Thread: Minnows

I always enjoyed spider rigging in winter, creeping along with double hook minnow rigs out the front.
We’ve never had great access to minnows around here, especially of any quality. Now after all the craziness the last few years it’s even worse. Few places I’ve heard about having any, they they are sky-high $
But if you can get em, I’m betting they’ll still work just fine.


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Originally Posted by Rigderunner

Anybody still using minnows out there to catch crappie on? All I’ve seen is live scoping jig polers. Thinking about coming out this spring and seeing if we can’t land a few on a minnows under a float.

They paid Big, Big, bills this summer for me big fish fishing. Shiners have gotten so hard to get around here I think they work better than ever, nowhere near the anglers using them these days.

I haven’t used minnows in about 15 years (has also been about 15 years since I fished in the winter until this past Sunday), and I’m curious if the lack of minnows use these days can actually more effective—kinda like bringing back an old lure not seen in a while because the fish got use to the new stuff. I’m sure it would be expensive to spider rig 6 rods with two hooks each for 1-2 limits.

Originally Posted by jjue1979

I haven’t used minnows in about 15 years (has also been about 15 years since I fished in the winter until this past Sunday), and I’m curious if the lack of minnows use these days can actually more effective—kinda like bringing back an old lure not seen in a while because the fish got use to the new stuff. I’m sure it would be expensive to spider rig 6 rods with two hooks each for 1-2 limits.

You bet! Back in the day we fished 8 rods, double hooks - 16 minnows just to load up and put out. And almost every time you caught a fish, it would shake both minnows off. I’m constantly realizing I’m just not as mad at the fish as I used to be


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I take the 1st 3 weeks of April off every year. I only use a cork/minnow/jig pole rig. Usually have 40 to 60 fish days and have had several days near or over 100. That's between two people, but we only keep about 8 apiece. Fish from 5' to 6" deep.

Minnows are all I use. Dropshot and slip bobber. I buy em by the pound for $20. I keep them in my 55gallon fish tank in the basement so I have them when needed.

It's funny that J White says there isn't great access to minnows in Mississippi as pretty much all the fat head minnows in Ohio come from Mississippi fish farms.

Here's a whole bunch of them...

mississippi fat head minnow fish farms - Google Search

What water parameters are required for minnow raising, and about how many are in the tank at any given time? While I do have 55 gallon tank for our pet fish, I’m curious as to whether or not I want to start another tank (could be an ice chest) in the garage or back porch (curtained during the winter) or just wait until the kids’ pets die off and repurpose that tank. My problem with minnows these days is that the shops that I previously got minnow when I was younger are all out of my way to The Rez, unless Tommy’s Trading Post on Hwy 43 has some and I happen to launch from there.


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Originally Posted by jjue1979

What water parameters are required for minnow raising, and about how many are in the tank at any given time? While I do have 55 gallon tank for our pet fish, I’m curious as to whether or not I want to start another tank (could be an ice chest) in the garage or back porch (curtained during the winter) or just wait until the kids’ pets die off and repurpose that tank. My problem with minnows these days is that the shops that I previously got minnow when I was younger are all out of my way to The Rez, unless Tommy’s Trading Post on Hwy 43 has some and I happen to launch from there.

Bud, Tommy's sells Emerald or Golden Shiners, when they have them which has been Friday thru Sunday. If I am correct Tuffy minnows is the subject here. It has taken me years to get to the point my shiners grow in the tank. Tuffy minnows are very hardy compared to Shiners. I use Shiners as our local Hatchery's Tuffy minnows are mostly Goldfish colored few silver.