Shiners in Huron

[hillbillyfisher]

I will be in Huron this weekend for some perch and walleye. I have heard a rumor that it may be tough to find shiners in the area. Any info would be most appreciated. Fishing report would be great too!!

thanks
hillbillyfisher

[payedfor]

last week could only get gold minnows in huron if trailering I would get minnows in port clinton shinners more bang for the buck

[fish-hunt-dive]

Here's a real good tip for all of you guys who think you must have lake shiners to catch perch. Golden shiners produce just as well, any time and any place, as emerald shiners. We have been fishing with nothing but goldens for YEARS, and have yet to fail to catch our perch; just as fast and just as big. The nice thing about goldens is that after you're done perching, you can return to the dock, hang the minnow bucket over the side, and the next weekend, they will STILL be alive. Reason we use them is that we have established a huge population of goldens in a small pond, and minnow trap our own bait. And we sure as heck are not going to fish with uunproductive bait just because it's free!! The bait is a minimal part of the total cost of fishing---don't have to tell you guys that!

Try it once, or better yet, do your own test. Purchase a few dozen goldens (same size as the emeralds) along with your normal purchase of emeralds (lake shiners). Have some of the people fish exclusively with goldens, and the others with emeralds. You'll find no difference; except when you go to buy bait again----you'll still have minnows left from the last trip!! Goldens survive extremely well, and will last for at least 1-2 weeks without you checking them daily!! Saves you $$ in the long run.

Bait shop owners don't want to tell you that; they don't sell as many minnows. Also, bait shop owners tend to carry emeralds as the 'old wives tale' of 'you gotta have emeralds' will send a fisherman down the road if that shop is out of lake shiners.

The same can't be said for fathead minnows (often referred to as brown minnows). Sure, when the perch are biting with reckless abandon, fatheads will work fine. We have even used worms and perch eyes when the bite was fast and furious. Yet when things are real slow, fatheads are not the best minnow to use.

Here's another tip for you smallmouth bass anglers. Crayfish are the big ticket item during the fall months. Using crayfish for smallies is like feeding candy to a kid. However 'the old wives tale' strikes again!!! Most anglers believe that they must use only soft-shelled crayfish for smallies. I.E., crayfish which have just molted, and their shell is soft and pliable to the touch. You'll pay BIG BUCKS for softshells, yet hard shelled crayfish, in the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inch range will catch just as many jumpers, and for a lot less money!!!

Do you really believe that bass spend the time to mouth a crayfish to see if it's soft? Maybe even reach out with a pectoral fin (that's the fin on the side) and touch the crayfish, just to see if it's soft to the touch? NOT!! Same as with the golden shiners; we have been using hardshelled crayfish for YEARS and slay the smallmouth!! I mean slaughter!! And have proven this fact to other die-hards who insisted on purchasing their own soft shells, while we fished with the hard bodies. Again, for you non-believers, take some hard shells and soft shells the next time you go bassin', and give it a test for yourself. Why do we use them? Again, we have established a population of crayfish in our minnow pond, and can trap all we want, free, after mid-August (when that years hatch is in the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inch range). Regardlees if you are using soft or hard shelled crayfish, keep the SIZE in mind; 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches----three inches at tops. Anything bigger is catfish bait, or tablefare for your next Louisiana crayfish boil!!!

Don't be fooled by the 'old wives tales' and save yourself some $$.
Golden shiners and hardshell crayfish should ALWAYS cost much less than their expensive alternates. If not, shop a different bait store for a fair price.
GOOD LUCK!!!
p.s. Out of Huron/Vermilion, try the 35/16 line---hot for jumbos as well as -eyes on the drift. This is right in the middle of the sandbar.

[John F]

Do you sell minnows and crayfish direct or are these for your onw use?
If you do sell them, please tell me how to get ahold of you.

[fish-hunt-dive]

Hi John:

No, don't sell any bait. Me and a few fishing buddies dug an additional pond (about 40ft. wide, by 250ft. long, and 3-4 ft. deep) a few years back. We obtained some large brooder golden shiners, and also some large brooder size crayfish. Pond has good algae bloom, so food is plentiful for minnows. Crays---we put a bale or two of hay in each year to provide surface area for crayfish food to develop naturally (a bacterial slimy layer which grows on the hay stems). Sure, they probably consume some of the hay, but the slimy growth is what they like best.
We can start net harvesting crays in August, as the young spawn from the spring will be in the 1 1/2 to 2 range by then.

Netting is easy; we just use a 15 ft. and 25 ft. by 5 ft high minnow seine, tied together in the middle, to cover from bank to bank. You can but these nets in bait and tackle shops, or Wal-Mart K-Mart, or order from Cabelas. We actually use, most of the time, wire minnow traps baited with a handful of dry dog food to catch both minnows and crays; saves the effort of netting, and when we want to go, we just set the traps the day prior.
We never take the bigger golden shiners out of the pond; they are our spawners for next year. Also, we provide fake grass type mats along the pond edge for goldens to spawn on. Works well, and keeps us in bait.
Selling is too much hassle with permits, licenses, etc. plus don't need the headache and don't have the time---would rather be fishing!!

[DJ]

Fish Hunt dive- thats interesting! Wonder where a person might find more info on raising Bait and what types of other bait can be raised?
Do you ever have problems with Herons or other predators eating your bait? Don't tell me they taste just like chicken!

[fish-hunt-dive]

DJ:

First, go back to my message above; it tells you how to do it. If you want more info, check with your district's division of wildlife office, your local county extension office, or the Ohio State University's Sea Grant Program (Sea Grant has a real good website for Q&A about questions like this; www.sg.ohio-state.edu/discus/. They also give you factual answers about fish related questions and Lake Erie.

I know the OSU Extension has an aquaculture research facility in southern Ohio, Piketon I beleive, and they can provide plenty of info. about home raising of bait----for free!!!
You can also check with fish suppliers;people who raise fish and minnows for pond stocking; one guy is Dennis Fender who owns Fender's Fish Hatchery in Baltic, Ohio. Another guy is Dave Smith with Freshwater Farms of Ohio in Urbana.

It's not hard to raise goldens and crayfish on a small scale, and for your own use. It's when you try and sell bait when to problems begin!! Keep it simple, keep it private and you'll do fine.

[soaker40]

you dont relize what you have or your full of it because ive been fishing for perch and walleye for the past 24 yrs myself and all the other experiencd fisherman know what works .last october out of huron i had nothing but golden junk 3 kids in a boat beside me had lake shiners where catching 10 to 1 next weekend i had lake shiners within two hrs limit of nice perch .all i can say is your statement does not hold much credibillity .we love to fish and we know what works through trial and era.///////morgan,kiser

[fish-hunt-dive]

Soaker:

I know EXACTLY what kind of bait I am using, and know what I've said above to be true.

I've also been in situations where only those on one side of the boat are catching perch, and the other side goes virtually fishless. Also have seen the guys on one side, catching fish, switch sides with the guys on the other side not catching fish. The result? The guys who were not catching are STILL not catching!! Some people have the touch, others don't.

I don't need to puff my chest out and tell others whom are successful that 'only I know what produces 'cause I've fished the big lake for 24 years'. I'm simply trying to help other guys save a few dollars in gas and less time on the water by driving 20 miles out of their way to buy emerald shiners.

Bet you also have found through personal research that hard shelled crayfish won't catch smalmouth.

Bet the bait and tackle shop guys like to see you walk through their door!!

By the way, are you a disgruntled bait shop owner who doesn't want anglers to know that goldens (in the 1 1/2 to 2" range, when they LOOK LIKE emeralds) are just as good? Now why might that be? Any knowledgeable bait or fisheries person can tell you that emeralds must be netted from the wild and are virtually impossible to raise. Not so with the golden; and you can do it in your backyard with a pond dedicated to baitfish and crayfish only.

Keep fishing and keep catching. If the emeralds work for you, GREAT. That way there will be plenty of fresh golden shiners where you usually buy bait for the other guys----cause you'll be 20 miles down the road looking for the magical emerald shiner!!

I just LOVE to watch guys like you spend big $$ on pin-sized emeralds (just about the thickness of your hook) when nice, fat, silvery 1 1/2" to 2" goldens are in the next bait tank.

By the way, have you ever noticed that a perch fishing size golden shiner is REALLY silver in color? They don't take on that golden hue until they reach the 3 to 3 1/2 inch size; then they are GREAT bait for smallmouth!
Sure, I don't know what I'm talking about. Right.

[soaker40]

if yuor catching perch consistantly on golden shiners my hats of to you.good fishing and tight lines//////p.s i would like to thank the sponsors of this site your doing a great job///.

[Airwave(OH)]

One thing I can tell you (Fish Hunt Dive ) is don't spend alot time trying to convince someone who wouldn't believe you if you proved it to him in his own boat. I thing I have found is if it's SO critical on what kind of shiners you have ,Why do MANY of us catch limitless amounts of perch on bait that we cut in half or even thirds. We even catch em on(this sounds sick) perch eyes,They stay on the hook for more than one hook up. The goldies work just fine! There May be times( not many) when an Emerald will work better but when the feed is on it just won't matter. Lets go fishing!!!

[Fish-Hunt-Dive]

Airwave:

Thanks for the sensible response. As you say, it's fruitless to try and convience someone if they have their mind made up beforehand. I've had day when, like you said, perch would bite on eyeballs, belly strips, worms, etc.----any port in a storm when you're out of bait and the bite is hot and heavy!
I was just trying to help out other anglers with some useful info; not trying to start a debate.
Thanks again, and let's hope the weather turns better for all of us!!
Fish-Hunt-Dive

[bob oh]

I'd have to agree with you Airwave -- when the bite is on almost anything works. But it has been my experience that when the bite is tough or the perch finicky the emeralds out produce anything else?? Also, I don't understand the cost thingy here. Down here in the west emeralds don't cost any more than goldens, usually less?? I get enough for 8 guys for about $10 - $12. Plus I'm sure Fish hunt dive has all the answers so I'll let him handle this :-))

[fish-hunt-dive]

I'm done. Don't want a controversy, just wanted to help. Stick with what works for you and you'll do fine.
Good fishing.