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Thread: When using minnows

  1. #1
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    Default When using minnows


    Does everybody just use a hook and a split shot with a crappie float? Do yall anchor down over brush or do yall keep trolling around a pile of brush?

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  2. #2
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    I just use a minnow, hook, and a small #7 weight about 4 inches above the hook, and no float. I just move around the tree piles on the ledges and fish the whole tree pile by just dropping the line over the side of the boat and letting it drop to the bottom and then bringing it up a little ways and holding the minnow at a constant depth and moving the boat around.
    DO-GOODER EXTRADINAR :p

  3. #3
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    I anchor out to the side of structure, minnows hooked thru the eyes, small split shot 6-8" above the hook. I have been using slip floats at night on some rods, loose, just so I could see if the line was moving sideways.
    Snal~
    1992 Alumacraft 14' Jon Boat w/ 15hp Johnson
    1988 Party Barge w/Rude 90hp (project finished!)
    1994 C Dory 22 Angler w/ twin Honda 45's
    7 Kayaks, 1 canoe
    www.snartracing.com (my other passion)

  4. #4
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    I am like Moose, I like a tightline and a drop shot with no float.

  5. #5
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    anchorpuller is offline Crappie.com 2K Star General * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moose1am
    Seriouly I switched to using a small 1/16 oz jig head and tipping it with a minnow at times on my slip floats
    Hey Moose,
    Is the reason for the jighead so that the fish won't "swallow" the hook as much? Just wondering?
    "Be Ye Fishers of Men" You catch them- He will clean them

  6. #6
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    Do yall use multiple rods when using minnows? How long do yall let yalls lines stay in the water with no bites before yall move or reel them in and throw them out again ?

  7. #7
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    anchorpuller is offline Crappie.com 2K Star General * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by eep
    Do yall use multiple rods when using minnows? How long do yall let yalls lines stay in the water with no bites before yall move or reel them in and throw them out again ?
    Personally, and I'm no pro, I use about four poles. If no bites in just a few minutes, I'll check my minnow and rebait or move it is necessary. A lot of times, I've just missed the bite and need to re-bait.
    "Be Ye Fishers of Men" You catch them- He will clean them

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by eep
    Do yall use multiple rods when using minnows? How long do yall let yalls lines stay in the water with no bites before yall move or reel them in and throw them out again ?
    The last trip out for a night stalk...the wife and I had 2 fish from 7:30 till 10pm....then a couple more around 11pm...thought about calling it a night but we're glad we didn't...we caught 12 more from midnight till 1am. We fish with 8 rods out, we could handle more if and when we get set up right.
    It seems that splitshot mounted fairly close to the hook minimizes minnow tangles with hyper-active minnows. The only tangles we had were when the dinks produced no noticable rod tip hits....didn't know we had one on till the line moved, which resulted in a couple of tangles. We check the minnows after about 30 minutes with no hits...just to see if they are still kicking. Had to train the wife not to gill hook the minnows, which killed them quickly.
    This particular night was quite nice...a few fish here and there...time to shoot the beeze, and spend some quality time together...then the bite was on, and I really enjoyed seeing her stay out of her seat watching those rods!
    If there was some kinda guarantee that every night stalk would be that way....we'd be out there every night...but the fact that there isn't one is why we all call it "fishing" rather than "catching".
    Snal~
    1992 Alumacraft 14' Jon Boat w/ 15hp Johnson
    1988 Party Barge w/Rude 90hp (project finished!)
    1994 C Dory 22 Angler w/ twin Honda 45's
    7 Kayaks, 1 canoe
    www.snartracing.com (my other passion)

  9. #9
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    Here in NW Arkansas I use a #2 gold aberdeen hook w/3-0 split shot 4" above under the slip float hooking the minnow under the dorsal fin. With the jighead 1/16 oz hooking minnow through the lips. Tightline one rod w/3/4 oz sinker & 2 #2 hooks 2' above sinker with 4" palomar leaders hooking one minnow through lips one through dorsal fin. One more tightline dropshot rig hooked the same only w/3/8 oz sinker suspended higher in the water. I also use 2 fluorescent green lights placing one 6' deep on one side of the boat the other 12' deep on the opposite side. The i have a suction cup fluorescent light shining out towards all the rod tips. When you are waiting on the bite i'll also tie on a 1/32 oz Jighead w/minnow and cast & countdown retrieve trying to entice the hesitant slabs out in the open water. I've been out every night since this saturday. Averaging 10-12 crappie & 2 catfish, with a few walleye inbetween. Don't know if my system works well every where sure works great here.

  10. #10
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    Hey there eep, The thing I like to do when I use minnows is to spider rig 4 to 6 poles fanned out across the front of my boat. This way the baits are staying in the water 100% of the time as I slowly move the boat across shallow 5 to 8 foot deep flats.

    Pay attention to the depth of water that you are in when you catch a few fish and try to stay in that depth of water. You will be surprized how many crappie are out on these flats relating to nothing more than the short stumps and rocks dotting these shallow flats.

    As far as rigging the baits I use a few different set-ups. Most of the time we buy Roadrunner heads and hooks at Wal-Mart and add our own tube jig skirts. Black/Chart. or Blue/White are usually good choices here on Nimrod Lake as our lake tends to be stained to muddy most of time. We always tip our Roadrunners with minnows by hooking them up thru the lips.

    I also have had good luck using a gold size "O" in-line spinner with a crappie hook attached to the end. Hook a larger sized minnow thru the eyes on this rig.( Don't worry about hurting the minnow as he don't want to see what's fixin' to happen anyway!) I usually catch the larger crappie on this rig.

    Also I add a 1/4 oz. pinch on sinker about 10 to 12 inches above all my rigs to help keep them down while I am slowly trolling around. I don't use any corks with these rigs although you certainly could. Just don't use as much weight to hold them down.

    It is a lot more exciting to watch the corks swimming away from the boat and going under. I still fish this way alot especially when I have kids or people that don't fish alot with me.
    CATCH A BIG-UN

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