Cut Baite

Is it legal to put cut bait on hook and trolled ? and what would be a good bait to use other shad and shmelt ? would hearing work

Stop down at Anglers Avenue in Sheboygan; I believe they stock the pre-cut herring strips, the bait heads, twinke rigs, and large rotators you'll need to run it. It is very commonly run on the west side of Lake Michigan as well and most definitely catches fish.

I have extra white bass in the freezer what do you guys think ? Crow

slipery, Cut bait is very popular on the Michigan side of the lake. I have never tried it nor do I know anyone in Wisconsin that has. Ussually they run the cut bait in a plastic head / harness, this gives you the correct rotation and the hooks on a leader. Teaser rigs are fairly common, 3 little flies above the cut bait rig. You can get either salt cured or fresh herring. Using cut bait can be a great tool but it takes some learning on getting the correct spin on the rig (pinning the bait and tuning it). Also from what I have read and watched they run them a bit slower. Look for you tube videos on running cut bait or meat rigs. Brads are a great place to start! It is not the same as cut bait but it is kinda close. The plug really minimizes the learning curve. Plus they work very well. Hopefully someone else can share their knowledge, mine is very limited on this one. Best of Luck to you, Mushy's Dad out Keep your hook in the water!

BRads cut plugs are a great lure and there's one on a rod at all times in my boat. But they don't even come close to replacing cut bait. Cut bait rolls much slower and is generally a big fish bait. Brads cut plugs spin much faster and will catch fish of all species and sizes. If you want a lot of fish go with Brad's, if you want fewer but bigger fish, especially during mid-day, go with cut hearing.

Use Brads Cut Plugs! So much easier and durable and amazing how many fish I've been catching off them! I swear by them now. And as I fish out of a 14 foot boat out of Milwaukee with generally only 2 or 3 line, I think that says something! http://lake-link.com/forums/Great-Lakes-Fishing/discuss.cfm/99058/Brads-cut-plugs/

YEs it's legal. Hearing is the generally accepted standard for cut bait but good luck finding it in Wisconsin anymore due to the VHS stuff. I have mine shipped in from Washington, the hearing is cheap but the overnight shipping and dry ice is a killer!