Posts Tagged ‘fathead minnows’
Crappie Live Bait: Article #26 Key Fishing Information On How To Use Crappie Fishing Jigs Details Here!
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When people think of fishing for crappie their first impression is that the majority of crappies are caught with crappie fishing jigs. But actually the majority of crappie are caught either with a complete live bait presentation or artificial bait tipped with some type of living bait. The most important type of crappie live bait that most fisherman use is some type of crappie minnow such as golden shiners, and flathead minnows. Both of these crappie minnow types are raised by the millions in fish farms through out the United States and sold at nearly all bait shops and bait dealers.
But there are still many fisherman that catch their own wild crappie minnows at the locations they intend to fish. The most common wild crappie minnows that fisherman catch on a regular basis for live bait are the bluntnose minnow,blacknose dace,creek chubs,hornyhead chubs,red shinners, and mud minnows. These fisherman use minnow seines, nets and minnow traps to catch their live bait.
The most hardy live bait fish and small gold fish like fathead minnows, mud minnows, and small gold fish will stay alive for long periods of time if the bait container they are stored in is aerated and they are kept cool. Then there are moderately hardy living bait fish like baby bluegills, creek chubs, horney head chubs, southern redbelly dace, blacknose dace, and bluntnose minnows. Then there are the fragile crappie baits that fisherman use that need to be caught and fished with almost immediately and they are the emerald shiner, small gizzard shad, threadfin shad and spotted shiners.
If you are primarily a crappie jig fisherman here’s a good fishing tip when the crappies have absolutely turned off. Sometimes you can get crappies turn back on with a simple trick. go to your the most likely spot that should be producing crappie. Put about 1/2 dozen crappie minnows in a glass jar filled with water with the lid on tie a retrieve line on and lower the jar right next to the likely structure. wait about 15 minutes and tip your favorite crappie jig with a live minnow and start jigging right next to were your lowered the live bait minnow.
Well that concludes my article about crappie baits. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip
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Bait Fish: article # 3 What Live Bait Do The Preditor Game Fish Like? Check It Out Here!
The Saltwater Fishing Secret Weapon
The art of of fishing smaller fish for bait is no big secret but you need to learn what bait fish work best and how to use them for different game fish. Bait fish are probably the most popular and widely used type of live bait world wide used for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. Freshwater Anglers use bait fish to catch small 6 inch freshwater panfish such as bluegills or yellow perch on up to large sturgeon. Saltwater anglers use bait fish to catch marlin,sailfish and Spanish mackerel just to name a few. Most all saltwater predator gamefish can be caught using a combination of some type of bait fish. Most freshwater fisherman use smaller fish as a live bait, but these baits can be cut into pieces called cut bait also. This is a very good method of fishing for multiple sub species of the catfish. Many saltwater fisherman use live bait fish also but using bait fish as cutbait is very common and preferred by many saltwater anglers.
Many of the bigger predator game fish with feed mainly on smaller game fish for example bluegills or yellow perch, or even small fish in their own species. As the game fish grow to trophy size, their food diet reaches nearly 100 percent smaller game fish. The reason we mention this is because you can use thus information to your advantage. You need to make your bait selection based on the size of gamefish you want to catch. Most gamefish will go after baits that are close to the size of bait fish they normally eat in their natural food chain. One thing we need to mention is to check with your local state or providence department of natural resources to see if it legal to use gamefish such as bluegills, sunfish or yellow perch as live bait. In some states and Providences it is not legal. Another factor when selecting your bait is the liveliness and hardiness. You are probably wondering why this makes a difference but this is a very important factor because most game fish, especially predator gamefish will not strike dead baits.
Typically the following bait fish are very hardy as live bait and will stay alive for long periods of time. they include fathead minnows, rosy reds, American eels, and madtoms. The following bait fish are know to be hardy and with a small about of care will last long periods of time too. They include daces, creek chubs, redtail chubs, stonerollers, white suckers, goldfish, sculpin, bluntnose minnows, and bluegill. all of the listed hardy bait fish need to be kept cool and have fresh air aerated to the bait container. The following list is of delicate bait fish and probably a bad choice for live bait unless you catch them and intermediately use them as bait, or have a very good bait tank on your boat that circulates water from the water source you are fishing into your bait tank. They include the common shinner, golden shinner, red shinner, yellow perch, killfish, emerald shinner, spottail shinner, ciscos,shad, and smelt.
Hooking your bait fish the right way is often overlooked and probably the main reason many people have lost fish they thought they had hooked. If you are targeting smaller gamefish such as crappie, bluegill , yellow perch and using small bait fish there are literally dozens of different hooking methods. As a rule of thumb, as your bait fish get larger your rigging options get smaller. Also the body size of your bait fish can give you different hooking options. For example a long thin body bait fish such as a sucker give you more hooking options then say a deep body bait fish such as a blue gill. Don’t overlook how you hook your bait fish it is a very important part of using bait fish to catch. gamefish correctly.
I want to thank you for reading my article about white suckers. Have a great day!
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Live Bait: article #2 Special Can’t Miss Information For This Bait Crane Flies Increadible Information!
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Our article today is dedicated those fisherman who love to fish with live bait. This article is also useful to you artificial bait lovers who know when the fishing gets tough you need to tip your artificial baits with some type of the live form. Anglers who are dedicated to fishing with live baits have a large selection of baits to choose from such as leeches, crayfish, scuds, freshwater shrimp, saltwater shrimp, mud shrimp and ghost shrimp. Other live bait selections that can be used to target various gamefish also include waterdogs, spring lizards, mudpuppies, leopard frogs, green frogs and bullfrogs.
Also when you are talking about live bait selections you can’t forget insects. Insects are a staple part of all gamefishes daily diet. These insects aquatic insects such as may flies, stone flies, caddis flies,crane flies, dragon flies. and dobson flies ( hellgrammites). They also include terrestrial adult insect types such as crickets and grasshoppers as well as larva forms of catalpa worms, waxworms, goldenrod grubs, mousees, spikes, euro larvae, and meal worms.
Now we have to mention nightcrawler and other worm types as live bait because they are as close as you can get to a universal live bait for all species of freshwater fish as you can get. They will catch any fish from common bluegill to the elusive sturgeon. Nightcrawlers have amazing fish appeal but there are some important reasons they are so popular. They are a very easy bait to find and a very easy bait to catch or raise if you are a interested in saving a few bucks,or just want fresh bait readily available.
Also we can’t forget about the many species of bait fish that are use for live bait. Freshwater Anglers use bait fish to catch small 6 inch freshwater panfish such as bluegills or yellow perch on up to large sturgeon. Saltwater anglers use bait fish to catch marlin,sailfish and Spanish mackerel just to name a few. Most all saltwater predator gamefish can be caught using a combination of some type of bait fish such as freshwater fathead minnows (tuffie, mudminnow), rosey red minnow, bluntnose minnow, creek chub, horneyhead chub (redtail), blacknose dace, redbelly dace (rainbow), golden shiner, emerald shinner, spottail shiner, common shiner, red shinner, goldfish, white sucker, madtom (willow cat), sculpin (bullhead, muddler), shad, skipjack herring, cisco (lake herring, tullibee), smelt, killfish, bluegill or sunfish, yellow perch, American eel, and freshwater shrimp. The saltwater bait fish used for live bait and cut bait include skipjack herring, mackerel, smelt , mullet, mussel, saltwater shrimp, squid and tuna.
I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about channel catfish. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!
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Crappie Bait Fish: article 27 Old Master Special Fishing Details On How To Fish With Blacknose Dace Click Here!
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Bait fish are a very important part of crappie fishing. In fact crappie minnows make up more then 50% of all crappie baits. Technically, minnows are members of the cyprindae family, the largest fish family in north America. Some of the 200 species in the U.S such as the grass carp and gold fish which grow very large. The majority of the of crappie bait fish such as shiner minnows, daces and chubs seldom grow to over 4 inches in length. The species that most anglers use as crappie bait fish are golden shiner minnows and fathead minnows.
All crappie baits are not created equal. The crappie baitfish that are considered very hardy fathead minnows, mudminnows, and goldfish. Crappie baits that are considered moderately hardy are young bluegills, creek chubs, hornyhead chubs, southern red belly dace, blacknose dace, and blunt nose minnows. Somewhat hardy crappie bait fish include golden shiners,common shiners,red shiners, and banded kill fish. Fragile crappie bait fish include emerald shiners, small gizzard shad,threadfin shad, and spottail shiners. The best type of bucket to use for your crappie bait is a styrofoam is a much better insulator so therefore tends to keep your baitfish water cooler. The ideal temperature to keep your crappie baitfish is between 55 to 65 degrees.
Two typical crappie fish rigs that are commonly used with a cigar float crappie rig, and pencil slip bobber crappie rig. The cigar float is set at a fixed depth while the pencil slip bobber crappie rig is set to certain depth using a bobber stop, both are commonly used to catch crappie.
Two make a cigar float crappie rig or a pencil shaped slip bobber rig is very simple, and both are commonly used with crappie bait fish as live bait. To make the slip bobber crappie rig tie a number 12 to number 4 long shanked crappie hook on your fishing line. next slide your cigar on the line the depth you want to fish and put the stop in place. next put a small spit shot on the line about 3 to 4 inches above the hook. To Make a pencil shaped slip bobber crappie rig to be use with crappie bait fist slide your bobber stop up the line at the depth you want to fish for crappie. next slide the pencil shaped slip bobber up the line. next tie a number 12 to number 4 long shanked crappie hook on your line,and last put a small spit shot sinker on your line just above the hook about 3 to 4 inches.
Well that concludes my article about Spottail Shiners. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!
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Bait Fish: article # 15 How To Choose Bait Fish From Bait Dealers Check It Out Today!
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It is very important to understand a few simple pointers when you go to purchase your crappie minnow bait fish at your local bait shop or at any bait shop. Many times we do not have time to catch our own bait fish for our fishing trips so we go to our local bait shop to purchase some. In most case this works out just fine. Unfortunately there are so many bait fish that make great live fishing bait presentations that you cannot purchase in at at bait dealer, but for the basic bait fish types or worms bait shops work fine.
One thing you may not know, bait shops do not adhere to any set standards on naming the bait fish they sell many times they list their baits as they are called by the local fisherman in the area. For example they may be selling rosy red minnows but they advertise them as tuffies which in truth they are not. Rosy red minnows are actually a type of commercially raised fathead minnow used for crappie fishing that is sold throughout the United States and Canada to bait dealers. My point here is you need to be able to identify what type of bait fish you are wishing to purchase. It does make a difference depending on what type of gamefish you are targeting.
You also need to inspect the bait fish the bait shops have in their bait tanks to make sure they are healthy. Here’s a few tips to help with your inspection:
Number – 1
Look in the dealers bait tank to see if the bait fish are swimming in tight formation at the bottom of the tank. This is a clear sign of healthy bait fish.
Number – 2
Have the dealer pull a few bait fish up with a bait net so you can inspect them. If any of these fish have a red noses or missing scales, or have white fungus on their bodies, DO NOT BUY these fish are are sick and they probably have infected or weakened the rest of the bait fish in the tank. These fish will be dead before you can ever use them on the water. Go to another bait shop if you can.
Number – 3
If any of the fish pulled out to inspect are discolored or darker then the others do not buy these fish are probably sick also and have probably infected the other fish in the tank. Don’t get the the dis colored fish confused with breeding males. Breeding males will be darker then the other fish but will have tubercles on the top of their head. These fish are healthy but really not a preferred bait either over the lighter females.
Number – 4
As mentioned in tip number 3 breeding males do not work as well as live bait as do the lighter females so if you could have the bait dealer separate the dark males from the lighter females and purchase only the lighter females you will have better fishing luck.
You also need to keep your bait fish lively while you are transporting them and also while you are fishing heres a few tips to keep them lively:
Number – 1
We suggest you purchase at minimum a battery powered aerator they work on the same principle as aerators that you see on in door tropical fish tanks. You can purchase them at any department store that sells fishing supplies or you can purchase them on line at bass pro shop or cabala’s. As soon as you transfer the bait fish you have purchased install the aerator and turn it on. you will be surprised how many fish you can loose if you don’t do this little simple step.
Number – 2
Normally bait shops keep their water temperature in their tanks much cooler then the outside temperature. To make sure the water temperature in your bait bucket does not go up rapidly, drop a few ice cubes in every few minutes. this will keep the water cool for the duration of your fishing trip and save you some money.
I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about bait tanks. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip
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Live Bait: Article # 20 You Gotta Read This About live Bait For Crappie Visit Our Website Today!
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Our article today is going to focus on some crappie live bait selections that are often over looked as crappie baits. Any combination of these crappie live baits can fill your crappie basket so read on for details. Most crappie fisherman never use these crappie baits because they probably never need too 80% of the time if they are fishing with crappie minnows such as fathead minnows. So why bother with these other types of live bait selections for crappies? Well there are times that crappies turn off of the standard crappie live bait selections and you need to try something different or go home empty handed. We will talk about two of the most common alternate crappie baits that work quite well.
Bluegill fry make an excellent live bait selection especially if you want to target crappies in ponds where the young fry that crappie feed on are from bluegill or sunfish hatch. I would recommend you check with your local department of natural resources because in some states using these fry as bait may be illegal. The best size fry to use to catch crappie are 1″ to 2″ in length. You can use a minnow Seine, cast net or minnow trap to catch these fry. You won’t find them at any bait shop. Actual bluegill and sunfish fry make up a big percentage of the crappies natural food source. Make sure when you fish bluegill fry you stay just a little bit farther away from the cover then if you were fishing standard crappie minnows. Bluegill or sunfish fry will tangle very easily in any standing cover. It will take a bit of practice because the bluegill fry may feel exactly like a actual crappie bite to you. So you will need to be able to figure out the difference quickly. But to be honest most of the crappie bits you will get using this live bait will be hard strikes.
One of the most under used crappie baits are small threadfin or small gizzard shad especally if you want to catch a creelful of crappie! The shad actually makes up from 50 to 90 percent of the crappies food source in some locations where there are large populations of shad. Amazingly shad is not often picked as a crappie fishing live bait selection. Probably the main reason is they are hard to keep alive in your bait bucket. But if you can catch them fresh and use them right away you will be surprise how many crappie will hit this bait and hit it hard! The two types of shad that are populated throughout the united states are the threadfin shad and the gizzard shad. You can use either of these shad in the 2 to 3 inch size range to catch crappie. The smaller size fish make excellent a excellent live bait selection. The best way to catch fresh shad is to use cast net. Go to areas such as bridges, power plants piers and rip rap where shad tend to school. The best way to keep shad alive is to use a bait container that floats in the water and has freshwater moving in and out of it. If you use a bait container on your boat it needs to be aerated. these fish like I said will die easily. You can hook shad through the lips or just below the dorsal fin. Shad work great where the water is very stained and traditional crappie minnows are not cutting it.
I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about bluegill fry. Have a great day!
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