The Incredible Edible Bait

During the past decade, scientific developments in softbaits—what we used to know as soft plastics—have redefined this category. In a quest to build the perfect fishing lure, developers have created a class of baits that elude exact definition, though they’re generally regarded as biodegradable.

Some of these new baits contain not a trace of plastisol. Several are gelatin-based. Most consist of natural ingredients that begin dissolving the instant they’re placed in water, exuding a sometimes visible trail of flavor and scent. Discarded in a lake, they’re gone within years, months, weeks, or even days. A few baits even provide fish with nutritional food.

I consider these flavor nuggets third-generation softbaits—biodegradable lures or “tastebaits.” First generation softbaits, such as Crème’s Worm, contained vinyl, oils, and pigments. Next came scent-impregnated lures formulated with softer plastisols featuring lifelike texture and action. Today’s third generation are biodegradable, rich in scent and flavor, and in some cases edible.

This growing category includes products from FoodSource, Big Bite Baits, Berkley, Fishbites, and Advanced Angling Technology (AAT). Each is formulated with different organic and synthetic materials, yielding distinctive scents, flavors, textures, and rates of breakdown in the aquatic environment.

About Biodegradability

Biodegradability, while increasingly important in fishing applications as well as for environmental reasons, remains ambiguous. Tests of degradation rate cannot, for example, be conducted in tapwater because it lacks bacteria, microorganisms, and other scavengers that affect breakdown. As a result, there’s no timetable on how long it takes each bait to dissipate in a natural setting. We do know, however, that some like Fishbites Strips dissolve completely within a day or two, even in tapwater. Yet other biodegradable baits contain synthetics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) that may eventually dissolve, but potentially toxic chemical byproducts may linger.

Environmental concern stems from the fact that most soft plastics contain resins, stabilizers, and softening agents known as phthalates. The EPA lists certain phthalates as toxic substances potentially linked to a variety of human health problems. Meanwhile, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that as many as 20 million pounds of soft plastic fishing lures enter surface waters each year. The U.S. Geological Survey claims phthalates remain the most prominent contaminant in ground and surface waters. The role of fishing lures in this warning isn’t clear; but eventually, improvements in lure materials may not only be prudent, but mandated, similar to lead legislation.

Contributing further to the need for biodegradable baits is bass health itself. There are indications that soft plastics that end up in fish stomachs are harmful. Lures can become lodged in the digestive tract, blocking passage or absorption of food and leading to starvation.

In a recent study by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, undigested soft plastic lures were found in 63 percent of brook trout collected. Trout ingesting soft plastic had lost weight and exhibited poor body condition. During my tenure with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, we collected largemouth bass with sunken abdomens. In nearly every case, a soft plastic lure could be seen protruding from its throat. In contrast, many tastebaits are completely digestible. FoodSource lures are even composed of protein-rich ingredients, approved by the FDA as animal food.

Tastebait Tactics

Beyond environmental and health concerns, these new baits offer advantages in catching bass. Initially, tastebaits shone in finesse and deadsticking situations where action was secondary to scent and taste. To a point, the longer you soak them in water the more appealing tastebaits become to bass. Unlike plastisol baits that quickly lose flavor, tastebaits get better. The dissolving process also makes them feel softer, even slimy to the touch, as they release attractive ingredients. When bass strike, they often hold baits indefinitely, leading to excellent hook-set success.

Some tastebaits aren’t as supple as many of today’s soft plastics, however, meaning slightly reduced action. Rigging may require a screw-in or clip device on the hook. But rigidity has an upside—firmer tastebaits are more durable than soft plastics. Some tastebaits, though, such as Big Bite Baits BioBaits and Gulp! Alive! products, are supple.

Slow, subtle presentations, including flipping, are a great match for durable baits. Drop-shotting lures like Berkley Gulp! Minnows or Gobies or a FoodSource Coosa Flick are another hot combo, often approaching the effectiveness of livebait. Even when you try to pull a tastebait out of their jaws, bass often refuse to drop it. Carolina-rigging also is well suited to tastebaits, since slow dragging activates scent and flavor. Baits such as a 6-inch Berkley Gulp! Alive! Lizard are a tremendous Carolina option.

Similarly, split-shot rigs make a fine tastebait delivery tool. Like other “do-nothing” presentations, split-shot rigging doesn’t require much wiggle in your worm and, in open areas, nose-hooking works well.

Tastebait Options

Apparently only five companies offer biodegradable baits. Given the success of soft plastics, most manufacturers aren’t yet motivated to spend millions of dollars to develop biodegradable technologies.

FoodSource Lures: The makers of this unique line of tastebaits tout them as the only lures made of real fish food. Developed through a 3-year partnership between Auburn University fishery researchers and food scientists, FoodSource Lures are ­nutrient-rich fish food. In lab tests, fish not only ate them, but thrived, on a FoodSource diet.