Minnows

[local_diver]

Anyone else had bad bait from the store in Waseca?

I bought a scoop of crappie minnows two weeks ago and 1/4 of them were something other then crappie minnows. I have heard the minnows with a sharp snout and spinny dorsal fins with a greener color are dogfish minnows but am not sure. I brought the minnows back and the kid working there just offered to show me a scoop of the new minnows he would sell me. I have had a few of these minnows over the years but nothing like this. I have also noticed that their minnow scoop is the 1/2 minnow scoop of a couple years ago and the minnows this year had black specs (worms?) on almost everyone.

With only a few days before the water turns soft, I guess I will need to consider a new crappie minnow bait shop next year but am still curious if it's just me or if anyone else had this experience?

[love2fish4ever]

I've gotten those minnows I've heard called "stickle backs" I don't know what they are, but I know they are no good for fishing. Found a couple in the bucket now & then, but not with any amount or regularity. Very unusual to get kind of ratio in your bucket. I would ask the baitshop I'm sure he would like it brought to his attention. I highly doubt they would knowingly sell those. just a thought.

Good Luck

L2f

[katoguy]

My guess is they get their minnows from the same supplier as other stores in the area. There may be a couple distributors???

[LocalGuide]

"They are no good for fishing"

Try them on crappies once and tell me what you think... Its like buying a scoop of fatheads and getting about 3 small creek chubs mixed in

[LOTWSvirgin]

From what I have heard them stickle backs are a protected species that is just what I have been told

[walleyejim]

What you saw are called brook stickleback minnows or "Culaea inconstans" belonging to the family Gasterosteidae. They are found in many streams and some lakes in the area and are a food source for many of our game and rough fish that live in those bodies of water.

I've been going to the bait shop in Waseca for years and I have never had a problem with their minnows, or any of their bait. The employees there are also very friendly and are always willing to let you know where the fish are biting. They have definately hooked me as a lifetime customer . If you look close at their half scoop, its actually a quite larger scoop than the other bait shops use. Thats probably why it is only half as tall, so you sill get the same amount of minnows.

[Flamefox]

i know of a bait whole seller, 18.00 bucks gets a gallon 10 for a half gallon. he can screen out the size u like too, i've hardly had any them nasty sticklebacks

[love2fish4ever]

Wow, I stand corrected, I'll give them a chance next time.

Shows what happens when you go by what "they" say.

L2f

[BIG DS]

This is about the time of year when they seem to hang out with the other minnows as they are getting ready to spawn. They will be in the mic until about mid May and then the black bullheads will take their place.

[Flamefox]

i cant wait to start seeing minnows in the shallow bay in albert lea, i never had to stop at a bait shop at all, 288 minnows at a time, plus it's very funny towards dark, when huge schools of baitfish on the clam surface of the lake, when u see big crappies jumping out of the water and snatches them, NEWS flash, crappies bite is hopping mad crazy for the last few days, several limits have been reached in man of hr or 2. and whats funny is the baitfish are not in yet.

[lookincalifornia]

i used to trap a small creek by my house as a kid and would get tons of sticklebacks. i always liked using em because those spines are connected and if you get your hook under that bone, they don't fly off the hook. plus i was a kid and i thought they looked cool

[Flamefox]

the crappie fishing shut down big time, 3 days ago from this massives cold nasty weather so did the minnow harvest, i took out 288 crappie minnows on a single swath of a home made bait net. its been a hard job to find minnows in albert lea, looks like jessy will have his shop up and going sometime after easter weekend.