Minnow Heads

[smbrickner]

Waht do you guys use for minnow heads, live bait or preserved.

I always used livebait at the bait shop but I realized that maybe using a salted minnow would be more cost effective, especially since you are killing the minnow anyway.

Thoughts?

[da man cave shack]

Should work, unless the preseved has a different smell that might not atract the fish.

[addicted to ice fishing]

I have always used live bait.  Use a pair of forceps to pinch off the head.  This leaves some ragged tissue rather than a clean cut a knife would make. The tissue moves in the water, and is an added attractent.

[Soozookie]

I use berkly gulp minnow heads.

[smbrickner]

I use berkly gulp minnow heads.

I never had much luck with those.

[toofuss]

I love the gulp minnow heads but sometimes there is no replacement for the real thing

[SDfisher]

It might have already been discussed, but if half of your minnows are dead in the bucket at the end of the week of nonfishing.

Could you scoop them out clip off the back end and place them in a bag of salt to preserve them for jigging in the future.

That way saving live minnows when out on the ice.

[bpiatt]

I have always used live bait.  Use a pair of forceps to pinch off the head.  This leaves some ragged tissue rather than a clean cut a knife would make. The tissue moves in the water, and is an added attractent.

Why not just pinch the head off between the tip of your thumb and index finger? Ain't it a pain to get forceps every time you need a minnow head?

[addicted to ice fishing]

Why not just pinch the head off between the tip of your thumb and index finger? Ain't it a pain to get forceps every time you need a minnow head?

Fingers would probably work fine.  I have my forceps clipped to my coat, so they are always handy.  Just the way I have always done it in the past.