How do YOU hook your minnow?

[Pikefishinfever]

OK guys, I though some may benefit from a few different technics for hooking minnows to get a better fish to minnow ratio. Sorry to all selling them, lol!!!

In my boat, with my fishing buds there are sometimes three different methods used.....I double hook mine, once down from the backbone right behind the gills and then back up infront of the butt. Other methods used are the "lip hook" and the "tail hook".

What does everyone else think?

Bogz

 

[BillpStT]

I double hook 'em too but in the opposite direction,starting in the mid body and having the hook point sit just behind the gill( give or take ) I think that the perch seem to eat the minnow head first (when checking bait you see headless minnows often but not tailless ones) so this puts the hook in their mouths as soon as the theivin' Bas****s start to strip off the minnow$ haha ....
I don't get 'em all by any means but I have noticed that I can get on a pretty good roll....I bought a cheapie 7' M rod that is rated @ 4-10# line and spooled it with Flouro (6# I think)...that is the thing that really helped me have more hookups as I can feel the bites a lot better with the light rod & less stretchy line.

Bill

I want to live forever...so far so good

 

[icenut]

I too hook em the same as Bill, have the point facing forward as they swallow em head first, although lip hooked looks more natural, but i feel i loose minnows faster rigged this way.I use braided 6lb main line with 6# flouro drop shot system with long shank wide gap hooks..when they are being finicky it's tough to hook em all, or use the same minnow 5 or 6 times when one miss hit and you've got a stripped hook..

Men are from mars, women from Visa

 

[Big Wally]

Fishing out of Burwell in 40 to 60 ft of water, I use a standard two-hook pickerel rig, and I cut all my minnows in half. This produces immediate scent in the water.

It doesn't matter how you hook the half minnow. Just put a hook through the piece (use small snelled bait holder hooks so the piece of minnow doesn't ride up the hook shank)

I don't even try to "feel" the bite, but rather drop my sinker to the bottom, and wind up until there is a very slight bend in the rod tip (pressure on the sinker, but leaving the sinker on the bottom). In rough water I balance the rod on two fingers, just ahead of the reel, so the rod can pivot with the wave movement, but still leave the sinker on the bottom. A half-ounce bell sinker will do the trick.

The key is to watch the rod tip. If there is even a slight twitch in the tip, that means that a fish is mouthing the part minnow.

Immediately set the hook! This technique works best with light braided line as there is no stretch to muffle the rod tip movement.

A good tool to use for cutting the minnows is one of the small portable plastic cutting boards. I have often caught repeated fish on the mashed up part minnows, and you can leave them on the hook until they are completely gone, or just add another piece as the original piece gets smaller.

Stretches out the minnows, too.



Big Wally

 

[Pikefishinfever]

quote:
long shank wide gap hooks
.

In my opinion, the wide gap hook makes it way easier to get stripped off. Maybe try something smaller or at least take plyers and bend the gap closed abit. Once again, only my opinion.......

Bogz

 

[icenut]

Good info guys..I'm going to change up one of my hooks to a narrower gap (although ive enjoyed the greater hooking averages with a wider, but maybe not so good for holding bait on) and compare along with minnow halfs as suggested by wally.

Men are from mars, women from Visa