Have you ever been a fishing on a hot summer day and run out of bait?

Growing up I was fortunate enough to spend most days with my great-grandparents.  They both loved to fish.  We would load the truck up with cane poles for Granny and I,  and rods with old squeaky zebco reels for my Papa.  After a morning of working in the garden, it was off to a local pond for a few hours of afternoon fishing.

My Papa was a white-haired walking book of old timey fishing knowledge who loved to bass fish.  Granny Willie was a stoic Southern lady who would sit on an old bucket and fish for hours.  Me, I was usually responsible for  catching the bait.  I would search for grasshoppers, worms or anything else I could find that could potentially land dinner for the evening.  Many times my straw hat clad Papa would sing a song… “have you ever been a fishing on a hot summer day, sitting on the bank,  watching the little fishies play….” in his deep baritone voice.  Those were the good ole days.

Nowadays, cane poles are mostly a thing of the past and bait casters have replaced those old zebco reels.  However, sometimes you still need to find your own bait.  Here are few suggestions on how to look for your own bait when you “….have your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants and you see the little fishies dance…”!

“Your survival fishing kit may be no more than a coil of monofilament line and a half dozen hooks, and that’s all it really needs to be. But as you likely know, a bare hook and some line won’t be very effective, unless you find tasty critters that you can use as bait.”

“For successful hand-line fishing, your best bet is to select irresistible bait. Since most fish species are carnivores, it’s hard to go wrong with worms, grubs, crickets and other natural bug bait.”

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