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Well I guess I got the name when I was a commercial fisherman down in Southern California. I had a fishing business as a dory fisherman in New Port Beach, CA. That was the oldest and the only still existing dory fleet in the United States.

Would you eat a worm? How about a piece of rotten liver or one kernel or corn? All of these and more comprise the wonderful world of fish bait. Bait is something a fisherman puts onto a hook that might attract a fish to it and cause the fish to bite on the hook. Thus allowing you to catch him.

Baits are comprised of two different types. First there are those baits which are found in lakes and streams naturally, such as worms and crickets. The second group of baits are comprised of those kinds of things that are not found naturally in the water, but because of their nature will attract a fish. Included in this catagory are artificial baits which are plastic or rubber replicas of natural baits. A side group are those things that a fish would never see except when presented as a bait, for instance, corn. Corn is not found in lakes and streams but because of its' bright yellow color the fish can see it from a great distance and are attracted to it. Once near the hook the corn bait intrigues the fish and it bites just to try it out.

Worms are probably the most widely known and most used of the various types of bait. There are several types of worms including night crawlers, pan fish worms and (although technically not a worm it is grouped into that category) grubs. Night crawlers are long worms from which small pieces can be cut off to bait different sizes of hooks.

Although not a live bait, plastic worms are a favorite of the professional Bass fisherman. They have the same underwater action and come in colors not even mother nature can imagine. Florescent green, blue and yellow, bright reds and browns as well as black and white. What the appeal of such an artificial bait has lies not only in the coloring that allows the fisherman to choose a color that can be seen in the water for varying water conditions, but in the fact that the worm never dies. No special precaution is required to keep it alive. These worms can be rigged onto hooks in several different manners one of which is the Carolina Rig.

Any bug that fish can find in the wild can be made into an artificial bait and presented to the fish. In addition to bugs and worms another popular bait are fish. Small fish can be caught at the stream or lake and fish such "Feeder Gold Fish" can be purchased from your local pet store. Just check with your local game and fish department as some areas do not permit the use of these kinds of purchased baits.

For the average full day fishing trip one might want to take the following: 20 night crawlers and 20 feeder fish, or 20 crickets and 40 trout worms, or ¼ pound of chicken livers and a small can of corn, or some other combination thereof. The rule of thumb is around 60 pieces of bait per person per hook. Worms, grubs and crickets can be purchased at most sporting goods stores and many of the big box stores. Liver and corn can be found at any grocery store. Just remember that live bait needs to be kept cool and dry until placed on the hook and presented to the fish.

I especially liked this trout kit



And this fly box, too.