I would love to use live minnows,but I cannot see the benefit other than the romance of it.I have been using a beetle spin ( minus the beetle) with a black 1/8 jig head,and a chartuese beaver tail the last few outings,today I caught well over 60 crappie,most 12-16".
On my previous outing I used a beetle spin ( minus the beetle) with a 2" plastic shad,again catching roughly the same amount.Yes,I would love to fish with live bait,buti guess I'm not that romantic!