Why shiners

It’s a shame they’re so fragile. Stinks when you leave the baitshop with a dozen but only have 8 by the time you get to the lake because sloshing around in the minnow bag in the backseat was too much for them.

I can keep suckers or rainbows alive for a couple weeks in my garage in the winter. I just do 50% water changes a couple times a week with tap water that’s sat out for a couple days to release the chlorine. Put a $10 aquarium aerator in an insulated bucket and you’re good to go. I keep water ice cold, even to the point of having the surface ice up.

I usually buy a dozen when going for a weekend trip, but that’s usually only 2-3 weekends a year unfortunately…It’s more the fact that I spent all that time driving up, might as well have all bait…I don’t think I have ever seen them out produce a rainbow or a red(when I can find them). If I need bigger bait than those, I’ll use a small sucker. I do my absolute best to keep the dozen shiners alive. I use a designated bait bucket that’s about 2 gallons and keep an aerator constant on it…yet they still die…

Remember, fishing lures and bait aren’t designed or sold to catch fish…They’re designed to catch the fisherman…And I bit. They’re just hoping I don’t break off…

Bearcat89 wrote:

I will admit that there is a very few times I’ve seen the shiner out produce my rainbows and big chubs. But not very often. I always just say it’s the luck of the spot

Well I feel this depends on the lake. We have a lot of natural shiner lakes up here in Alexandria and I’d take the rainbow vs shiner bet any day of the week. If the water is stained then rainbows seem to do much better but on our clearwater lakes I will never choose a rainbow over a shiner.

Shiners also live extremely well if you treat them like a living creature… They need to have oxygen, keep them cool and not over crowded. I still have shiners from ice up.

Shiners also live extremely well if you treat them like a living creature… They need to have oxygen, keep them cool and not over crowded. I still have shiners from ice up.

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What’s the trick? Do you have a big aquarium?

How come you’re not allowed to use a cast net in MN…….bait shop lobby?

Growing up fishing the Ohio River that’s how we would catch all of our bait. Shiners are notoriously hard to keep alive, always preferred skipjack.

Bass Thumb wrote:

Shiners also live extremely well if you treat them like a living creature… They need to have oxygen, keep them cool and not over crowded. I still have shiners from ice up.

What’s the trick? Do you have a big aquarium?
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I have a little 6 pack cooler I use and ONLY shiners go in there. I change the water every 2 days. ex: got home Sunday and changed the water out. I then changed it again last night after (tue.) Hockey. Haven’t lost one in a while. Keep them cold and not over crowded is the secret touch. I also have noticed they don’t do good in a styrofoam bucket. But they really don’t so well if mixed with other minnows.