Shiners vs jigs

[Young]

Been fishing local ponds around Southeast La. (Amite-Hammond area) for years, have to use shiners in months of February - April cause can’t get em to bit any jig! Month of May they start hitting jigs like crazy! Anyone got an answer for why that is?

[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

Down size...... And scent......

[Crestliner08]

Toss a Road Runner.

[JUS1MO]

Toss a Road Runner.

Or a Beetle Spin...

[S10CHEVY]

All good suggestions. When you say shiners, you mean minnows, correct? Many years ago, was reading an article, on using minnows. Now mind you, we are probably all the same in, that to keep down costs, we buy the smallest minnows, cause they are the cheapest, and usually you get more. So the article says that you should never buy small ones, except for when you see them in the lake, after their spawn. Around these parts, you won't see them until late June, or even into July. So after reading the article, it was early May, and the wife and I, and the neighbor were going fishing, in our boats. So we both buy minnows, I bought mediums, and the neighbor bought small ones. The wife and I were catching a good amount of crappie, while the neighbors were catching almost nothing. So we all decide to head home. Later the neighbor wanted my opinion on why we did so much better than them. Asked him what did he buy, and he said smalls. Told him we bought mediums, and that I would only buy smalls, when I could see them in the lake later in the year. So told him what the article said. After that he only bought mediums too, and caught more fish.

[Jamesdean]

Sorta runs along the lines of match the hatch, if they're used to only seeing medium sized minnows, and it's not time for small minnows to be around, it would make sense too me they would eat the medium ones...besides it fills their stomach more for less effort.

[sparkie51]

The bait shops in my area are a joke. Small minnows are 1/2 inch. Mediums are around an inch and large are 2 inches. I use nothing but large year around. Prices run from $2.50 for small to $3.50 for large. The larger the minnows the less you get.