Real Minners

[Ron Don]

Thought Id show you guys what size minners we're using. We tip these on 2.5" plastics on a 1/4 oz head with 3/0 hooks. Ha My hands aren't small. The one in the pic is a 4.5" shiner. I am really liking the newer lazer sharp L570BP. They aint cheap but are super SHARP. They make sickles of comparable sizes look dull. We still catch a few fish that are under a pound using these. Wish I had a pic with the minner rigged on a hook with plastic.

 

[toadfrog]

Never thought about hooking plastic and minnow together . Food for thought there .

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Those are catfish minnows here. I use those on the river when they have them in stock for crappie. A 12 inch crappie can eat that no problem. Biggest crappie I ever saw was caught at a pay lake by a guy using a six inch goldfish for catfish.

 

[Jig Man]

I like the lazer sharp hooks too...

 

[plateboater]

Cut that n half and I use that for catfish bait in IL on a trotline......dear Lord. I have been going bigger than every before based on your post and have increased size of fish! Keep posting!

 

[papaperch]

Some might wonder why the plastic is needed if big ole minnow is on jighead. It would seem to the average human being the crappie would hit it w/o the plastic being added

But fish being the contrary critters that they are. If I remember right I was about 12 or 13 and I was fishing a local hot spot for spring crappie. I was using live minners but like everyone else I was not doing very good. So I put on a C. P. Swing spinner and started flailing that around. Once again no success.

For whatever reason decided to stick minnow on CP swing treble. Managed about 20 before they moved on. That was about 60 years or so ago. Since then I have tried every outlandish thing I can think of. Only thing I have been able to determine is that fish don't just think the way we do. Which is hardly news to anyone that does fish.

 

[CrappieHappy]

That's really a 2.5" shad, he didn't wanna post a 4.5" or it would be hangin off those
Girly hands!

 

[StumpHunter]

You could grill those!! Crappie eat some big baits and tipping does help pull in those hard to catch crappie. I use a lot of minnows in the winter months.

 

[Ron Don]

The plastic is just adding color to the bait. Color does make a difference on most days. Keep in mind the water aint clear here! I have found some of the strangest combos lately to be kicking traditional combos butt. More pics to come... Might even show a pic of some top secret rigging!

 

[Pup]

I'd feel compelled to fish with my bass rods for the crappie you catch RD. Yours is a very interesting discussion that I'll continue to follow.

I am curious. What style of 2.5" plastic do you use? Tube, grub, worm? Something else maybe? You do mention color being key to attraction, so maybe the style of plastic really doesn't matter.

Just your shiner (pictured) would put a pretty good bend into my newest crappie rod.