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#1
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Fishing with salted minnows
I just got a 2 lb bag of salted minnows from best baits. In a week I will be on my way to Canada. These are mostly for backup as I will be getting live minnows also. Anything I should know about using salted minnows? What's the best way to take them out in the boat. Just put what I want to take out in food storage bags? They came in a one gallon storage bag.
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#2
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I divide them into dozens and take one more dozen than I think I'll need out with me. Use a hook that has a long enough shank to have the hook coming out of the body of the minnow. The joint between the head and the body is the weakest point so if the hook is coming out at the joint or in the head of the minnow the fish will be constantly stealing half you minnow. If the hook comes out of the body and the are properly salted they will stay on the hook longer than live minnows.
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#3
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Follow-Up
Greetings,
CI_Guy offered some great advice. I only use long shank hooks with salted minnows. The junction of the head and body is definitely the weakest link. I want the point of the hook as far back as I can get it. I insert the point of the hook into the eye of the minnow and then thread the minnow onto the hook as best that I can. You will notice that salt will collect on your hands. The salt will cause your hands to feel sticky. You will immediately know if you have a cut/nick on your hands. The salt will also transfer from your hands to your fishing rod and reel. It might cause pitting of metallic surfaces if you let it collect on the metal (already done that). I address this "problem" by keeping a gallon size coffee can with some water in the boat by me. I just rinse my hands every now and again to remove the salt. Your salty minnow will quickly rehydrate as soon as you drop it into the lake. They are working for you by the time they reach the bottom of the lake. You will likely want to clean your fishing rods and reels when you get home. In addition to salt, you will likely find some dried minnow scales adhering to your equipment. Salted emerald shiners have worked extremely well on the lakes that I am now fishing. I'm confident that I am not giving up anything to live or frozen minnows. Good fishing and tight lines!! |
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#4
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They seem to be really flat. I guess that's normal uh?
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#5
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Follow-Up
Greetings,
The salted minnows become somewhat flattened when they are brined. They became really thin when I left them in the salt/borax too long, as the salt sucked most of the water out of them. Nevertheless, they plumped back up considerably when put in the water. I use to buy fathead minnows in bulk and then salt them myself. These worked well on a lake that had various species of small/dark minnows - like a fathead. I then switched to a lake that featured emerald and spot-tail shiners. The salted fatheads were a tough sell. It seemed as though the walleyes somehow knew the difference - they weren't natural. The walleyes in the new lakes sure like the salted emerald shiners! I tend to like the larger salted emerald shiners. The size of these salties resembles the size of the shiners in the lakes that I fish. Good fishing and tight lines!! |
#6
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I would like to try using these to catch catfish. Does anyone know of a good online source to buy some?
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#7
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Follow-Up
Greetings,
I purchased salted emerald shiners for this season from Best Bait in Marblehead, OH: https://www.bestbait.com/ The wife and I happened to be passing through Ohio so we stopped in to pick up the salted shiners. We chatted with Chris (owner) and found him to be very personable. We enjoyed the time together. You might want to do a search on WC as there recently was another thread about purchasing salted bait. Good fishing and tight lines!! |
#8
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got mine from best baits also
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#9
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Quote:
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#10
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Follow-Up
Greetings,
I ordered my emerald shiners for the season during April - shortly after ice-out, which is when they start netting minnows. In talking with Chris (the owner), this is when the emerald shiners are at their maximum size - all adults and pre-spawn. I ordered the large size emerald shiner, as these should "match the hatch" when fishing in NW Ontario during August and September. I would say the average "large" emerald shiner is about three inches long. Chris reported there are about 80-100 large shiners per pound. I recall counting out about 100-120 per pound. I think the average size of the shiners goes down as the season progresses, simply due to juvenile shiner minnows entering the population. Good fishing and tight lines!! |
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