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Minnow Preference


JBMasterAngler

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I'm just curious what kinds of minnows everyone uses out there. Not including crappie minnows, what are your preferences between fatheads, rainbow chubs, golden or silver or emerald shiners, sucker minnows, madtoms, or any other type of minnow. Add what you fish for with them, how and where you fish them, what season, etc. I'm just curious what everyone is doing out there.

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I prefer a fathead minnow on a jig! One they are cheap and readily available, and two once the fish hits you've got them hooked. When the bite gets fancy and you need larger minnows that can be fun as well.

Ok I changed my mind, I do like casting small to medium shiners on a livebait jig. Casting the breakline and working it back to the boat. Very deadly. I'm talking summer time now.

In winter for walleyes - fatheads on jigs work for me, I've never had to buy expensive minnows. Come to think of it a large lively female fathead will turn fish.

Turk

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Fatheads are the most popular minnow to use on the river but Redtail chubs are also favored by many anglers.Redtails run larger and and are more hardy than any other minnow Ive used.Small and medium sucker minnows also fit the bill from time to time.Im talking mainly about fishing for walleyes here,other species may prefer other minnows.Dont forget Crawlers,Leeches and CRANKBAITS grin.gif.Oh yea plastics and spinners to,all are deadly at one time or another.Rigging and jigging are the most common methods,also pitching jig and minnow combo to current breaks, wood and rock produce as do dragging jigs in current and snap jigging or a simple lift and drop method.

If I were just starting out I would pick 2 or 3 of these methods and consentrate on learning them well.Some folks use just a couple of methods to fish all year and they get very good at what they are doing and pull fish all year.For myself,I like to use a variety of presentations throughout the season.

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I LOVE rainbow chubs! Winter and summer. They catch everything! The only problem about them is they are so hard to find. Anyone know a place in the metro area that sells them?

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Vados or 65bait are the two places that might carry them.65bait is pretty far north of the metro though.

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they are my favorite too!!! I have a spot where i catch em along with shiners and creek chubs. I love using creek chubs and rainbows!! Find a break, weightless chub=Big Fish!! grin.gif

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If I do switch over to minnows, I would say fatheads are my most go to, but have used shiners as well,

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Live bait fishing on the croix is the best because I can use 2 lines. When I'm shorefishing I'll throw a crawler out (where I catch the most fish) and then I'll throw a minnow out (less fish, but always gamefish). When I'm in a boat I'll be casting with silver or gold mepps spinners and then on the opposite side of the boat I'll let a livebait rig float along the bottom.

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My number one choice of minnow by far is a redtail chub, second would be a creek chub, fatheads however are cheap and with the right technique they seem to do the job.

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