Lure vs bait: the winner is...

[buzzbaiter]

From another topic:

Originally Posted by AndyS

Use all the live bait you want, out fish lures 1000 to 1.

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Your statement may be true for omnivores like catfish and carp but for predatory fish species, I think its a close call. For example, hellgrammites will attract smallies like flies to crap. No better bait around for them. I've tried for years to find a lure that'll catch them as consistently(since I don't like killing helgis just for s few bass and its illegal to collect them in some rivers) and have yet to find it. Small spinners seem to be the best as I've had some 50-60 bass days getting them albeit the sublegal sized ones. They'll hit buzzbaits but their mouths are a bit smaller than their largemouth brethren so hookups are less frequent.

If you use a fly popper or small jig or trout magnet for panfish, you can catch a ton or at least as many as worms.

Pickerel will slam spinners all day as long as there aren't too many weeds.

Spinners are like candy for trout and you can get a hundred or more rather easily especially if you hit some small stream full of little brookies or browns. Flies will also take quite a few.

Largemouth are the least consistent as I find there is no one lure or bait that takes them every time. One day buzzbaits work, next time they don't and senkos do then they don't so on and so forth.

Lures last longer, are easier to fish and less effort to acquire. Only negative is cost. I lost 4 buzzbaits the other day - 2 on sharp toothed pickerel and two on branches - so it was a costly day.

The winner is....