Am I the only person that doesn’t feel at a disadvantage not using shiners? I always see people talking about fishing shiners but I’ve never had a time where I didn’t feel like fatheads were getting the job done. Even on lakes that are notorious for shiner bites, I still always fish fatheads. Am I really missing out on something?
Everything works better at one time or another. I enjoy using shiners when they are working because they are so much easier to handle than any other minnow. (no slime)
Is cold beer better than warm beer?
Definitely had times on Lake of the Woods where the walleye want FROZEN shiners, and that’s it. Live shiners/fatheads just sit untouched while the frozen ones produce.
Not sure why, but I think there are probably specific times or places where some bait is going to outproduce others, but it’s probably not all the time.
It really depends on the lake. Certain lakes are shiner lakes and when you couple that with clear water the fish really show a preference. I would bet the title to my boat that there is not a soul walking this earth that could out fish a shiner with another bait on one of these lakes when water temps are in the low 50’s.
It is that big of a deal. For opener one year we did not have shiners, we looked everywhere and couldn’t get em. It seems like someone always has them though. There were two boats with shiners and they could throw their jig behind them and pop it once or twice and it was fish on. The fish were stacked up… well we had 8 boats in our group and we managed 3 walleye using every other bait and jig invented… If I don’t have shiners this time of year it’s extremely difficult on clear lakes with a high population of shiners.
Now if you fish a body of water with stained water or current all bets are off. I’m talking clear lakes with natural shiners. I flipped a 17″ walleye in the boat the other night and it spit out 4 perfect shiners… match the hatch!
It really depends on the lake. Certain lakes are shiner lakes and when you couple that with clear water the fish really show a preference
I agree with this, it very much depends on the water you’re fishing along with the time of year. All predators get keyed into a specific food item at some time of the year, the shiner bite on certain lakes is very clear example of that.
Am I really missing out on something?
You’re not missing out, until you are. I generally agree with you but there are certain times shiners are magic and the only thing getting bit as Joe pointed out.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Smellson wrote:</div>
Am I really missing out on something?You’re not missing out, until you are. I generally agree with you but there are certain times shiners are magic and the only thing getting bit as Joe pointed out.
It seems like my area Alexandria has a lot of these “shiner lakes” and plenty of clear water. So for me it’s all shiners or it barely pays to go until you get into June. There are a few stained lakes around here though where leeches and fatheads work right away.
One more thing to consider is a strong wind. If you can get a strong wind blowing in shallow water… for example a 20mph wind blowing into a few feet of water I have had luck with non shiner baits. But then again the wind takes away the water clarity. So it still stands, clear water and natural shiners you will need shiners.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Smellson wrote:</div>
Am I really missing out on something?Yes
That’s some good advertising right there! Next time I make it up to Alexandria on a fishing trip I’m gonna give you a call Joe
I appreciate all the insight! I guess I’ll have to start grabbing some shiners and doing some more comparisons. I guess for me, mille lacs is the main lake I have questioned. I’ve been using fatheads all year (and years past) and doing well. What kind of shiners do you guys recommend? Seems like I mostly see regular shiners at close to $1 a piece and at the rate I’ve been going through minnows thats gonna get expensive! Any specific bait shops in the Metro or on the way up to mille lacs that tend to have a better supply?
For 15 bucks/dozen, I’ll pass. Not to mention half of them might be dead by the time you even get to the lake. Sometimes they die if you look at them wrong.
Traditionally, the main supply of golden shiners has been imported from Arkansas. Minnesota placed a ban the importation of bait years ago and it reduced the shiner supply by 70%. That really drove the price up. So now the only shiner supply is what we can produce in this state. Simply economics: 70% less supply, same amount of demand = increased cost.
What kind of shiners do you guys recommend? Seems like I mostly see regular shiners at close to $1 a piece and at the rate I’ve been going through minnows thats gonna get expensive! Any specific bait shops in the Metro or on the way up to mille lacs that tend to have a better supply?
Spottails and we got ours from Terry’s Boat harbor, they looked and worked great and he gives you a scoop not counting every single one.
Traditionally, the main supply of golden shiners has been imported from Arkansas.
Ya I’m not paying money for a golden shiner. It needs to be a natural spot tail shiner or you might as well use a Banjo Minnow.
I guess for me, mille lacs is the main lake I have questioned.
MilleLacs is a different animal. Most techniques work there. I rarely spend money on shiners when I go there. I really don’t think you’re missing much not fishing shiners on MilleLacs. They do work and they work well but so do many other presentations.
Next time I make it up to Alexandria on a fishing trip I’m gonna give you a call Joe
Sounds good. Just shoot me a text and I’ll tell ya what I know.
You spend a good amount of time and money investing in a trip. My philosophy is not to ruin that investment by being a cheap skate with bait. I go out loaded for bear because yes sometimes they do want shiners over others, but also sometimes Fat heads work better than shiners.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Smellson wrote:</div>
Am I really missing out on something?You’re not missing out, until you are. I generally agree with you but there are certain times shiners are magic and the only thing getting bit as Joe pointed out.
It seems like my area Alexandria has a lot of these “shiner lakes” and plenty of clear water. So for me it’s all shiners or it barely pays to go until you get into June. There are a few stained lakes around here though where leeches and fatheads work right away.
One more thing to consider is a strong wind. If you can get a strong wind blowing in shallow water… for example a 20mph wind blowing into a few feet of water I have had luck with non shiner baits. But then again the wind takes away the water clarity. So it still stands, clear water and natural shiners you will need shiners.
Joe, would you mind sharing lakes in the area you consider to be shiner lakes? I fish Minnewaska a ton, as well as reno a fair amount; and I’ve never felt like I’ve been at a disadvantage w/o shiners during open water. But then again, I fish a lot different up there compared to a lot of guys, using techniques common for shallow eyes here in SD and applying them to lakes up there.
Joe, would you mind sharing lakes in the area you consider to be shiner lakes? I fish Minnewaska a ton, as well as reno a fair amount; and I’ve never felt like I’ve been at a disadvantage w/o shiners during open water.
What time of year are you fishing? This must have shiner bite is only here in May and by June everything works.
Is cold beer better than warm beer?
Stroke of genius.
To me, it is like saying, “do I really need that color of crank bait”?
I only fish for walleyes in the winter for the most part but I’m in the minority I think. It seems if I have fatheads they bite the fatheads. If I have shiners they bite the shiners. So now I rarely buy shiners and I can never tell the difference. Maybe it’s just the lakes I fish.
I only fish for walleyes in the winter for the most part but I’m in the minority I think. It seems if I have fatheads they bite the fatheads. If I have shiners they bite the shiners. So now I rarely buy shiners and I can never tell the difference. Maybe it’s just the lakes I fish.
I would agree with this. In the winter sometimes shiners help and sometimes they don’t. It depends on the lake and even the day.
When it comes to this time of year it can be the difference between catching the easiest limit of your life and not having a bite.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
Traditionally, the main supply of golden shiners has been imported from Arkansas.Ya I’m not paying money for a golden shiner. It needs to be a natural spot tail shiner or you might as well use a Banjo Minnow
Quote of the year by Mr. Joe!
You spend a good amount of time and money investing in a trip. My philosophy is not to ruin that investment by being a cheap skate with bait. I go out loaded for bear because yes sometimes they do want shiners over others, but also sometimes Fat heads work better than shiners.
That’s assuming your spending a good amount of money to go on a trip. Us local guys who fish weekly on various lakes have a bit of a different opinion. I’m not about to drop $15/Dozen so 1/2 can die by the time I get to a chosen lake and a 1/3 can die by my kid’s hands. It’s bad enough I have to throw my money (I mean bait) away as soon as I get back to shore.
Is cold beer better than warm beer?
Depends on where you are. Good luck finding cold beer in a local bar or pub in Germany or even most of Europe. Unless, said bar caters to USA tourists.
Don’t have to throw your bait away when you get back to shore, bring water from home.
Don’t have to throw your bait away when you get back to shore, bring water from home.
What a hassle. Trying to keep your house water cool all day long in you’re hot truck. Just too much of a hassle to mess around with at the Landing and at home.
I used to do that. Did the fish tank and stock tank thing even. I have no interest in trying to keep minnows alive.
The banjo minnow never dies on the way to the lake!
When people tell me about their incredible fishing in Canada, I always reflect back to incredible bites I’ve had on Winnie, Leech, and Mille Lacs on a spot tail shiner. Yes they are worth it.
With that said, we had an incredible artificial only bite last week on Mille Lacs.
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