Couldn’t stand it no more

No being able to fish because of holiday traffic on water, today I said what the heck, I got out early and stopped at first reed pile and caught 1 quick the lost several at the boat, went to next reed pile and used all my minnows I had left from the last trip, winding up catching 20 or so, good fish, tried jigs of every color imaginable, but minnows is what they wanted today. Do you think crappie like different kind of minnows, the stores around here have been ordering them of line, 1 store has shiners, others have buffalo heads, some others I don’t know what they are, real dark looking, no ruby reds though. What do you fellows think?

I have found that they liked minnows that were lively and healthy better than half dead ones

I agree dockshottingjack but do you think they like one (I’m gonna say breed of minnows than the other) I think the they like the more lively minnows. Where do you guys and gals hook your minnows for them to be more lively, me personally I like to hook them through the eyes, my though process behind that is, it does mess with there breathing or swimming, I hope that they live longer by doing that. I don’t know, that’s why I am asking, I have hooked them this way for 25 years or so, but I am not to old to be taught new tricks.

Can't say to that. In my area Tuffies were the only choice to be had. Sometimes you would get a Rosie in there. But it was purely by luck because they didn't have any for sale. They would devour the Rosie. I think that it was more along the lines of it being different than something they really prefered. When night fishing using lights. When they were feeding on small shad circling the light. They would hmer a caught shad over minnows

What Jack said about being different. I have used minnows in the past but very seldom in recent years. Next time they won’t touch your jigs, downsize. I use real small and stay pretty busy.

Can’t remember the last time I used minnows. I like shooting docks.

I am a dock shooter too myself, but when the fish move to deep treetops you gotta move also.

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

I have found that they liked minnows that were lively and healthy better than half dead ones

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I always thought that myself until I watched some of the minnow fisherman on the docks at Joe Pool tear the heads from the minnows before they hooked them on the jig to fish them. They out caught those who fished live minnows most of the time there.

Of course it could because they were bloody while the live minnows were not. Since I'm too lazy to fish minnows and rely on jigs I can't say for sure why but I can say the dead minnows worked better than the live ones there.

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Originally Posted by Danny Lang

I am a dock shooter too myself, but when the fish move to deep treetops you gotta move also.

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If only I could find a way to shoot a minnow under a dock. Give those fish something they haven't seen

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

If only I could find a way to shoot a minnow under a dock. Give those fish something they haven't seen

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Man if you could figure that out, I would like to know.

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

If only I could find a way to shoot a minnow under a dock. Give those fish something they haven't seen

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I'd do it this way :

Run jig hook from under the throat V and out between the nostrils ... if that didn't work, I'd run the hook into the mouth of the minner and out behind the head (& maybe a little to the side of the backbone). Now, in either case the minner isn't going to live all that long, so be sure to have plenty on hand.
I've used both those methods of hooking minners on a jighead before, just for Smallmouth down at Watts Bar in Oct/Nov back in the day and they worked very well & lived for quite a few casts.

I wouldn't even consider using Shiners, as they just seemed to be a bit fragile. But, the Fathead, Creek Chub, or Bluntnose Minnow are fairly stout little critters & should do well.

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Originally Posted by ezgoing

I always thought that myself until I watched some of the minnow fisherman on the docks at Joe Pool tear the heads from the minnows before they hooked them on the jig to fish them. They out caught those who fished live minnows most of the time there.

Of course it could because they were bloody while the live minnows were not. Since I'm too lazy to fish minnows and rely on jigs I can't say for sure why but I can say the dead minnows worked better than the live ones there.

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"pinchheads" are stupid deadly on crappie , really popular in lots of spots locally ,will ketch when nothing else will for sure .

when I mentor beginners in the fine art of KABOOM , I tell them to bring a dozen large lively shiners ....
then I horrify them folks by pinching them right in half and putting a half on a bare jig and using it as a jig body ....
one fella that asked me to teach him how to ketch crappie a good while back ,still does it that way almost 10 years later
cut in half fresh on a jig is the way to go , they don't swim off into the brush ,AND they leave a real nice scent trail with falling scales .
I actually advised 2 fellas this same way last winter on a lake full of crappie that told me they were not biting using whole shiners.....
they went from no Ketchn to KABOOM just like dat ! :Rofl