Bass Bait Fish

Gizzard shad, a member of the herring family, have a silvery blue color top side that transitions to nearly white on the sides and belly. Their fins also have a silvery tint color and they do not have any black speckled coloration on their chins like the Threadfin shad. The Gizzard shad’s upper jaw extends past it’s lower jaw. They commonly grow to lengths of 9 to 14 inches but in some cases have grown larger. They are naturally found in the eastern and central waters of the United States but have been introduced into other waters. Gizzard shad are most often found in large schools and have also been called skipjacks due to the fact that some in the school will leap out of or skip along the water. Gizzard shad are forage for striped, white, whiterock and largemouth bass.


Threadfin shad, also a member of the herring family, have a silvery blue color top side that transitions to nearly white on the sides and belly like the Gizzard shad. You can tell Threadfin from Gizzard shad by noticing that the upper jaw of the Threadfin does not extend past its lower jaw and all its fins except the dorsal have a yellow color tint to them. Its chin is also speckled with black pigment. The Threadfin shad rarely exceeds 6 inches in length. Threadfin shad naturally occur in waters west of the Appalachian Mountains, north to Kentucky, west to East Texas, south to the Rio Grande drainage, and east to Florida. They have also been widely introduced in California and Arizona, as well as Appalachian and southern Atlantic states. Threadfin shad are forage for striped, white, whiterock and largemouth bass also.

Shiners: A common name of numerous small, often silvery colored North American freshwater fishes usually of the family Cyprinidae, but also the Shiner Perch. Cyprinid shiners include: Eastern shiners, Finescale shiners, Flagfin shiners, Apalachee Shiner, Golden Shiner, Highscale shiners, Redside shiners, Satinfin shiners. Shiners are an excellent bass fishing bait.

Eastern Shiner	Flagfin Shiner	Shiner Perch	Golden Shiner

     

Minnows: a general term for tiny colored freshwater fish, especially those used as fishing bait in the subfamily Leuciscinae known as Bluntnose, Cheat, Cutlips, Desert, Eurasian, Loach, Pikeminnow, Pugnose, Silverjaw, Silvery, and Suckermouth minnows. Minnows are also a good bass fishing bait.

Anchovies: belonging to the Engraulidae family of small, common salt-water oily fish. Anchovies are small green fish in color with blue reflections due to a silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of their caudal fin. They have slender bodies that range in length from three fourths of an inch to up to sixteen inches in some oceans at maturity. Their snout is blunt with small, sharp teeth in both jaws. The mouth is larger than that of herrings and silversides, two fish anchovies closely resemble in other respects. Anchovies are a favorite prey of saltwater striped bass. Frozen anchovies can be used as bait when fishing for striped bass in freshwater.

Crustaceans

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads: freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters which breathe through feather-like gills and are found in bodies of water that do not freeze to the bottom; mostly found in brooks and streams where fresh water running, and shelter against predators can be found. Most cannot tolerate polluted water. Crayfish can be found in black, brown, dark green and green colors.


Shrimp: a swimming, decapod crustacean found widely in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals that can live close to the bottom. They can live in schools and swim rapidly backwards. They have a high resistance to toxins in polluted areas, and may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators.

Grass or Ghost shrimp have a delicate-looking nearly transparent body with a pointed "horn" extending over the eyes. Their bodies are segmented and compressed on either side. The grass shrimp's first 2 pairs of walking legs have claws. They can get up to 2" long. Grass shrimp are usually found in grass beds and shallows.

Others

Hellgrammites: the large brownish color aquatic larva of the dobsonfly. Hellgrammites have an elongate dull colored body that has gill filaments and feathery gill clusters along the sides of their body. They also have two hooks at the head of their bodies. Hellgrammites prefer fast water such as the rapids of streams where they will hide amongst the rocks. Hellgrammites are used as a bass fish bait but beware that they are fierce, medically harmless, biters. 

Other Aquatic Insects

Mayfly	Beetle	Caddisfly	Dragonfly
Alderfly	Scud	Sowbug	Stonefly

Grubworms: the "C"-shaped larvae of May beetles or Junebugs that are up to 1 inch long, with cream-colored bodies and brown colored head capsules. They have three pairs of legs, one on each of the first three segments behind the head. Grubworms feed on the roots of weeds, vegetable transplants and ornamental plants. White grubs are frequently encountered tilling garden soil or by sifting through soil underneath damaged turfgrass.



Leech: any chiefly aquatic bloodsucking or carnivorous worm of the class Hirudinea. They are commonly found in lakes and ponds with many of them being prey for fish, ducks, and turtles. Leeches tend to swim near the shallows and bottom to avoid foraging predators.
Coloration usually is black or brown.

Eels: Freshwater eels (Anguillidae) spend their lives in freshwater rivers and return to the ocean only to spawn. Freshwater eels are elongate with tubelike, snake-shaped bodies. They have large, pointed heads and their dorsal fins are usually continuous with their caudal fins and anal fins, to form a fringe lining the posterior end of the body. They have small pectoral fins to help them navigate along river bottoms. Their scales are thin and soft.