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I took the wife and little one out to fish over the weekend. Also had a nephew tagging along. While fishing nephew got very board. Took a little fishing net and started messing around. Turned out he started catching a ton of CARP minnows. Very tiny little guys. Coyote you caught some but they were good sized. These guys were about an inch maybe. My question is....can I use a full Carp minnow for bait for CATS? I took them home and froze about 200 of them.
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[cool][#0000ff]If they were only an inch or so I would question whether or not they were carp minnows. Carp spawn in April and May and by the end of the year the young are from 3 to 6 inches long...depending upon food availability and actual time of spawning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can use minnows of all sizes for catfish. But with minnows that small I would recommend stringing two or three on a size 2 hook...running the hook through each of their heads. Bigger cats usually like a mouthful and I have done well on small chub minnows fishing them in multiples.[/#0000ff]
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Post a pic if you have one ?
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Did you see [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=731094;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread"]Lava's Kitty post[/url]? In particular [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=83384"]THIS[/url] picture? Sounds like you might have found the fatheads (or dace?)
I came across some smaller carplings, but hardly anything under say 3inches.
TD- oh minnow master you - do you or have you ever 'cured' minnows before freezing? I know you usually just bag 'em with a spritz of water and go. Just wonder if an 'egg cure' would benefit the freeze/thaw action on smaller minnows?
I threw some cure in a couple bags just to try. I'll have some purple fatties!
Maybe mosquito fish? Theres tons of them in ul and there usually 1 to 2 in?
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[cool][#0000ff]Not sure what the active ingredients are in your "cure". Some of the roe cures use largely borax. There are other cure recipes using mostly salt and sugar. They all usually do the same thing...suck out a lot of the excess moisture to firm up the bait.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Reducing the moisture in minnows will definitely help firm them up. That is a big problem with some minnows after they have been frozen. Redside shiners especially. They often turn to mush when thawed and are tough to keep on a hook.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have used sugar and salt cures but never borax on minnows. Not sure how it might work. And it does not seem to affect the scent or appeal when used on roe so I am guessing it would be okay for minnows a well.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I use mostly chubs or carp minnows. They seem to hold up well even after freezing...if they are frozen quickly and maintained at low freezer temps. I also use small perch and whole small white bass where legal. Never a problem with softening on those.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have used fathead minnows but for some reason I do not seem to do as well with them after freezing as when fishing them "fresh dead". That has also been my experience with redside shiners. They seem to work better when fresh...and are definitely firmer on the hook.[/#0000ff]
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Pro Cure and I think Pautzke also make cures/brines specifically for curing and preserving fish like sardines, herring and all those goofy fish used to catch salmon out on the coast. I'm sure they would work for minnows. Let me know how that works for you, because my frozen minnows have always turned to mush.
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heres a pic of a fathead minnow. looks like a mini carp. ive seen those at UL before.
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