Several years ago I got turned on to using live bait. Before that time I had used worms. Yes worms are live bait too, but the world of live bait is much more than a crawler on a hook. Minnows, crawdads, and crickets are also a big part of live bait fishing. I have enjoyed using each type, but crickets were my first venture into the other-world of live bait fishing.
A good friend of mine, Tom, first showed me how to use crickets when stream fishing for trout. We were Trout fishing the Silver Fork out side of Kyburz, California. The water was running and the scenery outstanding. Our plan was to hop boulders from up above and fish our way down stream. First on the agenda was my introduction to using crickets as bait.
Tom grabbed a black cricket out of the cricket cage and said, You just run the hook under the collar. What? Was this cricket wearing a coat or something? I found that just behind the head of the cricket is something that looks like a collar. The trick is to gently guide your hook under the collar and out the other side of the collar without killing the cricket. It is actually much easier than it may sound.
Next I went for a fishing bobber and was...