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Thread: Live Or fake?

  1. #1
    chickfisher Guest

    Question Live Or fake?


    My dad and I fish quite regurally and most of the time it is for crappies. We use jigs and fake minnows. I recently told him that we should try live minnows, but said that the 'fakes' work just as well. He knows alot about fishing, so I should probably listen, but it would be great to get some more opinions. thanks!

  2. #2
    slab_seeker Guest

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    Jigs and fakes are fine, but there is nothing better than the real thing.

  3. #3
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    Default minnows and bass.

    A while back there was a guy on here that asked for crappie fishermen to use fake baits only , because thousands of bass' lives were lost for no reason.Anyone know what he meant by that?I mean there are millions of minnows in the lake naturally , maybe Im missing the point.I occasionally catch largemouths while fishing with minnows, but I always throw them back.Are those fish now doomed because a crappie fishermen caught them on minnows instead of a bass fisherman catching them on whatever they are using. Confused in south carolina.
    Commercial fishermen help feed the world.

  4. #4
    S10CHEVY is offline Crappie.com 3K Star General - Moderator Pennsylvania
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    It is probably that, he doesn't want us catching as many crappies, as bass eat them too. To me it sounds like, we haven't a right to fish for our favorite fish at all, the way we want to. How many have dumped their left over minnows in the lake, after they are done for the day? Here in Pennsylvania, we arn't suppose to release our left over minnows into the lake, unless they are native to said waters. Wonder if this might also be what he was referring to. Do other states have this rule too?

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    I seldom fish with live minnows any more. I used to use them a lot, and I don't have anything against catching fish that way - it just seems like more fun to "fool" the fish into biting an artificial lure. Also, using artificials lets me vary the presentation and retrieve, I don't have to worry about slinging off the minnow while casting, and losing the minnow on a bite or keeping it alive on the hook are no longer concerns. I don't have to reach into a minnow bucket and catch a minnow any more, and small perch don't steal my bait when using artificial lures. Also, I KNOW I can catch at least as many, or more, fish with artificials than I can with the real thing - in most fishing situations.

    The person who was against using minnows was probably thinking of how fish are often gut-hooked when they swallow a minnow. That happens more with live bait, and using artificial lures causes fish to be hooked in the mouth more often - so fish caught on an artificial lure can usually be released and have a better chance of surviving the experience.

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    Quote Originally Posted by chickfisher
    My dad and I fish quite regurally and most of the time it is for crappies. We use jigs and fake minnows. I recently told him that we should try live minnows, but said that the 'fakes' work just as well. He knows alot about fishing, so I should probably listen, but it would be great to get some more opinions. thanks!
    Hey CF,

    There area times when crappie will take a jig or other artificial bait just as well as a live minnow. But, in my experience, on average, small, live minnows, especially Rosy Red Fathead Minnows will produce more fish.

    I'd much rather catch crappie on tight-lined jigs than minnows under slip floats - I just like to feel the thump. But l like to put a good mess in the livewell too so I usually end up fishing both.

    I'll put out one or two slip-float rigs and keep an eye on the floats while I'm jig fishing. With long poles in rod holders the slip float rigs pretty much take care of themselves while I ease around a brush pile picking it apart with a jig.

    I'll also tip a jig with a real small minnow if the crappie are finicky, although they will sometimes just pick the minnow off the jig without getting the hook.

    My suggestion is use both - variety is the spice of life!

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    Jerry Blake
    Action Fishing Trips
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

  7. #7
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    Default Live Minnows

    Quote Originally Posted by chickfisher
    My dad and I fish quite regurally and most of the time it is for crappies. We use jigs and fake minnows. I recently told him that we should try live minnows, but said that the 'fakes' work just as well. He knows alot about fishing, so I should probably listen, but it would be great to get some more opinions. thanks!
    Some times crappie will hit anything. One time my wife was catching as many with dead minnows as we were with live ones.(she was picking them up from the bottom of the boat and using them) But, on those days when they are pickey, you can't beat a live minnow. If you use a # 1 gold hook with a split shot about 6" above it, the monnow will swim around on thet 6" of line and when he goes close to Mr. Crappie, he will take him and you have something for supper.

    Good fishing
    Small Minnow

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    I prefer minnows, if I'm catching suspended fish on the edge of cover. If they're tight in the cover, I use weedless jigs to get down in there where they're hiding. For me, some days they prefer jigs and some days they want live shiners. Pooch

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    Thanks for the answers on the bass issue.Minnows are native to our waters ,and we do release them in the lake , but not in ponds as we realize the damage that could be done.The gut hook theory is the only one that seems to hold water to me, but I will continue to use live minnows in the tradition of my father and his.And I will continue to mind my own business in the affairs of another man and his preferred method of catching fish.Thanks.
    Commercial fishermen help feed the world.

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    Default Crappie and Dead Minnows

    I have been keeping 6 live crappie in my aquarium since last October. I feed them minnows that I get from the local bait stores. I watch the crappie feed.

    Once or twice I found some dead minnows in my minnow holding tank and feed these dead minnows to my crappie. I found that the crappie will inhale the dead minnow as they sink after I throw the minnow into the crappie tank. But the crappie will spit them back out after just a second or so. The crappie don't like dead minnows at all. The longer the minnow has been dead the faster the crappie spit them back out. They will then refuse to eat that minnow again and I have to use a dip net to retrive the minnow from the aquarium.

    So my advise is to get rid of the dead minnows and not use them for fishing. Stick with the live minnows or a fresh minnow.

    My crappie are use to eating fresh minnows. Over the last 7 months I have fed these crappie hundreds of live minnows. I only tried to feed them 3 dead minnows over the last 7 months and every time they rejected the dead minnow. Note: They do inhale the dead minnows and thus you could get the hook inside the crappies mouth and catch them with a dead minnow but if you miss the crappie may not bite again. And you may be sitting there fishing with a dead minnow and not even feel the strike. After the crappie inhales and spit the dead minnow out the probability of him stiking at that dead minnow again is ZERO. On the other hand I have seen my crappie attack a live minnow and miss several times. I have also see my black crappie eat five minnows in a row. At times you can see the minnow head's sticking out of the crappies mouth. I think that when I let the crappie go for several days without any minnows that they get so hungry that they will eat many more minnows in one setting than they normally do if I feed them each day. I have found that the one black crappie that I have in the aquarium is much more agressive than the other 5 white crappie. Yesterday he ate all my minnows and the White Crappie didn't hardly get any minnows. I think the black crappie at 3/4th of all the minnows I put in their tank. I was about ready to net the black crappie out of the tank so that I could feed the remaining white crappies.


    Quote Originally Posted by Small Minnow
    Some times crappie will hit anything. One time my wife was catching as many with dead minnows as we were with live ones.(she was picking them up from the bottom of the boat and using them) But, on those days when they are pickey, you can't beat a live minnow. If you use a # 1 gold hook with a split shot about 6" above it, the monnow will swim around on thet 6" of line and when he goes close to Mr. Crappie, he will take him and you have something for supper.

    Good fishing
    Small Minnow
    Regards,

    Moose1am

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