FS Digest

My son and I set out a minnow trap in the creek behind the house. We got about 20 small panfish most about the size of a nutter butter cookie. Which are larger than what we were expecting to catch since minnows are usually much smaller. So my question is how are you hooking/rigging these guys up and what is our target fish when using these guys as live bait? We live in North Alabama and it has been pretty cool outside the the last week or two. Bank fishing also FYI.

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by Giamji

FS Digest

Im not much of a live bait fisherman. But the few ways I know are just a regular octopus hook or bait keeper hook and toss it out there, either on a bobber or free depending on how well the kid can feel the rod. Or same setup and add a pegged weight of some sort or split shot weight and set it to be a foot or so above the bait so it gets down deep, and don't use a bobber. This time of year with the vegetation dying off and fish hanging out deeper the weight might be a good way to go. Or hell, if you got catfish cut the fish up and go for those. Im not that much of a catfisherman but I think a heavy duty circle or octopus hook and a heavy weight with a leader to the bait will do the trick.

Hope this helps bud.

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by OG_Chatterbait

FS Digest

Drop shot rig

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by commandercrapper

MadMac Loc: Marion (in Grant County) Indiana

Remember that a bait fish hooked above the laterial line and behind the dorsal fin tends to stay high in the water column while a fish hooked in the bottom edge behind the dorsal fin will head for the bottom.

Charlie H Loc: Greer, Arizona

Live bait catfish.

Raw Dawg Ron Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Check and make sure bait is really bait fish! In Florida we are limited to use non game fish for bait, no reef fish for offshore bait either.