A lively minnow dancing on a hook remains one of the best fishing presentations for catching walleye, perch, and many other species. Even a cranky predator gets hunger pains when a scrumptious sucker, shiner, dace, or chub swims within striking distance.
Like so many purchases these days, however, buying a dozen minnows is getting more expensive, so here are some ways to get the most from live bait.
Floating your minnow
Sending a minnow across rocks, logs, and other bottom hazards doesn’t help prolong its life or how long it stays on the hook. Sure, sometimes getting down and dirty is needed, but a floating jig head or a rig with an inline float catches just as many fish and helps ration your bait supply. Lifting the minnow above the floor reduces boulder bodychecks and snags. It also makes the offering more visible to fish and can get you more bites. It’s a win-win.
Back hooking
Back hooking a minnow on a jig keeps it horizontal and is popular when using a float. Keep the hook parallel to the minnow’s backbone to get more life out of the bait, more bites, and increase hook-up rates.
Easy on the cast
Ever cast, and see your jig go in one direction and the minnow fly into the great beyond? Too forceful a cast is one culprit (as is an improper hooking method). Live bait doesn’t hold on a hook with the same resiliency as plastic. The Real McCoy requires a gentler approach. Think lob casts. Avoid fast, snappy rod tip moves as these can send meat flying faster than lunches at a high school food fight.
Minnows gone bad
A lively minnow on a hook produces distress signals predators can detect. Limiting bait-bucket mortality ensures good fishing and the best value for your dollar. Here are some things that shouldn’t happen.
Overheating: Keeping minnows cool is rule number one. An easy way to do this is by keeping them in an insulated bucket or cooler. Get an aerator to pump oxygen into the water.
Old water: Regular water changes are important when keeping minnows for multiple days. Don’t use tap water as it can contain chemicals harmful to baitfish.
Bring out your dead: Remove dead minnows. You can freeze them for use later when snap jigging or for tipping jigs and soft plastic presentations.
Mouth hooking
Mouth or nose hooking is generally best when pulling a minnow forward on a rig or when actively jigging. It makes for a very natural presentation and keeps water flowing the right way across a minnow’s gills. This prolongs their life and liveliness.
Use a stopper
After hooking a minnow through the lips, mouth, or head, thread a plastic stopper over the hook point to keep the bait in place longer. This really pays offs when lightly hooking a minnow, a common tactic for keeping it lively.
Various plastic bits can work as a stopper. I’ve had good success cutting a VMC Crossover Cap in half and using one of the pieces as a bait stopper.
Double hook ‘em
When snap jigging aggressively, double-hooking a minnow extends how long it stays on the business end of the line. Hooking a minnow twice can also make the presentation more weedless.
Here’s how to do it. Run the jig hook through the minnow’s mouth and out the gill flap (or just past the gills, coming out the belly). Slide the minnow up onto the jig collar, rotate the hook, bend the minnow forward, then insert the hook point into the belly or side of the minnow. Leave the hook buried for a weed-resistant presentation, or, push the point out if you prefer an exposed hook.
Using a jig with a long hook shank puts the point even farther back and can help hook more short-striking fish.
Anyone fishing with minnows should review the latest Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary’s rules, for baitfish considerations.
Originally published in Ontario OUT of DOORS’ Fishing Annual 2024
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