When to Use Live Bait as a Kayak Angler (Even If You Prefer Artificial Lures)
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Even though I’m mostly an artificial lure fisherman, there are still situations where live bait is the smartest choice. Here are the times I switch to live bait when kayak fishing:
1. When the Wind Picks Up
Strong wind can make kayak fishing extremely difficult. It pushes your kayak around, ruins your positioning, and makes accurate casts nearly impossible. On windy days, I prefer to anchor up and use live bait. Instead of actively sight fishing or stalking, I slow down, relax, find a wind protected spot and let the fish come to me.
2. When the Fish Just Aren’t Biting on Lures
Every angler has those tough days when the fish have “lockjaw.” No matter how good your lure presentation is, they simply won’t bite. This is the perfect time to switch to live bait. Finger mullet and live shrimp have worked wonders for me on those slow days.
3. When There’s Too Much Natural Bait in the Water
Sometimes the water is loaded with baitfish or shrimp. In these conditions, fish can get picky and completely ignore your artificial lures. When that happens, catching some of the same live bait they’re already feeding on and putting it on your hook is often the best way to get bites. The fish are already in feeding mode — you’re just giving them exactly what they want.
4. After You’ve Limited Out
I like to switch things up and go after some crabs for dinner. There’s nothing better than fresh fish and crabs straight from the water — it makes for an incredible meal after a great day kayak fishing.
Since crabs can’t be caught on lures, this is when I turn my live bait into cut bait.
The best part?
The Kyaxx BaitBucket is fully collapsible and compact enough that you can easily keep it stored on your kayak at all times — ready to deploy the moment one of these situations comes up.