live bait
Refers to living organisms used as bait in fishing or trapping.
I bought live bait before going fishing.
生き餌を使うとよく釣れる。
Using live bait catches fish well.
Standard kanji spelling for live bait.
Alternate kanji spelling; 生 can also be read なま, so context is needed.
Uncommon variant using 活き; not standard.
Rare variant; may be encountered in older texts.
Compound of 生き (living) + 餌 (bait).