As we all know by now, fish like to hide in some of the nastiest structure around. In and around trees, stumps, logs, rocks and weeds. This presents a bit of a problem, you want to get your bait in there in order to yank them out, but in doing so there is a chance you’ll get your bait snagged on something other than a fish. Most of the stuff you get snagged on you can break away from, usually weeds or lily pads. However there are those times when you just can’t break away as your hooks have really dug themselves deep into a log or a tree stump. For some reason it always occurs with that brand new bait you’ve been dying to try out and can lead to some serious frustration not to mention put a dent in your wallet.

I’ll give you a few tips that have worked for me, but be aware this is no guarantee. For me it’s usually a 50/50 shot on whether or not I’ll get that bait back. The first thing I usually do is quite simply pull on it a bit. Sometimes you may think you’re snagged but it’s just some weeds or the sheer force of yanking on it might break it free. This “traditional” and easiest method comes with a drawback though. If you really hammer at it you’re just going to dig those hooks deeper into whatever it is that you’re stuck on and make getting it out of there a whole lot harder.

If this method fails, try keeping tension on the line but moving you rod from side to side. This jerking action may pull the hooks out of whatever you’re stuck in. However, there is a word of warning with this method, make sure you have protective glasses on and no one is behind you because if that bait frees up and comes flying out of the water with all that tension on it, it can really do some damage. Basically, have your cat like reflexes ready for this one! If this method yields nothing then what I like to do is keep tension on the line and pull on it with my hand and release it a few times, just pluck away at it. This vibration along the line can also loosen the bait up.

If you are on shore, release your bail and go for a walk. Sometimes I walk quite a ways, and then try this method again. If it doesn’t work from one side, walk in the other direction and try. There have been times where I have walked 100 meters away from my bait to try this method, with my friends all laughing at me, but it does sometimes work. A different angle of attack can really help.

When on a boat all these methods become a little easier since you can actually bring your boat around a full 360 degrees and get all angles of attack. On a boat I find my chances usually increase dramatically when retrieving a snagged bait. On the boat I also sometimes use a paddle to help free the bait if it’s not too deep under the water.

When all else fails there is only one thing to do unfortunately, and that is to cut your line. Nothing relieves the stress of getting snagged quicker than re-tying and catching that next big fish. Hope these tips can come in handy the next time you get a bad snag.

1. Worms

This is the classic bait for pulling in the pan fish all day long and occasionally the big one. If you fish on a worm usually you are a beginner or just out to fish for fun with constant action all day long. Worms can be very productive in all types of water, all times of day, and for a variety of fish. Depending on what lake you’re fishing you can expect to pull in pan fish such as rocky bass, sunfish and perch. However, I’ve also caught largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, catfish, and one of my buddies even caught a pike on a worm to our surprise.

Tip: Keep the box of worms in a cool place. When transporting them keep them in a cooler if possible and when out fishing place them in some shade as direct sunlight will tend to dry them out and kill them, and believe me dead worms can really really stink.

2. Minnows

In terms of use, a minnow is often used exactly the same way as a worm is. You just place it on a hook, through its nostril, and cast it out using a bobber. The action of the minnow on the hook entices the fish to bite. Usually a minnow will yield you a larger fish such as a nice largemouth bass, pike, or walleye, but don’t be surprised if you pull in a rocky bass or two on a small minnow.

You can usually get minnows from a bait shop or you can catch your own using a minnow trap. I will guide you through setting up a minnow trap and the variety of ways you can hook a minnow in this article (minnow 101). You will also want to have a minnow bucket to keep the minnows in water. These traps can be purchased everywhere that they sell fishing equipment.

Tip: Minnows are often caught in streams or shallow water from a variety of lakes. As a result of this, the minnows you buy can be from a completely different lake then the one you are fishing. It is suggested by the Ministry of Natural Resources that if you have left over minnows at days end you shouldn’t just dump them in the lake as they could become an invasive species. Hopefully though you won’t have this problem as the fish love to eat minnows and if they’re biting hard then you’ll quickly run through all your minnows.

3. Lures

Now as I mentioned in my previous articles there is a variety of lures you can use whether you’re shore fishing or on a boat. Lures offer you the advantage of not having to store live bait and they will usually yield you larger fish as they are meant to represent smaller baitfish, frogs, insect, and even mice, the things that the big boys like to eat.

There are a variety of lures you can use from crank baits, twitch baits, top water lures, all the soft plastic baits, spinner baits, swim baits, and spoons. I will cover each of these baits and how and where to fish them in articles to follow. In most tournaments the pros can only use artificial means to catch fish, live bait is not allowed, and as you will see if you check out pictures from the internet on tournament fish, lures can be an extremely productive way of landing big fish.

4. Leeches

I have never been a big fan of leeches simply because I found that small pan fish will go for leeches just as aggressively as they will for a worm and they can be more expensive than worms. You can try using leeches as an alternative to worms and see if they work better for you. These are not always available at bait shops so you may have to look around to find them.

Tip: When attaching a leech to your hook, let them grab onto your nail with their sucker, I usually used by thumb nail. This way they won’t start sucking your blood like a vampire and you’ll be able to attach them to your hook no problem.

5. Bread-balls

Bread balls are used mainly for catching vegetarian fish, that’s right not all fish are meat-eaters. They can be very productive when catching carp which can tend to grow quite large and be a great fighting fish. I tend to use bread-balls with the exactly same set up as I do for worms. Simply put a nugget of the bread ball on your hook and you’re good to go.

To make bread balls is very easy. Simply take a potato and nuke it (microwave) for 5 minutes, or until it is soft in the middle when you poke with a knife. Once it cools cut it open and scoop out the middle flesh of the potato. Take that flesh and mix it with a slice or two of bread, Wonder-bread works great for this. Start mashing it together with your hands until you form a sort of doug. If need be you may want to add some water to the mix to get the dough like consistency. You can rip little chunks of the dough, place it on your hook, and you’re good to go.

6. Other bait

If you’re squeamish of worms or minnows you can use a cut up hotdog to catch pan fish. Small chunks on your hook will entice the fish, as hot dogs usually are jam packed with goodness and vitamins that can stink a lot and entice the fish to bite.

Another alternative to the bread-balls for the veggie fish is corn. You can attach kernels onto your hook and wait for the action. This has worked for me in the past but I always found that live bait or lures are the way to go.