you get to use
it, or you end up killing one hundred bait fish just to net
one bucket of good ones.
During the summer months, bait fish are plentiful, and for good reason, as
the seasons bring reproduction and plentiful food sources. But, think about
what you could possibly be doing to the ecosystem if you’re out hunting
down bait fish every day. The benefit is natural bait that moves and smells
like real food. The downfall is that the fish aren't actually getting fed, because
of the decrease in bait fish as a natural food source, so therefore, you’re
reeling in smaller, weaker fish. Lures can be environmentally friendly, as far
as keeping the ecosystem in regeneration goes, so they’re a good alterna-
tive, especially in months where food may be scarce.
Taking it back to the general cost, if you are not netting your own bait, you’re
buying it from a bait shop or some other store. The cost of bait can be quite
pricey, even for bulk frozen packages that may be on sale. As a general rule,
live bait is considered to be anything living or once living, such as shrimp,
worms, leeches, minnows, chicken livers, etc. If you are purchasing this every
time you fish, over and over again, you are going to be putting a lot of money
into the bait alone, never mind every other piece of gear you will need for a
day out.