Poll....Minnows VS. Jigs.

[DmDuck]

Moose are you fishing Monroe Saturday ?

[fishnfilet]

i use minnows mostly fatheads. rosy reds if available...crappie lips I almost go that far, I've walked around picking up dead ones from previous fishermen, with dead ones I use a popper bobber...will use jigs on ocassion by I'm a minnow fishermen..Dave

[Kokanee King]

can't use minnows here in washington so i am forced to be a jig guy.

[CrappiePappy]

I use jigs about 95% of the time ... but, mostly because I like casting more than I like the other "methods". Plus, I like to think my "skills" come into play more with artificials, than with live bait :rolleyes: ...LOL!! But, I still will carry "some" minnows along, at times. (hey, I'm stubborn - not stupid)

As to hooking methods - here's a copied post, from last Nov, that I wrote on the subject:

Hook/line/sinker version ........ one or sometimes two #3 or #4 Water Gremlin pinch-on/off sinker, #1 Eagle Claw light wire bronze Aberdeen hook, 6-8lb line, minnow hooked thru the eye socket (behind the eyeballs, not thru them). Preferable minnow is a 2 to 3in Bluntnose Minnow, or Creek Chub Minnow (commonly called "tuffy" or "crappie" minnows). If available, and legal to use in the waters I'm fishing, I may also catch and use Brook Silversides, Threadfin Shad, or Gizzard Shad in the 2-3 inch size range (when possible/available/necessary).
When using a "minnow" (of any of the previously mentioned species) on a jighead - I hook the minnow from under the "throat" (at the V of the lower jaw) and exit the hook between the two nostrils, or the area between the nostrils and eyes. Generally I use a 1/16oz jighead, unpainted, weedless, and with no other "additions" (except in very murky waters, when I may have a tube or grub of bright coloring on the hook - color for sight, minnow for smell/taste/vibrations)

I've used quite a variety of hook styles and sizes .... from #8 to 2/0's - Kahle, longshank, baitholder, and aberdeen - gold, bronze, steel blue, and red. I've used them pre-snelled, snelled them myself, and just a hook tied on the line. They all had their time and place, and they all worked....!

Hooking a minnow thru the back was the way I was originally taught - for "still fishing" (aka "tightlining" - tied or anchored in one spot). I've changed to hooking thru the eyesocket, for this method, because it works better (and I've not seen where "back hooking" has any advantage over it) Also, when drifting or slow trolling, I prefer hooking thru the eye socket. When casting, I'm more inclined to use the "jighead" method (up thru the nostril/eye area). All of these hooking methods are inclined to make the minnow swim downward or in a circular area. Hooking thru the tail makes the minnow tend to try and swim upwards - good for use when free-lining (weightless), or on a slip sinker rig for bottom fishing. But, you must have a hook small enough and light enough, or minnow big enough, to carry the weight of the hook and not be dragged down by it.
My methods and preferrences are by no means the "best" or "only" ways ... they've just worked for me, in the waters I've fished. .......luck2ya .......cp

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Now - with all that having been said ... I have to admit - the picture I made my Avatar from ... those were caught with minnows ...LOL!!

[TAZ]

I too am a jig nut! I tie my own and love to catch fish on them. Sometimes though you just have to go to whats working. I use minnows when I'm in the Buck brush or again if you have cold water. This next trip I'm going to try spider rigging for the first time and useing minnows. This time tommorow I will be at Barkley hopefully filling the livewell!

[DENNIS BOWERS]

LUM--I TOO USE JIGS 80 % OF THE TIME.I LIKE TO CAST,COUNTDOWN, & RETREIVE. I DO USE MINNOWS AT TIMES LIKE NOW WHEN THE CRAPPIE ARE SHALLOW IN IN THE WATER WILLOWS[loose to many jigs].BUT FOR FAIRLY OPEN WATER--GIVE ME JIGS. GOOD FISHIN TO YA!!!DENNIS

[donr]

I've raised all kinds of fish in aquariums for many years. From your post I have a couple of suggestions to help your crappie. 1) You don't say what size your "small" tank is, but I suggest at least a "30 gallon high" for keeping 1 or 2 crappie. Less than 30 gallons is too small for the fish and is actually harder to maintain than a smaller tank. A smaller tank has less water to buffer water quality and temperature change. 2) A good canister style filter with the right filter media inside will keep the water healthy and looking good, with partial water changes needed no more than once a month and without any noise. I recommend "EHEIM" filters and filter media and warn against the less expensive brands that most aquarium stores sell. I have EHEIMs that have run for 20 years without a problem. 3) Allow at least 3 weeks before putting fish you care about in a tank with a new canister filter system. It takes that long to establish the so-called "nitrogen cycle" that converts the bad stuff in the water. Email me for more info.