What is a “bleeding bait”?

There are many tactics that fishermen and women employ to try and give them the advantage whilst out fishing for bass, and the bleeding bait is indeed one of them. However, what bleeding bait actually sounds like and what it consists of are two different things!

The bleeding bait is actually a patented hook that is red in colour. It has proved to be extremely effective when used to catch bass in both saltwater and freshwater. This is solely because of the colour. It has no defining features as such, apart from the fact that the hook is red, and now many more red hooks have appeared on the market. This is largely because of the reported success that individual fishing enthusiasts have had.

The colour red is so important because the fish associate it with feeding. Blood indicates that potential food sources are weak and thus provokes a response that can only be termed an attack response. However, there is another reason for it as well, also known as "gill flash". If a fish is feeding then its gills fill with blood in order for it to take on as much food and nutrition as possible. They flare and become red, which in turn attracts more and more fish to the area in which it is feeding so they can get as much food as possible, if any is going spare at all.

The bleeding bait hooks are therefore very effective, attracting fish for two very good and natural reasons, both of which just go to show that if you look to nature for inspiration then you will no doubt catch more fish than before!