Thread: Minnows: Size Preference and where you buying them at, and how you hooking them?

Bank like cows

I use #8's everywhere all the time if I can get them. That is considered a medium at Lakeway in Grenada, but a Large most other places. I use the Large at Grenada sometimes and they work!!!! Those are considered a #12 at the minnow farms. The minnow farms do not grade a #10.

#6-Considered a medium most places is a small at Grenada. 1000 Minnows weigh 6lbs. A pound is 13.89 dozen.

#8- Considered a large most places is a medium at Grenada. 1000 minnows weigh 8lbs. A pound is 10.42 dozen

#12- Considered a Trot Line (Catfish) minnow most places is a Large at Grenada. 1000 minnows weigh 12lbs. A pound is 6.94 dozen

Most bait shops buy mixed graded minnows because they cost less. That's why you buy medium minnows most places and they are smaaaaaall. The minnow farms don't grade them as closely so they sell them for less.

Jigflinger is a true expert on minnows and can give much better info than me however. He's hauled billions of em.

Originally Posted by sharphook

100 per person in MS. That would include children and seniors like me!!! I have 2 -1/10 acre water pools for live stock. Only fish in them are bluegill and green sunfish. I feed them scraps or 16 percent fish feed from Moores feed at pontotoc. Put your minnow trap in pool with a handful os feed inside. Bang 2-3 days later bait ready to go. Also stop feeding the fish a week before trapping to increase fish in trap. I can walk out there and the large fish come to the. A I likes cows in the feedlot!! The

I get my feed and other supplys etc. at Moores in Pontotoc too

I think the big minnows taste better but the small ones are less filling

Originally Posted by Speck

I think the big minnows taste better but the small ones are less filling

They all eat good with a little hot sauce

BRM hit the nail on the head. Don't know how true this is for all the minnow farmers, but, three I checked with last week are saying they are out of minnows.They say Louisiana has been buying all they can load.

So why is it some bait shops have minnows that ain't no good? I get some that die quickly (even with aerator and ice) and are soft and mushy and there scales flake off easily. Is this just a different species of minnow or are they just sickly?

Originally Posted by Snubbys

So why is it some bait shops have minnows that ain't no good? I get some that die quickly (even with aerator and ice) and are soft and mushy and there scales flake off easily. Is this just a different species of minnow or are they just sickly?

All shiners are the same species. The ones you speak of are indeed sickly. This condition can be caused by several different factors.
1. The fish were left in the seine too long and got hot.
2. They weren't properly conditioned prior to being sold. When the farms seine minnows and place them in a vat they heavily salt them. Usually about 100 pounds of mixing salt per 1000 gallons of water. This causes the minnows to purge themselves of the feed that was used to draw them into the sump where they could be caught. The farms try to keep them in salt water for at least 24 hours. Sometimes this isn't possible if the customer makes their request for early pick up.
3. The hauler doesn't keep them at the proper temperature or doesn't use salt. Salt is very important. It is very beneficial to the minnows. It cleans the minnows out. It promotes slime growth. It helps helps harden the scales. And it relieves stress. Fish farmers buy salt in 50 pound bags, several pallets at a time. It's their best insurance.
4. The bait shop is not keeping the water quality up. Just because the water is blue or green doesn't mean
water is up to snuff.
5. There are two chemicals that can be used.
1. Better Bait. Turns water blue.
2. Finer Shiner. My personal choice. Turns the water green. While both chemicals are manufactured by the same company and have the same basic ingredients, the Better Bait is intended for soft scaled fish. Finer Shiner is intended for hard scaled fish, such as shiners.
No amount of air make up for bad water.

Important note. The salt is mixing salt. Non-iodized. Regular table salt will kill them.