Fishing W/ Minnows?

[Topehaw]

Some of you have mentioned fishing using minnows. I;m not new to ice fish'n although i have yet to try minnows. Where are you getting them and how are you using them. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks Topehaw

[fuzzyfisher]

you can try and finding them at some of the local tackle stores.. sportsmens has minnows most the time.. i trap and cast net the summer away storing up minnows for the winter..

useing minnow ice fishing can be a very good way to catch that big fish you have allways dreamed of..

most game fish eat other fish. shinners and chub minnows are the meat of choice for most game fish here in utah..

so as for how to use them..there is a 100 ways to use them and more i'm sure.. i ether use them whole or cut.. for big fish a whole minnow is the best.. when the fish are keying in on small offerings then i go to cut bait.. cut the minnow in stripes for jigging and chuncks for just bait.. the more ways you find to use minnows the more you find out it's one of the most versatile baits out there..

rember that a 20lbs fish did not get that big from eating bugs!! it got that big from eating other fish!! with a bug here and there.. so it would be safe to say that minnows would be what most the bigger fish will be looking for..

dude on fish?
Ron
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[fishluvr]

Hey Fuzzy, I remeber seeing the minnows you had ice fishing last year at Starvation and was wondering how you freeze them to keep them in working condition when they are thawed out?????
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[fuzzyfisher]

well most the time i only use frozzen minnows when ice fishing.. so not to hard to keep them from thawing.. what i do is keep them in my pockit to warm them up to a point i can get them apart.. then just make sure thay dont thaw to much or then they get soft and dont stay on the hook to good.. if it's above frezzing where your fishing just get some ice or snow and put them in it so they stay cold..

i use minnow when they are frozzen as long as the hook dont tear it up going through.if the hook tears it up going through let them thaw a little more.. .

dude on fish?
Ron
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[Kent]

After getting sold on fishing with minnows, then you are ready to move up to catching your own minnows with a casting net. You have already received some excellent advice, one thing I would add is when fishing with a whole minnow you will have far more hookups if you use a "stinger" hook. Use a single hook through the bottom of the jaw and out the top of the head of the minnow, tie a second single hook onto the curve of the second hook, or onto anywhere else that works, and place that hook through the tail section of the minnow. I personally prefer to use red colored hooks for the stinger hook. Another way that will work is to tie the minnow on backwards, using one or two hooks. You can do this by putting the hook through the side of the minnow, near the head, and then put one or two half-hitches of your leader around the minnow. The half hitches will hold the minnow on better and will release without ending up with a knot in your leader. You can even troll minnows backwards, the fish don't seem to notice and bite them just fine. Some use a treble hook when fishing with minnows, but I prefer to not use them because they can be difficult to get out of a fish without doing more harm to them, and single hooks work just fine.
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[fuzzyfisher]

ok i did not catch what your were asking about the minnow tell i went back and looked again..

well i freeze my minnows wile there still alive and kicking.. that why they stay furmmer longer than some that you get in the store..

and you dont know how long the ones at the store have been frozzen.. i have found that the fresher the minnows the better for ice fishing..
now catfishing that another story!!
that why i catch my and store minnow my self.. i know my monnows are fresh!!

and another addvantage is you can sepreat size of minnows as well.. like yesterday we had small monnows that are great for ice fishing with small jig's.. i also have med and large minnows so i can get the bag that fits the area i want to fish.i also get 3 diffret kind of minnows chub,shiner,sucker.all have a place in utah water where they will catch fish.

hope that helped..

dude on fish?
Ron
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