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[timsnitch]

I am a big fan of using live bait but i've never had a lot of luck with minnows. What type of line and pound test should I use? What type of hook? I'm afraid a thick one would just kill it. Also, in the past I have rigged them from the lip, but I imagine that would make them swim unnaturally. Hooking them through the tail and they rip off when I cast. Any suggestions?

[TreyB55]

Never really used them much for bass. Probably a 1/0 and I hook them just below their spine above their air sac, basically right under the dorsal fin.

[bigjim5589]

I used minnows a lot when I was a kid, not so much in many years though. I was primarily after White or Yellow Perch, sometimes Crappies & used a light wire Aberdeen hook, often a #4 rigged behind the back fin, but not so deep that it hit their spine. They would swim around pretty good like this & lasted longer than thru the lips. They swam like they were injured, which they were, but they stayed alive longer because they could  get water thru their gills.

As far as tossing them off the hook, I learned not to try & heave them clear across the county & just let the rod do it's thing. A light or ultra light action rod & reel helps. I didn't have to cast all that far anyway, 30-40 ft tops. I was often fishing near a pier, or pilings or a downed tree, all of which were close to shore.

I usually fished them under a small float, and tried to use the smallest that I could get away with & still suspend the minnow. 

[DelMarAlan]

If your using minnows good luck getting anything but small bass no offense. If you want to do it easily and catch them, a good friend of mine often catches them over 5 at one of our private ponds. Catch about a 4-5'' bluegill, trim the dorsal fin with a good pair of scissors, but you dont have too, then take like a 2/0 EWG or straight shank hook behind the dorsal fin.

[sticks]

I fish the kankakee river alot and in the spring and fall use alot of minnows when water temp is low. Using small hooks due to fishing for smallies, hooking them through the lips. Will let them drift with a bobber and sometimes free lining them. Small fish only?? I beg to differ!! When to dale holler this spring. Fish were shut down, threw live shad and caught them up to 5lbs!!!! Live bait works for big fish and a necessary tool at times!!


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[DelMarAlan]

I fish the kankakee river alot and in the spring and fall use alot of minnows when water temp is low. Using small hooks due to fishing for smallies, hooking them through the lips. Will let them drift with a bobber and sometimes free lining them. Small fish only?? I beg to differ!! When to dale holler this spring. Fish were shut down, threw live shad and caught them up to 5lbs!!!! Live bait works for big fish and a necessary tool at times!!

Go ahead and use like a 2''-3'' minnow and see what you catch largemouth fishing, you'll be over run by dinks, perch, crappie, and possibly pickeral. Smallmouth are different. And Shad arent necessary small, they have a large body profile, while a minnow is skinny and short. Anything 4'' + to me isnt considered a minnow anymore.  Not trying to start an argument , just my experience and opinion.

[coldfront]

in the past, I've attached a large minnow/chub to a hair jig as a trailer...in the right spot can result in some rather large bass...  didn't worry about keepng the chub alive as it was moving with the jig action...

hooked through the lower jaw and up/out throught the top of the head...

[Stump bumper]

I use live shad for Stripers and catch a lot of big bass doing so. I use a small No 1 or No 2 thin wire circle hook and hook the shad behind the dorsal fin, that way they swim away from the boat, hook in the lip if you are dragging them or want them to swim to the boat.

I target deep fish(20-50 ft) with a drop shot approach with live bait instead of casting up into shallow water looking for bass but you would be surprised how many big bass are hitting the schools of deep shad  the stripers are in the heat of the summer.

[sticks]

I think you said bass- not small mouth or largemouth! Shad are not much bigger then golden roaches!! I typically use golden roaches in the spring for largemouth and catch some very nice largemouth! You need golden roaches and yes they are still minnows!! After the water warms a bit in the river, we tip our grubs with medium flatheads for smallmouth! Once the water is in the 60's, it's time for the fluke and grubs. You obviously have not spent enough time using live bait and experimenting with it! The bonus is  we also catch a couple of nice walleyes too!


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[timsnitch]

I think they call them bullheads where I buy my bait. Small ones are about 3 inches, as big as maybe 5, 5 and a half.

[bigjim5589]

Tim, if they're local minnows they're probably Bull Minnows, not Bullheads. Bullheads are a type of catfish. 

[coldfront]

Tim, if they're local minnows they're probably Bull Minnows, not Bullheads. Bullheads are a type of catfish. 

was thinking not 'flatheads' but 'fatheads'...too

[timsnitch]

Lol yea, bull minnows.

[coldfront]

Lol yea, bull minnows.

tim, it's a fair point...especially as our local bass love to snack on bullheads (yellow bullheads predominantly)...high fat...kind of like trout...


and then again, when you look at all the species in the world, catfish are one of the most numerous...then if you include all the madtoms, sculpins and now gobies...they all look about the same and 'scoot' across the bottom about the same...and provide some great, high fat/energy forage...

[sticks]

Dang iPhone fathead not flathead!!


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