"Smushing" your minnows.

[Guest]

I have had several conversations lately with my staff about using "smushed" live minnows. Basically... this is crushing the minnows till they are mangled before rigging and dropping them down the ice hole.

I thought I was alone, but... quite a few of the Catch'n team does this!

It seems to have an effect on the negitave "lookers" that they can not pass up... the sight of a mangled minnow.

How many of you have tried this... verses pinching off and using the head alone?
My thought is that smushing increases the amount of available natural scent also.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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[Guest]

I've done that a few times in the past. But what I've also found to work well is to cut the tail off the minnow. It doesn't allow the minnow to swim but it keeps it alive and gives it that triggering power or a wiggle and jiggle. Perfect injured minnow (literally ). I've had a lot of success on with this presentation on days when fish are in a negative/nuetral mood and don't want to chase the bait. Easy meal for a hungry inactive fish.

Good Fishin,
Matt

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[SpikeRoberts]

I know this is a commmon practice and not within the "spirit" of the law designed to prevent dumping of cleaned fish but technically this practice could be considered illegal:

• Depositing fish entrails or fish parts into public waters or onto lake
or stream shores is prohibited.

[This message has been edited by SpikeRoberts (edited 11-21-2003).]

[fiskyknut]

I will mangle a baitfish now and then when Pike fishing with QS rig/tip up. I'll usually poke them repeatedly with a knife.

My standard Walleye presentation....Pinch shiner minnow off about 1/3 the way back, affix head end of shiner to one prong of an AEjr., making sure to come up thru the brain pan. Squish/mangle remainder of said shiner, and drop into hole. Smear goo and scales from fingers onto edge of AE. Drop to near bottom, jig, and hang on!

fiskyknut

[Twitter]

Catch'n,
I'll do that a lot....especially with angel eye's fishing non-aggressive walleye's and perch. I usually pinch the head and put it on one of the hooks (sometimes the tail on the hook)than smash the rest of the minnow and smear it into the blade and into the ring and knot.
I usually use this presentation mid-season on a dead stick a foot or two above my jig stick.

[fiskyknut]

Twitter....That works for me too!!!

I'll get an email out to ya later eh.

Fisky

[Guest]

SpikeRoberts,
I did not mean chumming or dumping... I meant having the smushed minnow on a jig or hook and fishing with it. Sorry, I was not clearer in my expression.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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Used by FishingMN Family

[This message has been edited by Catch'n (edited 11-21-2003).]

[IceJohn]

I have done it that way on tuff bites.And like MJ5 said, had good luck pond fihing this way. ICE JOHN FISH ON

[SpikeRoberts]

My misread DaveH. I just wanted to bring that point up, because many people sometimes smash minnows and drop parts down the hole and I wanted folks to be aware of the potential for penalty (although I doubt a CO would enforce it, you never know).

[EBass]

Yup I do this to trying to find what they want. Sometimes I use a whole live minnow on my jig n spoon when they want that large active profile. Other times just the minnow head. Other times the minnow body.

Thank you crappie minnow gods!

[deadeye]

I also like to cut about 3/4 of the tail off the minnow. It seems to work quite well, especially if you are using bigger bait like shinners. The northerns love it and the walleyes seem to like it as well.
><>deadeye

[Ray Esboldt]

I like to go to the bait store and buy say a dozen sucker minnows. I bring them home, dump them in a glass bowl where I proceed to tease them. You know tap on the glass, poke them with the minnow scoup. Then, I'll single one out an start poking him with the tip of a fillet knife, just enough to draw a little blood. Then things get fun. I'll pull him from the tank and starting at the tail cut a little off at a time. This really scares the other fish. Now grab the other 11 and smash them one at a time with anything from the blunt end of a screwdriver to the tire of your truck. Now your minnows are good and ready for a day on the ice.

Note from Ray: I can't explain how my brain comes up with these things. Sorry.

[SpikeRoberts]

Why does "Dahmer" come to mind

[can it be luck?]

Good Lord Ray!! Do you have pets? Or had pets??

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[Ray Esboldt]

I'm always looking for a cat or 12.

Like I said...well, I don't know. I must have some issues.

[deadeye]

LOL, I don't think that there is much to say to that whole thing but WOW!
><>deadeye

[Guest]

Ray... you crack me up. You so funny
I have had times thru ice that after sitting over the same bunch of perch that would no longer hit a live minnow... that a mushed minnow took the next fish. Seems like the more debries that dangles, the better. I like the tire idea! Treads might add a nice pattern.

Spike Roberts, yep. I know what you mean, and thanks.

I fished next to a guy once, years back, that poured a 1/2 a can of corn down is ice hole. Then he rigged up with corn on a teardrop and caught sunfish. When I asked him if it was legal... he did not know if it was or not, and did not care, he said.
He was in a party of "stoners" that were fairly zoned-out. They were chanting lines from Bevus & Butthead...the "cornholeieo in the iceholeieo" routine.
I re-located down the lake a ways.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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Fishermen are catch-n on
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For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[Dennis Steele]

I think Ray might be on to something.I think if you torture the one minnow while the others are watching they will be shaking uncontrolably and make better bait!

Another thing to try is to fillet your minnows.When jigged the thin strip of minnow can add a lot of action to your offering.

[Dan Wood]

I think this can really help at times. It allows you to slow down your presentation, it spreads more scent, plus you get the added action of the pieces of the minnow...

I nice non-clean pinch on the head always works good. Make sure you keep this fresh as well.

If I use live minnows, I'll generally cripple them somehow. I clip the tail, clip the fins, hook them through the spine, smush 'um, or just use the head or tail... I've watched enough fish give up the chase on minnows on the camera to not do this.... Even though they are on a line that doesn't prevent your minnow from doing circles - the neutral to negative fish will just skip that meal if they have to put in much effort for it.

If they are neutral to negative this becomes much more important. If they are active, presentation becomes less important.

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[tulikow]

When I`m jigging for crappies I just about always take my needlenose and pinch the minnow just before the tail so it is barely hanging on. Its important to change the bait atleast once every 12 minutes.

[Wables]

I usually pinch of the front 1/3 or so for the bottom treble on my jigging raps, and use the back 2/3rds for a tip on the buckshot spoons and angel eyes. The tail section gives the spoons a great action.

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[Dan Wood]

tulikow,
just curious... how did you figure the 12 minutes?

[Guest]

I bite them off just past the air bladder for tipping on spoons.

Then I save the tail section for use on tipping Chubby Darters, or if I'm hungry I just eat it.

[RS]

Don't be afraid to trim most of the tail( fins only) on your bait. We use a lot of 6 to 8 inch suckers in the winter, and you wouldn't believe the fish(walleyes) we catch through out the winter! Good Luck this winter!
RS

[icehousebob]

Hey RS, I've been carrying that one step further. With large shiners, I cut off the top half of the tail and also one of the pectoral fins. When they wag their tail, they roll over, and then have to struggle to get upright again. Just like a dinner bell for predators.