Dead Minnow fishing

[CrappiePappy]

I've known people that caught Shad & cut them in half to fish for Crappie with .... they'd just jiggle the lines on their poles every now & then to help spread the "flavor" into the water.

I've used dead Silversides cut in half (once the live ones were all used up) .... and when baiting up would ask my partner "heads or tails"

But, I've never actually used dead minnows (purposely) for anything but chum or catfish bait, though I've probably had a dead minnow on my hook many times ... so I may have caught Crappie on a dead minnow, but just didn't realize it.

[Cane Pole]

Best thing about dead minners is that they are easy to catch in the minner pail.

[FishGuyMN]

is there a difference between those you kill, like to salt and freeze to take to Canada and those that go belly up in the minnow bucket? apparently not from the OP but thought I would ask as i have never had luck with a dead minnow on the line, often times even taking the dead minnow off the line that died of boredom down in the lake and replacing with a live minnow will get a bite.

I'm not saying dead minnows don't work, I know they do in Canada, just trying to figure out why i can't get them to work in MN.....

And I'm sooo jealous of the spider rigging you get to do do there!!! We get one line, one line only per fisherman....

[river scum]

im sure there is a difference fishguy. I know when I flathead fish I only use fresh killed cut bait. I have used dead shad here, because it illegal to use live ones. the crappie hit them like a bass! they definitely know what they are hitting! when fishing minnows like poster was doing, they want them dead sometimes when they are in a neutral mood.

[Hammmerhead]

I have an issue with always trying to fish too deep from the get-go. I have to make myself put a couple rods out shallow, but I never have had the huge difference that you noted. You learned something and brought home a really nice limit

Thanks for sharing

[LittleJohn]

When night fishing I usually start at the depth of the bait fish showing up on the screen then adjust up or down through the night. Right now got to take in the thermocline depth if your lake has one.
LittleJohn

[Toby from MO]

When slow trolling (two pole fishing or spider rigging) one of the first things we do is kill the minnows. 1/2 - 1lb of minnows in very small bucket and very little water. Easy to retrieve, no dip nets, takes up no space in the boat, no aerator to maintain...as long as you're moving the crappie either don't know or don't care.

[hdhntr]

On here JSYK if no pics, didn't happen. But welcome to CDC, a great community and your report was excellent! I have friends who use minnows a lot toss out the dead ones but I take them and put them on jigs and is a great combination. I havn't tried cutting them in half but don't see why that wouldn't work for just dipping as well as any cut bait.

as for fishing so shallow I am as guilty as anyone about fishing deep all the time. As the Outlaw and others point out they are where you find them and in summer especially they can be up high.

[DRFISHDUCK]

I love dead minners because I catch crappie etc. with them and I get them free. When at the boat dock guys done fishing give me their minnows and I bag them and in the ice chest they go "I use blue ice". Last winter a guy gave me over 200 live minnows at 9 in the morning - he quit early no patience I guess?? When I get home I sprinkle them with garlic powder and put them in zip sandwich baggies and freeze them. I usually vertical jig only and tip my jig with a garlic minnow and the crappie here in Ks love them.

Sent from my SM-J337P using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[jay the baptist]

News to me. I use to throw them out as soon as they died.
If cut in half, do you use both half's or just the tail section?