Almost any grainy, doughy, or bread-like food can work to attract shiners, such as:
- Dog food or cat food
- Corn meal
- Chicken feed
- Livestock grain
- Old Bread, biscuits or crackers
- Oatmeal
- Even cereal!
Can you use a shiner fish as bass bait?
The shiner fish works wonders on bass of all types so wherever there’s a bass habitat, that’s where we recommend using your shiner as bait. Bass – largemouth and smallmouth – can be found in waters of many different depths.
What do you feed a shiner fish?
Keep a record of the amount of commercial food you feed the shiners. Feed your golden shiners a commercial fish food that contains small worms such as fly larvae or mealworms. Leave your shiners undisturbed and allow them to spawn.
What is the best dog food for shiners?
Almost any grainy, doughy, or bread-like food can work to attract shiners, such as: 1 Dog food or cat food 2 Corn meal 3 Chicken feed 4 Livestock grain 5 Old Bread, biscuits or crackers 6 Oatmeal 7 Even cereal! More ...
What is the best way to catch shiners?
Fish Trap – The fish trap method of catching shiners works great if you have access to a lake, pond, or dock to leave a trap overnight. Numerous fish traps can be purchased online. Simply bait the trap and place it in the same area as you would normally catch shiners. Try baiting the trap with a durable dough like bait such as a bagel.
How do you keep shiners alive?
0:442:51How to make your own holding tank for wild shiners. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt's just the galvanized bucket with some sulfur material in it that filter material typically comesMoreIt's just the galvanized bucket with some sulfur material in it that filter material typically comes in a roll. Just cut it to fit and put it in the bucket the water from the pond pump.
Will shiners eat fish flakes?
They will eat, but very little goes a long way. I feed them goldfish food crushed to a fine powder, and I feed them the day befoere I plan on changing the water.
What do you feed bait fish?
Fishing with live bait takes all the guesswork out of trying to mimic natural food in the water. Often the most prolific live bait to fish with is minnows or some other type of baitfish. Few anglers use minnows or baitfish because most live bait containers fall short when it comes to keeping them alive.
What plants do shiners eat?
Some of the common organisms seen in this fish's diet are filamentous algae and other higher plant organisms including detritus. More adult shiners will begin to feed on aquatic insects, both the larvae and the adult form, such as the mayfly, and microcrustaceans.
What to feed bait minnows to keep them alive?
Whether you are keeping minnows as pets or need to keep them alive for baiting, minnows like eating fish flakes from the pet store. The best fish flakes are the varieties intended for goldfish and tropical fish. To ensure your minnows consume them, mix them with brine shrimp flakes.
Can you keep shiners in a fish tank?
THey should keep for a while. dont feed them and keep the th water airrated and change it out or add fresh every few days. as for keeping them cold not a big deal as long as the water is at room temp or below. THink about the bait shops, most just have them in un refrigerated tanks right in the shop.
What can I feed live bait?
The biggest challenge to keeping live baits in captivity is getting them to eat. Both formulas contain krill, shrimp, squid, fish, and fish oil which are highly preferred by almost all baits in any body of water.
How do I keep bait fish alive?
"The solution to keeping bait healthy during hot weather is to circulate oxygen and keep baitwell water cooler than the lake." Duckworth suggests freezing water inside a two-liter soft-drink bottle and placing it in the baitwell. Adding crushed ice to the tank is an option.
Why are my bait fish dying?
Even in a system with adequate oxygen, water flow, and temperature, poor water quality can have a devastating effect on baitfish. In longer-term home storage tanks, ammonia, a by-product of fish waste, is a common cause of baitfish mortality when it reaches toxic levels.
Do shiners eat goldfish food?
Algae, goldfish, and some flies and beetles are excellent sources of nourishment for the shiners. Place the shiners into the tank. Make sure that the water is at room temperature when you place the shiners in the tank. A temperature shock may cause the shiners to die.
Will shiners breed in a pond?
In ponds that draw down, golden shiners can spawn once and have lots of eggs each spring when water is highest.
How long can shiners live?
Common shiners live for about 4-6 years.
Will shiners eat fish food?
Juvenile and adult golden shiners feed primarily on zooplankton and aquatic insects, while the newly hatched fry (baby fish) are omnivorous. Golden shiners readily accept commercial fish feeds, and catfish feed is a close match to their dietary requirements.
What do Florida shiners eat?
The diet of the blackmouth shiner primarily consists of a variety of algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton, rotifers, and small crustaceans (Bortone, 1993).
How long do shiners live in a pond?
These are your "golden cows" and will often live to 7-9 years of age. Both golden shiners and fathead minnows should be stocked by May 1st in northern ponds, earlier in the South.
How big do shiners get?
between 4 and 6 inchesThe common shiner (Luxilus cornutus) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, found in North America. It ranges in length between 4 and 6 inches, although they can reach lengths of up to 8 inches.
What are Shiners (Basic Overview)
A shiner is a common name given to small fish and minnows in North American that are typically a silvery fish. When most people talk about shiners they are referring to a golden shiner, common shiner, and various other types of minnows.
How to Fish with Shiners
This method is perfect for fishing the top half of the water column. This technique is best when the boat is anchored and you are fishing shallow structure or when fishing from shore. You can use a standard bobber held in between two bobber stoppers.
Live Shiners vs. Dead Shiners
If you have a choice to either use live shiners or dead ones always choose live shiners. You can certainly still catch fish with dead shiners as long as they are rigged properly. But live shiners simply cannot be beat. Nothing is like the real thing. You’ll get way more bites and catch a lot more fish.
How to Get Shiners
Anglers using shiners for bait will either head to their local tackle shop and pick some up before their fishing trip or catch them on their own (where permitted). Most states will actually allow the use of shiner as bait as long as they come from the same body of water or water-system as you’ll be fishing.
Best Live Bait for Freshwater Fishing
Shiners and minnows are not just the only effective way to fish live bait. There are plenty other options when your targeted species are keying in on something different.
Shiners FAQ
Can you catch bass with shiners? Using shiners as bait can be an excellent way to catch bass. Bass are opportunistic predators that love to feed on shiners, shad, bluegill, other minnows and crayfish. Using shiners to catch bass are especially effective where shiners are the natural forage.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are targeting trophy bass, big walleye or small panifish and trout using shiners as bait can be a great way to catch a variety of species.
How to attract shiners?
Once you find an area that looks promising, prepare the area by chumming it up with an inexpensive attractant. Almost any grainy, doughy, or bread-like food can work to attract shiners, such as:
What do golden shiners eat?
Golden shiners are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant life (filter-feeding) and small invertebrates such as fish and insects. This makes them particularly easy to ‘chum’ out into the open.
What is the Difference Between Wild Shiners and Domestic Shiners?
Wild shiners , otherwise known as the Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) is a native baitfish in the minnow family that naturally occurs throughout the United States. These wild shiners are often caught by commercial fisherman and re-sold to bait shops as a premium baitfish for anglers.
How long does it take for a shiner to come out of the cover?
Once you chum the first area, go to the next one and chum it up. Do this a few times, and by the time your finished chumming it should be about 20-30 minutes to go back to the first area and start catching! This will give the shiners in the area to come out of the cover and feed in and around your attractant.
What bait to use for big bass?
Now go catch some wild shiners! Nice bass caught on wild shiner. Ask almost any bass fisherman and they will tell you nothing beats a large wild shiner as the best live bait to target big bass. But they are also a great bait for catching big catfish, walleye, muskie, pike, and stripers.
What is a domestic shiner?
Domestic shiners are farmed or pen-raised fish that are bred in mass production quantities and then shipped to bait shops all over the United States. Don’t get me wrong, domestic shiners can absolutely catch bass!
How to make a chum float in water?
You want the attractant to be the consistency of play-dough. To do this, simply add a bit of water and mix it together. Use your hands to mash it all up! This will make for a dense ball that will sink to the bottom. Otherwise, your chum will sit on the surface and simply float or drift away with the wind and current.
What fish are shiners?
Other species of shiner fish include the flagfin shiner and the shiner perch. Once you have your collection of shiner for bait, it’s time to know how exactly to rig your line to best suit shiner fishing.
What bait do you use for a day of fishing?
The shiner is a favorite of mine and many anglers alike as it’s truly one of the most common baits people use when heading out on the water for a day of fun fishing. Like the worm is to the backyard pond, the shiner is to the rivers. Though they might not be one of the most flamboyant and intricate baits available, they will get the job done and draw in quite a bit of attention. They may even net you quite the load after a day of using shiners.
Where is Shiner Fishing Most Successful?
Bass – largemouth and smallmouth – can be found in waters of many different depths. Some larger species of bass will be found in the depths of some of the largest rivers while smaller species will be located around docks and coast lines.
What is the most common shiner fish?
One of the most common shiners is the Eastern Shiner. These can be found quite easily while fishing in North America and provide quite the snack for different species of Bass. Another common type of shiner is the golden shiner. These small bait fish fit the description of a shiner species almost perfectly.
Why are shiners silver?
This is likely due to the scales being of a reflective material and color. Typically, shiners are a silver color though golden shiners work well to bring in the fish. As they are bait fish, the shiner is usually a smaller species of fish that is native to the area you’re fishing. Each species of fish that is classified as a shiner is typically ...
How to draw bass with shiner?
Trolling is a fantastic way to draw the attention of any bass in the region with a shiner. The best part of live bait is that you don’t have to do much work to make it look appealing for local game fish. Simply hook it, drop it in, and let it go. The bass will see the shiner and the activity and be drawn in for a delicious snack. Fishing with a shiner is simple and fun, just like fishing should be.
What hook to use for a shiner?
If you’re targeting larger fish and using bigger shiners, you might want to consider a circle hook. These hooks will hold the shiner and snag the prey much easier.
What baits are good for freshwater fishing?
If you’ve been fishing for any period of time, it’s not long before you hear and realize that shiners are one of the best baits you can use in all of freshwater fishing.
What hooks should I use for shiners?
I highly recommend either circle hooks or Kahle hooks when fishing with shiners (or any large-sized live bait.)
What hooks do you use to reel a fish?
By using circle hooks or Kahle hooks you simply start reeling and apply tension when the fish starts taking out line.
Where to put a shiner hook?
With the point of your hook, insert it into the open mouth of the shiner in the fleshy part between the upper lip and the brain. The hook should come out the top or roof of the mouth and point outward.
Can you cast shiners out and reel them back?
Let your shiners sit! Each time you cast it out, and reel it back in puts stress on the fish, and eventually can kill it.
Where do you get the meat part of a bass?
It’s important you get the ‘meat’ part of the upper mouth, not just the lips. The lips of a shiner are very fragile. You will cast off the shiner or bass will simply rip it off the hook if you only hook through the lips.
Is a shiner cheap?
Shiners are not cheap! In fact, they are pretty darn expensive…especially if they are wild shiners. I catch all my own shiners and you can too!
How to feed golden shiners?
Feed your golden shiners a commercial fish food that contains small worms such as fly larvae or mealworms. Leave your shiners undisturbed and allow them to spawn. Keep a record of the size of shiners every 2 months. Scoop up shiners with 6-foot nylon net. Measure the length of the shiner from head to tail.
How to keep golden shiners healthy?
Golden shiners are a resilient species of fish but are easily susceptible to diseases and parasites. Invest in chemicals to fight disease and monitor your shiners for illness. A bubble aerator will circulate water in a pond and keep entire sections cool . Water that is too warm can make shiners susceptible to illness.
How many golden shiners can you have in a 1 acre pond?
A 1-acre pond would support up to 5,000 golden shiners and allow for spawning. Remove predator game fish such as bass, crappie, catfish or other aggressive fish. Place a bubble aerator in the pond to help supply oxygen. Keep the pond at a constant 70 to 80 degrees to maximize egg laying.
What is the best cover for golden shiners?
Scatter larger rocks and natural cover throughout the pond to enable shiners to hide from predators. Natural cover can be driftwood, large rocks and aquatic plants that occur in the natural habitat of the golden shiner.
How to make a shiner pond?
Add clean gravel to the pond. Create future spawning beds for the shiners by walking several feet into the pond and s cattering clean gravel into the water. Use gravel no more than 1-inch in diameter. Smooth the gravel to create an even base on the bottom of the pond.
What is a golden shiner fish?
Golden shiners are a resilient species of fish but are easily susceptible to diseases and parasites. Invest in chemicals to fight disease and monitor your shiners for illness.
Where do golden shiners spawn?
Make sure to place plenty of plants in your pond. Golden shiners will hide and spawn among the thick vegetation and grassy areas.
What can you add to water to keep minnows slime?
Another thing that you can do is add commercial additives to the water. While this step is completely optional and not needed, for some anglers, it makes a big difference in lowering the mortality rate. There are many different products that you can add to the water. A few examples include chemicals that remove chlorine from tap water, conditioner, antifungal, and antibacterial agents, electrolyte boosts, and stress-reducing mixes that increase the minnows slime coat.
What to do if minnows die on you?
1. Obtain Your Minnows At The Right Time. The very first thing you want to do is to make sure that you purchase or catch your minnows at the right time.
Why do minnows float?
The most common issue we see that causes floaters is stress. If you can eliminate that, you can usually eliminate death altogether. Most individuals are fragile and need to be adequately taken care of to prevent losing any in the future. There are some things that you can do that will specifically help you keep fishing minnows alive when you are using live options. Take time to review and study what your specific species needs for good care. Follow these steps regardless of the species. They will work on all baitfish universally across the board regardless.
How many minnows can you keep in a gallon of water?
Depending on how cool you keep the water, you can store anywhere from one dozen all the way up to ten dozen per gallon of water. This is a general rule of thumb and is not an exact Science.
Can you put fish in a plastic bag?
If you lack a proper container, they usually give you a plastic baggy instead. While they usually do pump oxygen inside the bag with a plastic tube before they give it to you, keeping any fish inside of a plastic bag is a bad idea, even for the short term. First of all, plastic bags are sealed.
Do baitfish work better fresh or fresh?
The fresher you can get it, the more lively they are. They will work much better. The longer you have to keep them, the more likely you are of running into some kind of mishap, usually, one caused by you. This generally applies to all baitfish species too.
What is a Golden Shiner?
The golden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas is the most common baitfish sold in the United States. It is also stocked as a supplemental forage fish in sportfish ponds.
Where do golden shiners come from?
Today, the majority of golden shiners produced come from hatcheries. Mats with eggs are brought into an indoor hatchery and placed into tanks, where water temperature, dissolved oxygen and other environmental parameters can be controlled. Once the eggs hatch, the fry are transported in water within plastic bags that are filled with oxygen.
How many eggs do golden shiners lay?
A pound of golden shiners may produce over one-half million eggs in a season. Golden shiners are broadcast spawners; they lay adhesive eggs on submersed vegetation, or in culture ponds, on mats of latex-coated coconut fiber. The small eggs (~1-mm diameter) hatch in three to five days, depending on water temperature.
How big do golden shiners get?
The typical adult size rarely exceeds six inches, although larger fish have been reported. Juvenile and adult golden shiners feed primarily on zooplankton ...
What is the most difficult aspect of baitfish farming?
Marketing is the most difficult aspect of baitfish farming. Baitfish are a perishable product, and fish of appropriate sizes and numbers must be supplied to bait shops as needed, to meet angler demand and desires. The weather has an enormous influence on the demand for fish – a stormy weekend will curtail sales.
How long does it take for Golden Shiner eggs to hatch?
The small eggs (~1-mm diameter) hatch in three to five days, depending on water temperature. Golden shiner culture methods have changed over time as a result of on-farm innovation and university research.
How many fry per acre?
Fry are stocked into nursery ponds, often at rates of one to two million fry per acre, and raised to juvenile size. After four to twelve weeks, the juveniles are transferred to grow-out ponds at lower densities.
What bait do you use for fishing?
One of the best fishing baits to use is live minnows, as fish are drawn to the movement of live bait. However, they can be a little more difficult to use, as minnows need to be kept alive long enough to be used as bait and this requires some know-how. Before you get to the lake on your next fishing trip, stock up on the equipment ...
Where to store bait container?
Store the container in a dark, cool spot. For example, you can store your bait container in a closet or a basement. Minnows are delicate and thrive better in cooler water. The water will warm up too quickly if you keep the cooler in a bright area.
How to get minnows to adjust to water temperature?
Put the closed plastic bag containing the minnows into your bait bucket. You do not want to simply dump them into your container immediately. Instead, allow enough time for the minnows to adjust to the temperature of the water in your bait bucket.
How to get minnows to stay alive?
Prepare the container for the minnow. Fill your container with distilled water or water from a lake or creek right before you buy the minnows or quickly after you do. The water should be cold, as the fish need a cool temperature to stay alive.
Why do minnows need hydrogen peroxide?
The hydrogen peroxide assists in the formation of oxygen in the water, replacing oxygen that is used up by the fish. You can also add more distilled water as necessary to refresh the minnows' water. Adding hydrogen peroxide to water is a controversial idea.
How to get minnows to adjust to water?
1. Add some of your water to the water the minnows are held in. Gently pour some of the lake, creek, or distilled water you are using into the plastic bag the min nows came in. This will give them the ability to adjust to the water, and its temperature, gradually. ...
Where to put minnows?
Get a container to put the minnow in. Many people keep minnows in a foam camping cool er or some other disposable, insulated container. However, there are containers that you can buy that are made specifically to keep minnow in.
