I've been with Muskie a couple of times and catching the bait is half the fun makes you feel like a kid again(he catches small kivas-sunfish uses em for lakers and bass.Admit it is a lot more fulfilling fooling a fish into taking your lure instead of something it feeds on anyway.I fish from shore mostly and like to move around except at the chu.There we just cast em out and chill and shoot the breeze n wait n wait ha ha
ive never tryed fishing large mouth with live baits, every larry i ever cought has been artificial BUT its the opposite with smallies lol i never got any smallies on artificial only live and mostly crayfish. a few things i intend to do this year is catch some smallmouth on jigs or whatever the hell i can get them to eat that aint alive, i want to finally try and fish for larrys with live bait and see how it works ou for me i figure maybe when im out in the boat if i plan on staying in one spot for a while ill deadstick a big kiver while im casting lures , i also plan on doing alot of pike fishing on both live/dead and artificial. i dont see it as cheating but i do see it as boring IF its the only way you fish, nothing wrong with letting nature catch a few fish for you while you sit back and relax 
I use Kivas, Blugills, Sunnies or what ever you guys call them!!!
The Bass cant say NO, and neither can the Lakers. But I also don't tourny fish either. They are very cheap to buy, dig up a worm and there you go.
chartruese color trout magnet twitched under a bobber brings in loads of retarded bait fish begging to be put in a bucket and brought to the resevoir ! hahahahahahaaaaa!!! lmao!!
I fish with Muskie & Badlarry quite often and the kivas are the way to go. Muskie's advice to me when we first fished together was, the bigger the bait the bigger the catch. He proved himself true both at the Rock & The Chu!
The other part of the fun with the live bait was just chilling watching our lines and the bait jumping clean out of the bucket!
Good Times!
The other part of the fun with the live bait was just chilling watching our lines and the bait jumping clean out of the bucket!
Good Times!
I hate to prove you guys wrong but, as you can see from the list below, coming in at #6 is pumpkinseed a/k/a common sunfish.
Taking, Sale, Importation, and Use of Bait Fish.
(a) Definitions:
Bait fish means only live or dead fish of the following species. A person shall not use as bait any fish, alive or dead, including parts thereof, except those fish listed in 321 CMR 4.01(
(a)1. through 15:
1. American eel (Anguilla rostrata)
2. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
3. Creek chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus)
4. Banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus)
5. Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
6. Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
7. Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
8. Emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides)
9. Spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius)
10. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), only as provided in 321 CMR 4.01, Table 1.
11. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens)
12. Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)
13. Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)
14. Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
15. Herring (Clupea spp.) may be used as bait in the Connecticut River, Merrimack River, and coastal rivers and streams, only as provided in 321 CMR 4.01: Table 1 and 322 CMR, but may not be possessed or used as bait in other rivers and streams, or in lakes, ponds, or reservoirs.
Commercial bait fish means only live or dead fish of the following species:
1. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
2. Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
3. Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
4. Emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides)
5. Spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius)
6. Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)
7. Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)
8. Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
(b) Taking for personal use, but not for purposes of sale. Licensed fishermen may take bait fish for personal use, but not for purposes of sale except as provided for in 321 CMR 4.01((c).
(c) Taking for purposes of sale. Commercial bait fish may be taken for purposes of sale by resident licensed fishermen only, provided that such fishermen additionally possess a current and valid shiner permit, which permit shall allow the taking of commercial bait fish only. Bait fish, other than commercial bait fish, may not be sold.
(d) Bait fish harvest zones. Bait fish and commercial bait fish may be taken in inland waters statewide, except as provided in 321 CMR 4.01((e).
(e) Prohibited areas. Commercial bait fish may not be taken in great ponds or in waters which are in whole or in part held under lease or license as public fishing grounds.
(f) Certain fish traps to be allowed. Resident licensed fishermen who possess a current and valid shiner permit may take commercial bait fish for purposes of sale by means of not more than ten fish traps with openings not over one inch or by means of a single circular or hoop throw net not exceeding six feet in diameter, or by means of a net containing not more than 200 square feet of net surface. Licensed fishermen may take bait fish for personal use but not for purposes of sale by means of a single fish trap with openings of not over one inch or by a single circular or hoop throw net not exceeding six feet in diameter to each licensed fisherman, or by means of a rectangular net, containing not more than 36 square feet of net surface. Any fish taken in such fish traps, other than those permitted by 321 CMR 4.01((b) and (c), shall be immediately returned to the waters whence they were taken.
(g) Sticklebacks. The taking of sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae) for purposes of bait is prohibited in the inland waters of Massachusetts.
(h) Importation of live fish. Only commercial bait fish may be imported for use as live bait by any dealer. No commercial bait fish shall be imported unless the dealer first obtains an importation permit from the Director. Such importation permit shall be valid for a period not to exceed one calendar year and shall further be valid for all importations within said calendar year of a single commercial bait fish species from a single dealer or distributor.
(i) Sale of live bait fish. No person shall sell or offer for sale any commercial bait fish unless such person is licensed as a dealer, or is a resident licensed fisherman and the holder of a current and valid shiner permit. Bait fish, other than commercial bait fish, may not be sold.
(j) Sale of preserved bait fish. Notwithstanding the provisions of 321 CMR 4.01(, bait fish or parts thereof, commonly described as "minnows" or "shiners", which are canned, pickled or otherwise commercially prepared and lawfully imported or propagated may be used or sold as bait without a permit.
Taking, Sale, Importation, and Use of Bait Fish.
(a) Definitions:
Bait fish means only live or dead fish of the following species. A person shall not use as bait any fish, alive or dead, including parts thereof, except those fish listed in 321 CMR 4.01(
(a)1. through 15:
1. American eel (Anguilla rostrata)
2. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
3. Creek chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus)
4. Banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus)
5. Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
6. Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
7. Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
8. Emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides)
9. Spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius)
10. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), only as provided in 321 CMR 4.01, Table 1.
11. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens)
12. Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)
13. Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)
14. Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
15. Herring (Clupea spp.) may be used as bait in the Connecticut River, Merrimack River, and coastal rivers and streams, only as provided in 321 CMR 4.01: Table 1 and 322 CMR, but may not be possessed or used as bait in other rivers and streams, or in lakes, ponds, or reservoirs.
Commercial bait fish means only live or dead fish of the following species:
1. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
2. Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
3. Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
4. Emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides)
5. Spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius)
6. Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)
7. Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)
8. Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
(b) Taking for personal use, but not for purposes of sale. Licensed fishermen may take bait fish for personal use, but not for purposes of sale except as provided for in 321 CMR 4.01(
(c).
(c) Taking for purposes of sale. Commercial bait fish may be taken for purposes of sale by resident licensed fishermen only, provided that such fishermen additionally possess a current and valid shiner permit, which permit shall allow the taking of commercial bait fish only. Bait fish, other than commercial bait fish, may not be sold.
(d) Bait fish harvest zones. Bait fish and commercial bait fish may be taken in inland waters statewide, except as provided in 321 CMR 4.01(
(e).
(e) Prohibited areas. Commercial bait fish may not be taken in great ponds or in waters which are in whole or in part held under lease or license as public fishing grounds.
(f) Certain fish traps to be allowed. Resident licensed fishermen who possess a current and valid shiner permit may take commercial bait fish for purposes of sale by means of not more than ten fish traps with openings not over one inch or by means of a single circular or hoop throw net not exceeding six feet in diameter, or by means of a net containing not more than 200 square feet of net surface. Licensed fishermen may take bait fish for personal use but not for purposes of sale by means of a single fish trap with openings of not over one inch or by a single circular or hoop throw net not exceeding six feet in diameter to each licensed fisherman, or by means of a rectangular net, containing not more than 36 square feet of net surface. Any fish taken in such fish traps, other than those permitted by 321 CMR 4.01(
(b) and (c), shall be immediately returned to the waters whence they were taken.
(g) Sticklebacks. The taking of sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae) for purposes of bait is prohibited in the inland waters of Massachusetts.
(h) Importation of live fish. Only commercial bait fish may be imported for use as live bait by any dealer. No commercial bait fish shall be imported unless the dealer first obtains an importation permit from the Director. Such importation permit shall be valid for a period not to exceed one calendar year and shall further be valid for all importations within said calendar year of a single commercial bait fish species from a single dealer or distributor.
(i) Sale of live bait fish. No person shall sell or offer for sale any commercial bait fish unless such person is licensed as a dealer, or is a resident licensed fisherman and the holder of a current and valid shiner permit. Bait fish, other than commercial bait fish, may not be sold.
(j) Sale of preserved bait fish. Notwithstanding the provisions of 321 CMR 4.01(
, bait fish or parts thereof, commonly described as "minnows" or "shiners", which are canned, pickled or otherwise commercially prepared and lawfully imported or propagated may be used or sold as bait without a permit.