whole vs. half minnow

[rabidsponge]

hey fellas, just wonderng your opinions on whether you think a whole minnow or a half one works better. I have seen a few different arguments for both cases...the whole one allows for a natural looking, swimming bait. The half one would have the blood trail.
Any thoughts on this?

[billybono]

for what species??? for northerns i always jig a pimple with a minnow head



                 billybono

[vtpike]

You guys are nuts! Would you take half a gun in the woods? or how about a half of a driver on the golf course?

Although I have gone bowling with half of a ball with some success. I would stick with the entire minnow!

[cstolp]

I use a full minnow and then switch over to a minnow head if the fish appear to take interest in the minnow but not hit.  It can help increase your catch on days when the fish are finicky.

[fisher50]

"Bowliing with half a ball"  ??  Am I too old to understand that one? 

[icejunky]

Sorry vtpike..that is a bad analogy....all the things you quoted dont work...a half minnow does

But....I still always start off with a full minnow

[Hellsangler]

Out west in Utah , we are not allowed to use live minnows only frozen / dead ones with only one fishing pole . At first ice I like to drop shot a full dead minnow (2" to 4") slowly on the fall for trout with no weight . Lot of times they hit it several times before the eat it . I just leave the bail open till they swim off with it . If I fish with tube jigs , curly tails or paddle bugs I just put enough on to cover the hook and works fine . I think the piece of minnow on a hook leaves a good scent trail that the fish pick up on .

[billybono]

If I fish with tube jigs , curly tails or paddle bugs I just put enough on to cover the hook and works fine . I think the piece of minnow on a hook leaves a good scent trail that the fish pick up on .

i agree with that. these guys using whole minnows...what are you targeting....what is the minnow hooked on...lot of variables here..

                billybono

[Hellsangler]

I fish for big cutthroat with whole minnows . I use Gamakatsu Octopus hooks and just hook it in the middle of the back or in the head .

[coldbum]

depends?? today the perch hit both... they didnt discriminate... sometimes the lakers wont take a whole minnow.. I guess it depends on the mood?? I try em both to see whats up

[Cargo]

I agree with Billybono when jigging i use a minnow head. On set lines I have been using two this year on a treble hook one facing each way, so they work against each other.

[fishnut]

Most fish, like pike, are "sight" feeders.  Fish that have a good sence of smell, a half dead minnow leaving a blood trail might work when the fish are hungry.

[vtpike]

Sorry vtpike..that is a bad analogy....all the things you quoted dont work...a half minnow does

But....I still always start off with a full minnow

IceJunky, I am a tip-up fisherman for the most part, I have fished bait live and dead and I do very well on my lakes with live bait. Dead bait whole or half has never worked for me.

If you are jigging it is a completely different story. I apologize for my ignorance in not understanding that everyone does not fish like me.

I will defend my analogy though.....I thought I was being quite clever.....and sarcastic for those of you that didn't catch on.

[9fingers]

I like whole lively bait. I have however used dead smelt on occasion. 

[dancingminnow]

9fingers

i agree with you.  i put live minnows on realative to the size fish im targeting. even on my jigging poles.  and for pike i use 2" minnow or bigger or smelt.  even smelt from the grocery store cleaned and fozen seems to work well for me.  lots of variables is right. if all i had was dead minnows i would start will a whole and then work my way down to a tail or maybe a head.  i realy dont like prepacked minnows like from the shleves of wal-mart.  ive seen fish caught off of them but they never really worked for me.

[Jangus]

IceJunky, I am a tip-up fisherman for the most part, I have fished bait live and dead and I do very well on my lakes with live bait. Dead bait whole or half has never worked for me.

If you are jigging it is a completely different story. I apologize for my ignorance in not understanding that everyone does not fish like me.

I will defend my analogy though.....I thought I was being quite clever.....and sarcastic for those of you that didn't catch on.

Then again you arent using a driver or a bowling ball for bait are you?

[hard_water]

IceJunky, I am a tip-up fisherman for the most part, I have fished bait live and dead and I do very well on my lakes with live bait. Dead bait whole or half has never worked for me.


 i agree never had much luck with dead bait on tip ups, how ever jigging i only use dead bait either whole halves heads or tails what ever the fishes prefer.


                           water

[icejunky]

This weekend I had a super slow day on a lake oin my area...there were 5 of us and know one was getting anything....so, I took the plunge and cut the head off my minnow and bang..withing 5 minutes I had the first fish of the Day...A Crappie....For some reason the fish were just not taking the live bait, no matter the size,( we threw small minnows and some big guys)

I also would not use a minnow head on a tip-up, but I would use a dead minnow...I think it all depends on the day and the mood of the fish..for those who only use live bait (with heads!) next slow day try trying the reverse..

[AugustWest]

I prefer whole lively minnows. I have experimented on slow days and fast days with just about every thing you could possibly do with a minnow(remember this is a non obtrusive site ).
I still use all or nothing.

[ifishhi]

i like live