Click to Enlarge   The Thrill of the Chase by Bryan Hendricks illustrations by Mark Raithel Gathering bait can be as fun as catching fish Last September,my 7-year old son,Matthew, and I went to a spot off the Missouri River for an afternoon of dove hunting.The dirt road going into the area was carpeted with grasshoppers that flew up in clouds as we approached. They settled on the windshield and perched on the hood. Some even flew into the cab through our open windows. "Dad, do fish eat grasshoppers?" Matthew asked. "Fish LOVE grasshoppers," I replied. I noticed the glint in Matt's eyes, so I asked, "Want to catch some?" "Yes!" We pulled off the road and marveled at the sight of so many grasshoppers. They were everywhere. And they were huge, too, colored bright gold with distinct black markings. A pair of paper bags were the only containers we had. Paper bags won't hold grasshoppers for long, but they would have to do. We spent the next hour chasing grasshoppers. The ones in the road were the easiest to catch. Others flew into the tall grass on the roadside. If we crept up on them slowly, they stayed put long enough for us to cup our hands over them. It was too windy to hunt doves that day, and no birds were flying anyway. Instead, we spent the rest of the afternoon fishing a nearby pond. The pond was loaded with big bluegills, and they popped those grasshoppers as soon as they hit the water. As much fun as we had catching the fish, I think we had just as much fun catching the grasshoppers. That's one of the neat things about fishing. You don't need fancy lures to catch fish. You can sometimes fool fish with lures, but you'll almost always fool them with the real thing. Grasshoppers, crickets and worms are great for catching fish. You can also catch a lot of fish with tasty food items from your own kitchen. Grasshoppers At certain times, grasshoppers can be plentiful and easy to catch. They're around during the spring and summer, but they're most visible in the fall. You can also find them in weedy or grassy fields, and in gardens. If you walk through a weedy field on a still day in late summer, you may hear the soft rustling of grasshoppers moving around among the plants. Catching grasshoppers can be challenging because not only can they jump a long way, but adult grasshoppers can also fly. A grasshopper on a plant stalk will often move around the stalk to keep away from you, much as a squirrel circles a tree trunk to stay out of sight. The trick is to approach very slowly with a fine mesh net and gently move the grasshopper toward the net with your finger. You can also put the mouth of a jar under a grasshopper and then close the lid down over it. Usually, the grasshopper will fall into the jar. Paper bags are poor containers for holding grasshoppers because they'll chew holes in a bag. Catching grasshoppers with your hand is the X-treme way to get bait. You have to sneak up very slowly and then cup your hands over them, like a trap. Of course, grasshoppers have small barbs on their front feet which help them hold food. These barbs feel prickly on your skin. When caught, grasshoppers also secrete a brown saliva. Grasshoppers are harmless, but their prickly feet and "tobacco juice" give some people the creeps. When using a grasshopper for bait, grasp it firmly on the thorax (where the four front legs come together). Hook it either through the abdomen behind the back legs, or through the thorax in front of the back legs. Worms If you have a shady place with moist soil, you can find earthworms almost anytime. You can often find earthworms or nightcrawlers beneath a board that has been on the ground for a long time. Flower gardens with moist soil are also great places to dig for worms. Check with your parents first. I have a concrete drainage trough in my front yard. It's only about a foot wide, but it always fills up with leaves and dirt. Worms love it, and I can always get enough there for a fishing trip. One of the best times to look for worms is after a long, soaking rain. The rain saturates the soil and drives worms up to the ground surface. This is when you can find some really huge nightcrawlers in your driveway, on sidewalks, or even in the street. Watch for cars while gathering worms from driveways and roads. Because they're so slimy and squirmy, worms can be tricky to put on a hook. To secure a worm properly, thread it onto a hook by piercing it multiple times to make a big wad. Bluegill are especially bad about nibbling, and they'll nibble and yank a worm right off the hook without ever taking the hook if it isn't well secured. If it's a big worm, pinch off a short section of the worm and run the hook from end to end, right through the middle. It will still attract fish, and the rest of the worm will stay lively for a long time. Bacon One of the best all around baits for catching sunfish and catfish--and even crappie--is a small chunk of bacon fat with a small sliver of lean meat on the edge. A chunk of greasy bacon releases a lot of oil into the water that attracts a lot of fish in a hurry. Fish must like the taste of bacon, too, because two or three fish will often bite it at once. To secure a piece of bacon, pierce it on the edge, fold it over and hook it in the middle, and then fold it over and hook it on the other edge. Bacon is tough, so fish can't yank it off the hook. When a fish finally takes it, the bacon will usually slide up the hook shank and out of the fish's mouth. When you unhook the fish, simply slide the bacon back down the hook and secure it again. This way, you can use the same piece of bacon over and over. If you keep it hooked securely, it will last all day long. If you lose your bacon, you can always dig up enough worms or catch enough grasshoppers to keep you going.