How to Fish with Crickets | A How-to Guide For Beginners

When it comes to fishing, most anglers will prefer worms and minnows as their premiere live bait options. Some may even like to cut baits of different species of grasshoppers. But, they will most likely show extreme rigidity in choosing crickets as their bait options.

But, only a few people genuinely know that crickets also make great baits. But for that, you must know how to fish with crickets properly.

Most anglers, especially beginners, consider that bait fishing with cricket is complex. And we don’t deny it either. But it pays off when you cast the big trout, bass, or salmon with the cricket baits.

Our discussion today will include all the possible techniques for fishing with crickets.

So, let’s get-go.

Tips on How to Fish with Crickets

While some baits look more like artificial ones, crickets are a natural food source for most fishes in the wilderness. They yield great results once you learn how to hook the crickets. Also, there’re specific times when these cricket baits are best for use.

1. Know The Best Time

When you want to try your fishing luck with the crickets, you should know their fishing time at first. Most experts recommend using cricket as bait during the spring and summer seasons.  During these two seasons, crickets live close to water.

So, fishes with their in-born insights will prefer these baits. Also, you can get those insects easily during the summertime. You can use them year-round. But it might result in a slightly disappointing angling time.

2. Fish Species That You Can Catch with The Cricket Baits

Fishing with live cricket baits is straightforward. It doesn’t need much gear and expertise. So, you would find using them to tempt the fishes better and alluring. However, not all fishes have a liking for crickets.

We have pinpointed the fishes that will easily hanker after the cricket baits. It includes-

Trout

Trout is one of the most popular angling sports items, without a doubt. Cricket baits will do wonders while casting the trout.

When you use the cricket as trout bait, allow it to flow with the water flow or wind instead of casting it in the opposite direction. Also, avoid aggressive movement with the cricket baits since it must resemble the natural appearance. It is essential to attract trout.

Yellow Perch

When baitcasting for yellow perch with the crickets, your best bet is to use them during the summer season. Also, the yellow perch loves hiding it underneath any objects close to the water surface. So, pick an overhanging object as your fishing spot. Cast the cricket bait underneath the thing and close to the water bottom to catch the bigger perches.

Crappie

Live crickets work best for the crappies both in the summer and spring season. Additionally, crappies don’t like eating the crappies right above the water surface. So, you will have to allow the cricket bait to reach underneath the water surface.

Make sure the bait reaches the medium water level where crappies crowds. Thus, you will need a slightly longer fishing line and bigger hooks. The split shot fishing technique will work best for crappies to reach below the water surface.

Bream Fishing

Unlike the crappies, bream loves getting the crickets from the water surface. Use these as baits during the morning for the best results. Use smaller hooks for bream fishing.

3. Hooking The Cricket

The most challenging part of using live cricket as bait is to hook it. On the one hand, you will have to connect the bait firmly. On the other hand, the cricket must be alive when attaching it with the hook to draw the fish’s attention.

The practice includes the following hooking steps-

• Hold the cricket at hand and make sure it doesn’t fly away from you. Also, when you pick them from the box, make sure it doesn’t go away from the box.
• You must tackle the cricket gently as it is susceptible and might die with the slightest injury.
• The best technique to attach the cricket is to do it behind its head. Attach the hook on its back and ensure that it doesn’t penetrate too deep. Otherwise, you run the risk of killing the cricket immediately.
• When you push the hook, make sure it penetrates the upper back part of the cricket. It is sturdy and so won’t hurt the delicate parts of the cricket.
• Finally, act fast after you have hooked the cricket since it won’t last long to hold its breath.

4. Finding The Right Way to Catch Live Crickets

Using live cricket as bait is fun. But you will have to catch them since these aren’t available in the fishing stores. You can follow these tips to catch crickets easily.

• Pick an empty liquid bottle of about 2-liter weight.  Cut it right below the bottleneck and wash it thoroughly to remove the traces of previously kept liquid in it.
• You need to use something like food to attract crickets. A few loaves of wet bread will do the trick for you.  You might add sugar to ensure success more.
• After that, close down the uppermost part of the bottle. You can use the previously cut bottle as a funnel for it.
• Find a proper location where crickets are found in abundance. Keep the bred-containing bottle there on a flat surface.
• As loaves of bread attract cricket, they will find it hard to go out through the funnel.

5. The Longevity of The Crickets

When you have caught them in the bottle and fed them adequately, they might live for one week or more quickly. Alternatively, you can choose a tank to keep them alive for an extended period. You might use a 4-liter container for each 100 cricket.

You might feed the crickets with oatmeal and offer them water sources too. Also, you might keep them on a wet sponge.

Conclusion

We are sincerely hoping that this guideline on how to fish with crickets benefits you. The technique is to hook the cricket properly while keeping it alive. The live cricket bait will do wonder when you plan to catch trout, crappie and even it works with salmons as well.

When you know how to catch the crickets and keep them alive for an extended period at home, you will love using these live baits more often than you could actually anticipate.