just wondering the best way to hook up a whole minnow for ice fishing? what kinda hook etc. thanks for any tips
Jig head and stinger hook rig. Run the jig head hook through the mouth and out the top of the head, and place the small treble hook towards the tail. Similar to the picture below.[inline stinger.jpg]
The stinger hook really works wonders for fish that think they can get away with just a small bite. Increased my hook ups substantially.
Ryan’s way looks solid.
My usual way is to just put the hook through the eyes, under a tube jig. 1/4oz jig head, 3" tube. Seems to work, although a stinger would definitely increase the hook-set, especially while tending to another rod.
I usually just hook it through the eyes like loah said as well, But that stinger hook setup looks like it would be nice and better on hook ups cause the dead minnow pole is usually my 2nd pole and just let that thing sit on the bottom outside of my tent with a bell on it. Wish we could use live minnows here.
It is difficult to determine - do you hook the jig through the head and out through the throat - or in other words, upside down?
I’ve done that kind of rig, but with just a splitshot above the upper hook - circle or octopus - and the small stinger.
Like others have suggested - good for the second rod. That goes on my Jawjacker.
ice ice babyeee!
just wondering the best way to hook up a whole minnow for ice fishing? what kinda hook etc. thanks for any tips
Can’t believe that nobody else has observed the obvious…there are many ways…just as with worms or many other baits or lures.
So many variables…species sought, waters fished, depth being fished, type of minnow, size of minnows being used, method of presentation, etc. And on any given day you may have to experiment to find what works best.
Obviously, if you are fishing big chubs, small carp or other bigger baits…for pike, macks, burbot or large trout…you will rig and fish differently than you would for fishing small minnows for crappies, perch, white bass or smaller trout. Just about all predator species will respond to free minnows, but it helps if you serve the right sizes…the right ways.
If using larger minnows, it can pay to rig them with two or even three hooks…legal on on bait. Just remember, the more hooks you have will not only increase your chances of hooking the fish but also yourself and your gear. And getting a multi-hook rig out of a thrashing fish can be an adventure.
Most Utah fish can be caught on whole minnows in the 2 to 4 inch range using only one hook. And it often doesn’t matter much what kind of hook you use, what size it is or how you have the minnow impaled. However, if you use good quality sharp hooks and rig the minnow with the tip of the hook exposed you will do better than using hooks that are dull, too small or too large. And different hook styles are different sized even with the same size ratings. Far too much info on hooks available to try to cover all that in a couple of paragraphs.
The type and condition of the minnows can be important too. Redside shiners that have been frozen can be mushy and difficult to keep on the hook. Chubs can suffer from a trip through the freezer too but they are generally firmer. And carp minnows are usually plenty firm. The point is that if your minnows are soft you have to be sure to wrap the hook point around the spine inside the minnow or wrap it to the hook with sewing thread.
It can be more effective to fish small whole minnows or simply bits and pieces of minnows on a jig or spoon than to fish them whole. “Sweetening” a lure with minnow makes the lure more attractive to fish that rely on their olfactories for feeding. And the flash and vibration of a jigged lure helps call the fish in to your offering. The flavor bits help seal the deal.
There are a lot of times when “less is more”. Adding too much meat to your hardware kills the natural action of the lure. In most cases all you need is enough to see…and smell…and you are in the money. You can cut a larger minnow into quite a few small bait sized pieces and get a longer ride from the minnows you brought on a hot bite. A good example is at Strawberry. Sometimes a small dime-sized piece of chub meat on the tip of a big jig hook…on a 3" tube jig…will catch more fish than fishing whole minnows.
**We gripe about not being able to fish live minnows in Utah. No doubt they would work better than dead mushy ones in many cases. But in states where live minnows are legal it is surprising how many ice anglers pinch the heads off their live minnows to put on a jig hook when fishing for walleyes or big perch. **
If you are presenting whole minnows you need to also know how to hang them at the right depth. And that depth can be anything from soaking on the bottom…to a foot off the bottom…to middepth over deep water. Let your sonar tell you where the fish are holding or cruising and try to set your baits to ride at or above that level. Sometimes the fish will be cruising along the bottom looking for winter killed tidbits. But you will often do better by suspending your minnows up slightly off the bottom. You can do that by dropping to the bottom and then bringing it back up a short distance…or premeasuring with a weighted line and then setting a bobber or marking the line at water level.
If using a small whole minnow or a piece of minnow on a lure you can “dead stick” with the lure in a rod holder…and hope the fish takes the bait well enough to hook themselves. Sharp hooks help.
If fishing a larger whole minnow you need to rig up a tip up to feed line to the fish as it swims off. And some fish…like pike…can take a while to chomp on the large minnows before taking the whole thing and being hookable.
One trick that works well without a tipup is to fish a spinning rod with the bail open…propped horizontally so that the line feeds straight down into the hole from your rod in a holder…or on a bucket. Raise the bait up slightly off the bottom once it settles. Then wrap a loop or two of your line around an empty aluminum “beverage” can and set it on the ice beside the hole. When a fish takes the bait it will pull the can over, take the line off the can and then pull more line out from the reel with the bail open. Watch and listen for the can to tip over and then let the fish swim off a ways. When ready to set the hook, reel down to the hole and wait for the line to come tight and set the hook.
The can method works on calm days but wind will have you responding to false alarms. It also works better on a harder surface rather than powder snow.
Some people sneer at those who fish with bait…and especially those who fish with minnows. They seem to think it is unsporting or unfair to the fish. The truth is that rigging minnows and fishing them properly can require every bit as much knowledge and skill as fishing any kind of artificial lure. And done properly it can also put some big fish on the ice.