[cool]I'd like to hear how you folks rig your minnow set-ups. I usually run my hook through the back of the head and then into the minnows side. I use a slip sinker (egg) above a swivel. I know there are probably a million different ways. How about you? Maybe I can learn a better way to rig em'[
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I use a worm threader and feed my eagle claw leader up through its anus and feed the line though its mouth. Then I hook it onto a sliding sinker.[crazy]
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I tried using a minnow for the first time about a week ago at Scofield. We caught some in my crawfish traps and then just stuck a hook through them. We tried different ways and caught fish on all of them. We hooked the minnow from one side and out the other just in the center of it's back. We got more hook sets in the lips doing it this way. I also put the hook into the minnow's mouth and out the top of their head. This way caught more fish but also resulted in deeper hook sets. What was amazing was that out of the five fish we landed three of them had other lines and hooks still stuck in their mouths and guts. That's a lot of line breaking if you ask me.
We had our hooks on about 18 inches of leader and then to a swivel and sliding sinker or casting bubble. Next time I try a minnow I may just hook the hook right on the end of my line and cast because the minnows added plenty of weight and made it harder to cast.
Good luck if you try more ways. Let us know how you do and what works best.
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[cool]Nice job, fishluvr! Hope my tips helped, and it sounds like your even getting other methods through experimentation. Right on, man!
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Here is a recent thread on the topic:
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=133424;search_string=search_string;#133424"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=133424;search_string=search_string;#133424[/url]
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I flyline my minnows. I use a gamagatsu #14, yes #14 baitholder hook and put the hook up through the "chin" and out through the nose. This way you can watch the slack in your line for a twitch and set the hook. Its hard to miss a bite this way. I rarely hook them deep, mostly in the side of their mouth. This works well with fresh minnows because they sink slowly, stay in the strike zone longer, and fish can see them from further away. They will also "swim" back to you in a more natural way. Previously frozen minnows float and will need a splitshot. I have caught trout at Strawberry using this method in 45', 25', 10' and 2' of water. Try with a hook only, "flyline" and with other terminal tackle, then you be the judge. I guarantee you'll get more bites and hook more fish flylining. Good luck with whichever method you use!
Slayerace
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Well here we can't use live minnows, but when I was younger in calif. i would thread the hook thru the mouth and out the gills and put the hook just under the skin in the top of the back. this way the minnow lives longer and the monniw is always shaking his head and moving his gills, attracts more attention. later chuck
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I often rig minnows the same way that Slayerace does (probably because he was the one who got me into fishing minnows in the first place); although I use a substantially larger minnow hook than he does. I also like to put them under a slip bobber. There is something exciting about seeing a fish jerk a bobber under the water. Last night I rigged one rod with nothing more than a minnow hook and another rod with a slip bobber. I plan on letting the newbie use the rod with the slip bobber tomorrow at Strawberry.
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[cool][blue][size 1]Most of the discussion up to this point seems to be about small shiner minnows. What about bigger minnows...chubs, suckers, etc?[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]For a single hook rig, try a size 2 to 1/0 sharp pointed octopus hook...or a circle hook. Rig the minnow "backwards"...with the hook inserted near the tail and pointing toward the head. This is a good setup for cats and other large fish (northerns and walleyes), that munch big baits and gulp them head first.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]You can also use a circle hook to avoid hooking the fish deep. As we have mentioned on other posts, you don't set the hook on the strike with a circle hook. You let the fish have the bait for a minute and then let the line come good and tight before you sock it to them. The hook usually ends up in the corner of the mouth, even if the fish has swallowed the bait.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If fish are biting short on big baits, rig with a "trap" hook. Hang a short leader off the main hook with either a single or treble hook behind it. Hook the main hook in one end (head or tail) and the trap hook in the other end. With this setup you can pop 'em as soon as they bite, since there is a good chance they will have one end or the other in their mouths.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The trap rig is good for slow trolling or casting and retrieving minnows. Hook the main hook up through the lips or the head, and bury the trap hook back by the tail. On some days the fish will smash the front of the bait. On other days they will nibble at the tail. By the way, for anyone who fishes plastic worms or plastic "swim baits", a small single hook trap hook at the rear can sometimes add a few fish to the daily count too.[/size][/#0000ff]
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You can actually buy minnow hooks that run up through the rear and out the mouth, but they are fairly large and heavy. I prefer to have a double hook setup...sometimes called a 'stinger' hook. I hook one in the mouth or head, then have the stinger hook, which is tied onto the first hook with a very short leader, hooked near the tail of the fish. Then I never miss the nibblers, and the fish can't take 1/2 of the minnow (easily done with frozen minnows that fall apart easily once thawed.)
Sportsman's carries these hook setups, or you can easily make your own.
Also works great ice fishing.
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Oh my, where to begin. I guess to start I can say that TubeDude is pretty much dead on (as if anyone would question that[
]). I like 1/0 Salmon (although I'd like to switch this with a circle to try it out) through the tail and a 2/0 treble in the middle of the dorsal fin on a steel leader. You might know this rig as a "quick strike" when I'm fishing larger chubs and minnows (4 inches or up) for Pike or Catfish. I make my own to match the size of bait instead of buying the ones with a sliding hook. I missed too many Pike on Cour D' Alene with those.
For the smaller ones, I have tried many different techniques. For just a simple and quick rig, I like the Mustad minnow hooks mentioned in another post. It is basically a pointed shank with two hooks on the other end. You just insert the shank through the minnow body and out the mouth. Tie off (or clip on) at the opening on the end of the shank. If you spend enough time on Fish Lake, you will see the "old pro's" out on the lake fishing this rig on a much larger scale, behind huge pop gear, on a hand-line board, looking for (and usually catching) Lakers.
I also like going really light and using 2 or 4lb. test and setting up a 2 to 3 inch minnow rigged as many have mentioned, through the top of the head and hooked behind the dorsal, on the side of the minnow, with a Mustad bleeding bait hook (size 4 or 6) for Walleye. Great test of skill instead of line strength.
Good post BEARCLAW! I'm getting all kinds of ideas and tips to improve.
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Trap hook, stinger hook.....looks like we were both typing about the same thing at the same time!
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[cool][#0000ff][size 1]I call them either or both, depending on mood. I call them something else when they catch my finger instead of a fish.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]We must have gone to different schools together. Great minds (and fishermen) work in the same direction.[/size][/#0000ff]
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Does it matter how long (or short) the trap hook leader is? Also, does the trap hook leader tie off to the eye of the main hook or is it tied with the main hook leader? I can't believe how much I've just learned from what I thought might be a dull question. [cool] I appreciate everyones input, thank you. Keep em coming.
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[cool][blue][size 1]Hey BEARCLAW, that is another one of those questions that is subject to personal preference. But, it will be affected by how big the bait is that you are using. Ideally, the distance between the hooks should be about the equivalent of the length of the bait fish, minus the head and tail. That will allow a good firm hook hold at both ends.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]Now, you can tie up a rig to fit the majority of the baits you will be fishing, but what if you have baits of differing lengths? In that case, you rig the front hook as a "sliding snell", so that it will slide up and down the line, but the end hook is firmly tied with a good knot. You can probably find examples of snell knots somewhere on the internet. If you can't, I will draw a diagram and post it below. Basically it is simply whip finishing leader around the shank of a hook, over the line, to attach the hook firmly to the line but allowing it to slide forward or backward to accomodate different sized baits.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]One other option is to just tie off a short length of leader onto the bend of the top hook...as pictured below.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Still another option is to pre-tie several trap/stinger hook rigs in advance...with about 2 feet of leader...and with a loop on one end. Make the lengths of leader between the hooks slightly different, and attach the right one to a snap swivel tied on the end of your line whenever you change minnow sizes.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]This is another good reason to study and practice a wide variety of knots. It allows you to rig properly for the conditions at hand. And, as we have all experienced, there are times when the fish won't vote for what you are offering if it ain't served up right.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[cool][blue][size 1]Hey jigs, another 'dad lover. I am always surprised at how few folks ever bother to fish these toothsome little morsels. They make up a big part of the diet of many species.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]Proper rigging is critical for maximum hooking success with crawdads. Just as important is fishing the right size 'dad and hopefully having some in the softshell stage if you can get them. Ain't many fish can resist a molting crawdad.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]In most waters that have big crawdad populations they are a big menu item a couple or three times a year. First, when the young are first coming out from under rocks and other cover they are attacked by everything from trout to walleyes. They are smallmouth candy and are also highly favored by largies and catfish.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The real heavy crawdad glut occurs when they are molting, which happens a couple of times during an average summer. As they grow, they expand inside their shell until it splits and they emerge in a new soft shell. It takes a few days to harden, and during the time they are less protected they seem to exude a scent that really attracts the predators. You usually have to roll over some rocks to find the soft shells but it is worth the effort.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]A fully grown hard-shelled 'dad is not generally prime bait. However, you can break off the tail and crack it open to extract just the juicy tail meat, and this is great stuff fished either on a plain hook or as sweetener on a jig. For big cats, stripers, largies and other crawdad fanciers, you can put two or three tails on a hook and soak it. You can also smash a live crawdad and push it on a big hook. Fresh dead and juicy is sometimes better than a big nasty crawdad that fights back.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]For fishing the average sized dad, use a large sharp fine wire hook and hook it either in the tail or up through the carapace (back shell). The hook has to be hig and sharp to punch through the hard shell and the mouth of the large fish that munch them. Also, fishing whole crawdads is not a job for a wimpy rod. You need some backbone to sink that hook...and line that will tolerate eye-crossing hooksets.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Since a feisty crawdad can intimidate even a pretty good sized fish if allowed to wave its claws around, you might wanna break off the front claws before using them for bait. A lot of crawdad pros wouldn't think of fishing them with claws attached.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Just remember, if you are going to take home the crawdads you didn't use for bait, you have to kill them first. No transporting live crawdads. I twist off the tails and the claws and put them on ice for the trip home. Then a quick steam in spicy Cajun juice and down the hatch.[/size][/#0000ff]
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if its alive minnow rig it up thru the lower jaw up through the top jaw on the right side of his nose if its dead usually hook it throught the back
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For trolling I put the hook throught the mouth and out the rear of the top of the head, pointing up, with a stinger hook on the tail. Some people like to rig 2 hooks offset 90 degrees, one on the back of the head and one on the tail.[
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Casting I put the hook in the mouth and out the gill plate opening, with the hook pointing down.
Bait fishing, I use a big needle to insert through the mouth and pull my snelled hook loop out the anus, with the hook shank in the throat and the curved part hanging out of the mouth. Then I make an overhand knot on the line and around the tail to hold the tail inline with the leader.
How ever you rig it, let the fish get the minnow in its mouth before you set the hook or you will pull it out of their mouths.