Bait, type by type.
Lures get the magazine covers; bait catches the fish. Here are 35 natural and prepared baits with the craft that matters - what each one catches, how to keep it alive (or smelling right), and how to rig it. One rule above all for LIVE bait: regulations on baitfish, crayfish and chumming vary hard by state - check yours, and never release or dump leftover bait. Artificials live over in lures by type.
Worms The universal starting point - gas-station classics and homegrown wigglers. open page
Insects & grubs Waxies, spikes and crickets - panfish and ice-season currency. open page
Live bait Minnows, craws and leeches - the real thing, with real rules to check. open page
Cut bait Scent highways for catfish, stripers and pike. open page
Pantry & prepared Corn, livers, doughs, eggs and stink - the kitchen-and-jar arsenal. open page
Saltwater baits Shrimp, squid, crabs and worms - the inshore currency. open page
The best bait for each fish Bait, the fish that eats it, and one product.
Each row ties a bait to fish whose diet includes it, from the source named in the row, or to the fish the product is sold for. The full diets are on what do fish eat?
| Model | Type | From the maker | Who it suits | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worms (Berkley Gulp! Alive! Pinched Crawler) | Worm | Wikipedia lists worms first among baits for bluegill, and worms from the streambed in the brown trout's diet; Gulp! Alive! is Berkley's scented alternative to live bait | Bluegill and trout | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Larvae (Berkley Gulp! Alive! Waxies) | Insect larva | Bluegill eat mostly insects (MDC) and Wikipedia lists maggots among their baits; Waxies imitate wax worm larvae | Bluegill | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Minnows (Berkley Gulp! Sinking Minnow) | Baitfish | In larger lakes adult largemouth eat almost only smaller fish, and brown trout take live or dead baitfish (Wikipedia) | Largemouth bass and brown trout | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Dough bait (Berkley PowerBait Turbo Dough Trout Bait) | Dough bait | A scented dough Berkley sells as trout bait; it claims fish hold on to PowerBait 18 times longer | Trout, by the product name | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Eggs (Berkley PowerBait Trout/Steelhead Egg Clusters) | Egg imitation | Rainbow trout eat the eggs of salmon and other trout (Wikipedia); this is Berkley's scented egg cluster | Trout and steelhead | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Catfish dough (Berkley Gulp! Catfish Dough) | Dough bait | A scented dough sold by name for catfish | Catfish, by the product name | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Shrimp (Berkley Gulp! Saltwater Shrimp) | Shrimp | Snook eat shrimp (Wikipedia) and young redfish eat grass shrimp (SCDNR); 2, 3 and 4 in | Snook and redfish | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Crab (Berkley Gulp! Saltwater Peeler Crab) | Crab | Adult redfish feed on blue crab and speckled crab (SCDNR); 1 or 2 in | Redfish | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
What is the best bait for lake fishing? It depends on the fish. For bluegill, Wikipedia lists worms, crickets, grasshoppers, minnows and maggots; in larger lakes, adult largemouth bass eat almost only smaller fish such as shad, perch and shiners (Wikipedia). Start with the fish you are after, then pick its bait from the table.
How we put this together. The fish in each row come from Wikipedia, the Missouri Department of Conservation or the South Carolina DNR, as named, or from the product name; the products are described from Berkley's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. We have not tested them. There are no prices here: the Amazon link searches for the exact product, and we may earn a commission if you buy through it.
Moving live baitfish or crayfish between waters spreads invasive species and disease - many states restrict or ban it, and chumming rules vary too. Buy certified local bait, use it where the rules allow, and never dump leftovers in the water. Two minutes with your state's regs protects the fishery you're standing in. We don't give legal advice - check the current rules.
Bait-fishing kit
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