When it comes to fishing bait, you might not need to spend tons of money buying it from a fish store. Nor will you need to dig up your yard for worms constantly. If you run out of fish bait while on the waters or right before a trip, you can make do with quick fixes, with one of them being ham!
But wait! Can you use ham as fish bait? Learn about the effectiveness of using ham for your next fish bait, and read on.
Can You Use Ham as Fish Bait?
YES, you can use ham as fish bait by cutting or breaking it into small pieces and then attaching it to your line. It’s a quick and effective fix when you’re out of bait and only have your lunch with you!
Ham is a crafty choice of bait and gets you a bite on your line. While it’s not the best choice because of its preservative content, it’s a temporary fix. If you plan to catch and release fish, it’s best not to use ham, but if you are catching fish for dinner, I don’t see why not use it!
There are various fish that are attracted to ham, such as:
- Trout would eat eels, bloodworms, insects, shrimp, mollusks, and zooplankton, being carnivorous animals. They aren’t picky fish and would eat ham and other edible bait when put out on the fishing line.
- Bass eat frogs and crayfish, which are larger prey. Meaning, you’ll need bigger portions of ham to target them.
- Bluegills consume fish eggs, zooplankton, crayfish, and other smaller fish species. They also eat human food like ham and cheese.
- Red-ear sunfish also like ham and would bite when presented with this bait.
When you do use ham as bait, here are a few tips to follow:
- Use smaller pieces or ham cubes. If you have slices of ham, take a portion out and roll it in a ball, attaching it to your hook. The fish will have a good sense of smell, detecting small amounts of ham. Avoid giving huge pieces of ham, which will have you run out of bait and lessen the chances of fish bobbing up for a bite.
- Cheap ham works. You don’t need to use expensive deli ham. Fish don’t have refined palettes and will go for any food they find.
- Do NOT be reliant on ham! Sure, you can use it as bait and get bites, but it’s not a choice of bait to use all the time with its salt and preservative content. Keep the fish healthy, especially if you plan to catch and release them.
- Other interesting lunch foods are effective fishing bait if you run out. If you have a sandwich, you can use bread and cheese. Or, you can use other forms of bait like corn, chicken, or hotdogs.
- While bacon is considered ham and both made of pork, cooked bacon isn’t as delicious to fish compared to ham. They typically only bite for uncooked bacon. If you decide to try using bacon for fish bait, use ones that have little lean meat and more fat. That said, it’s best not to use ham because of its fattier pieces, higher price, and the fact it needs to be uncooked.
Wrapping It Up
There are so many different types of fish bait to use, but did you know that there are interesting ones to try, like ham? Ham is pretty effective and attracts various species. You just have to make sure you also use the proper fishing techniques for a sure catch. You can even use other lunch foods if you run out of fish bait, like bread, cheese, corn, or other meats, which attract just as many other fish species.
Hopefully, you learned a lot about using ham as fish bait and how it’s possible to do so. Why not give it a try and see if it works for you! Good luck and happy fishing.