Baiting the Hook

[Brandy McCullough]

What is the best way to bait a hook with minnows?

[golfprocrappieman]

Depends on your style of fishing.

1. Still fishing ...straight line or cork: through the belly abdominal area
2. Trolling: up through the bottom lip and out the eyesocket ...makes it move natural through the water

[Brandy McCullough]

Thanks golfpro.

It has been a long time since I have fished. Have been reading a lot of articles and noticed the different way folks bait their minnows.

Please forgive the dumb question; do I feed the hook through the side?

Depends on your style of fishing.

1. Still fishing ...straight line or cork: through the belly abdominal area
2. Trolling: up through the bottom lip and out the eyesocket ...makes it move natural through the water

[NIMROD]

Actually in my opinion and I quit minnows years ago. Trolling you have 2 options hook through the eyes or through bottom lip to top lip. Still fishing both ways works or under dorsal fin avoiding spine or internal organs.

[no1son]

If you want a lively minnow under a bobber, definitely avoid the spine or you will kill it immediately. Conversely if the minnow suddenly gets real active and still ends up not getting taken, it may be too lively. In that case trim just a tad off its tail with a finger nail clippers. A bit more of an injured minnow action in a lively minnow very often turns the trick.

In the summer if your minnow dies when set deep despite taking special care not to kill it when hooking it up, you may be putting it be below the thermocline where it may not have enough oxygen to survive at all. You are not likely to find crappies down there anyway, so bring your bait up shallower enough so that it gets enough oxygen.

Take that for what its worth, like Nimrod I quit using live bait some years ago myself.

[Hanr3]

I hook my minnows either throught he lower jaw and out the top of hte head, or through the back behind the dorsal fins under the spine.

[CrappiePappy]

When using a regular hook/sinker rig ... 99% of the time I will run the hook BEHIND the eyeballs, trying not to tear the eyeballs. The other 1% of the time, I run the hook just under the dorsal fin, making sure to not hit the spine.
When using a jig and a live minnow ... I run the hook point from under the "chin" (the V shaped portion under the lower jaw) and out between the nostrils.
When using a jig and a dead minnow ... I run the hook into the mouth and exit it out behind the head of the minnow (approx above the gill plates).

I don't know as there is really any "best" way, but rather an assortment of options to choose, depending on varying methods & circumstances.

However, you don't really want to "tail hook" or "back hook" (under the dorsal fin) a minnow, if you are trolling or casting/retrieving, since these hooking methods are not going to present the minnow in a natural manner ... and may kill (drown) the minnow.

... cp

[Brandy McCullough]

Thanks for all the information everyone. I am just as green using lures as I am with minnows, lol. I do plan on getting away from using minnows as soon as I learn how to use lures. Growing up we used worms for bait. Times were hard then, so if we wanted to fish we had to flip logs and rocks or nighttime hunt to get our bait. . Found myself doing this the other day, lol.

I will definitely have more than one fishing pole when i go fishing. I will be sure to have one setup with minnows and one setup with a lure. I am very excited to use the information provided.

Thanks again everyone.

[CrappiePappy]

Thank you for your service, 1ST Sergeant !!

... cp

[Hanr3]

Thanks for all the information everyone. I am just as green using lures as I am with minnows, lol. I do plan on getting away from using minnows as soon as I learn how to use lures. Growing up we used worms for bait. Times were hard then, so if we wanted to fish we had to flip logs and rocks or nighttime hunt to get our bait. . Found myself doing this the other day, lol.

I will definitely have more than one fishing pole when i go fishing. I will be sure to have one setup with minnows and one setup with a lure. I am very excited to use the information provided.

Thanks again everyone.

We used to water the garden at night. It would bring all the worms to the top, made for easy harvesting.