How do you hook your minnows

[CrappiePappy]

The only bad thing about hooking them through the lips and out the head is it is hard not to hit the brain and kill them. So mine go through the eye.

Don't bring the hookpoint out through the "head" .... bring it out between the nostrils. But, that way of hooking is mainly for jigs IMHO.
If hooking a minnow with a regular hook, then through the eye socket (behind the eyeballs, not through them) will allow the minnow to swim freely and won't kill the minnow as easily as a badly placed "through the head" or "under the back dorsal fin" placement will.

... cp

[Muskrat]

It depends on the minnow. I've always hooked a "tuffy" in the lips. They are called "tuffies" for a reason...they are tough. Because a crappie basically inhales a minnow instead of chewing on it we often catch 3-4 crappie on the same minnow. The minnow will usually be dangling on the outside of the mouth of the crappie as it slides freely along the hook with the lip method. We just make sure we net them when they are being brought out of the water so they won't shake off the minnow. If the fish are biting one way is as good as another...just get one in the water.

[Buckrub]

Then why, when you never detect a bite on a cork, and you pull up the minnow......so many times (VERY many times) the eyeballs are missing????

????

[Luvfatslabs]

I hook mine thru the eyes

[CrappiePappy]

Then why, when you never detect a bite on a cork, and you pull up the minnow......so many times (VERY many times) the eyeballs are missing????

????

Small Bluegill will peck the eyes out, and sometimes even bite the fins off. And there's also the case where if you punch the hook through the eyeballs (& burst them), then the minnow struggling on the hook can dislodge the eyes.

... cp

[RogerA]

I kept some small crappie in an aquarium for a while. When I would feed them they always ate the minnows head first. I hook my minnows thru the lips for this reason. Hey it works for me.

[CrappiePappy]

I kept some small crappie in an aquarium for a while. When I would feed them they always ate the minnows head first. I hook my minnows thru the lips for this reason. Hey it works for me.

I've kept several Crappie in an aquarium, as well ... and mine simply sucked the minnow in from whatever angle they could

I don't hook minnows through the "lips", for the same reason I don't like hooking a Crappie in the "lips" ... the "lips" are too fragile, and the hook can be ripped loose too easily. But I may be reading more into what some are referring to as "lips", than what they're actually using. I do hook minnows (on a jig) by pushing the hook point from under the bottom of the mouth & out between the nostrils ... just not literally through the mouth membrane/lips.

When trolling a minnow along, whether it be on a plain hook, or jighead, most strikes are going to come from behind/below. Jigs, cranks, & spinners are attacked from the same direction. Only when the minnow is held in a fixed position, would a fish have the option to attack it "head first". And even then, Crappie tend to suck the minnow in from whatever angle the minnow allows them to ... by the angle of approach of the Crappie, or the movement of the minnow itself. That's why lip hooked, head hooked, eye hooked, back hooked, or tail hooked minnows will still take the hook into the mouth of the fish. I've even seen hooked Crappie have the minnow going tail first down their throat. Minnows & Shad are soft rayed fish (fins are soft) and don't pose a injury problem, no matter how they're swallowed. Small sunfish, on the other hand, are hard rayed fish (fin spikes are hard) and are usually swallowed head first to avoid injury (regardless of what angle they are when entering the fish's mouth).

Even so ... if hooking a minnow a certain way is working for you, then by all means keep on doing it that way !! You know the old saying ... "If it ain't broken ...... "

... cp

[Smoky]

I vertical fish 90% of the time with jigs tipped with either nibbles or minnows. I normally hook minnows through both eyes.

[Hanr3]

I never hook through the eyes, always the back below spine or through the lips. Depends on the bite and how many Crappie I want to catch on each minnow. If the Crappie are aggressive through the lips. If finicky, through the back. Through the back gives the minnow more of a distress action. Through the back and the minnow will try to get away from the Crappie and you can see your bobber move before the strike. Moving the minnow around will help you pinpoint the school.

[Cane Pole]

On plain hook, thru the eyes, with a small piece of solid body jig grub or worm pushed on thru the hook point so the minner stays on. I can't stand messy nibbles.

If jigging (jig head only) , I go thru mouth out back of head. I usually use a big bit jig for this. They have a very short shank.