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 (Hog Feed)
- Old Bread, biscuits or crackers
- Oatmeal
- Even cereal!
How to keep shiners live?
Shiner's
- You can not keep too many in a small bucket - spread em out, keep multiple buckets
- Keep the water cool - do NOT put ice directly in the water, put a frozen water bottle or a ziploc of ice in the water, they will be ...
- Change the water often, and then re-cool the water
How to raise wild shiners?
Method 3 Method 3 of 5: Catching with a Cast Net
- Pick a spot to cast. Keep clear of dense vegetation or any objects that may snag or otherwise interfere with your net.
- Cast your net. Throw it so that it spreads out on its own before it lands on the water. ...
- Close the net. Allow the weights to sink in the water for a few seconds, then pull the rope tight to close the net.
- Land your shiners. ...
Can you eat golden shiners?
Walleye, catfish, bullheads, pike, chain pickerel, bass, striped bass, yellow perch, crappie, and trout will readily eat shiners if they are present. As such, shiners are an excellent live or dead bait option if legal in your state or local waterway.
What do I feed shiner minnows?
Freshwater fishing: Cold has slowed bass bite, but specks are still hot around Polk County
- Around Lakeland, at Tenoroc, bass fishing was best on lakes Derby, Lost Lake West, Tern, A, C and F. ...
- At Auburndale, lakes Ariana and Juliana are producing plenty of 3- to 4-pound bass. ...
- At Winter Haven, specks are holding in 12 to 18 feet of water around the south chain and lakes Eloise and Howard are producing good numbers. ...
What to feed shiners to keep them alive?
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.
What do shiners eat?
Golden shiners eat plankton (small algae and animals that float in the water column) and very small crustaceans. They eat by sucking in plankton or small crustaceans one at a time.
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.
Do you feed shiners?
Growth of golden shiners in indoor tanks is relatively slow, and if fry are reared indoors, they must be fed an expensive combination of live foods and microparticulate feed. As golden shiners grow, some of the fish in a pond may be harvested at intervals over time. The remaining fish will grow larger.
What can you feed minnows at home?
Pet minnows are known to eat frozen shrimp, blood worms, bread crumbs, plants, brine shrimp, and vegetables. They like to eat food that dips into the tank rather than food that floats on top.
How long do shiners live for?
Common shiners live for about 4-6 years.
How do you raise shiners at home?
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.
How long do shiners live in a fish tank?
Final Thoughts. Minnows live up to six years in the wild, and you can recreate their environment in your home. They are great fish for bait or pets. If you keep the minnows' water cool and clean, give them enough space, and don't overfeed them, you'll be able to have tamed tank minnows for several years.
Can you feed minnows oatmeal?
What to feed minnows to keep them alive? Commercial fish food is an easy and inexpensive option to feed minnows. Any tropical fish flake dried blood worms, or even oats will work.
What do you feed wild minnows?
What Minnows Eat in the Wild. In the wild, a fresh water minnow's diet is made of small bugs. So, if you want to feed your minnows what they eat in their natural habitat, you will probably be looking to feed them insects, such as mosquitoes and flies, as well as algae and pieces of dead plant and animal matter.
How long do shiners live in a pond?
When stocking, buy shiners which are 2-3 years old or 4-6" in length. 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.
What fish eat shiners?
Just about anything that swims eats shiners. Walleye, catfish, bullheads, pike, chain pickerel, bass, striped bass, yellow perch, crappie, and trout will readily eat shiners if they are present. As such, shiners are an excellent live or dead bait option if legal in your state or local waterway. In this article, I will present as much information as ...
What hook do you use for shiners?
There are a number of ways to rigging a shiner on a hook. I would strongly recommend a standard bait hook or octopus hook when fishing with shiners for most species. For catfish, though, go with a circle hook. For 3-inch shiners, a 1 to 4/0 hook is ideal. For shiners in the 8-10” range, go with a 5/0 or 6/0 hook.
How big of a shiner to use as walleye bait?
A great size range of shiner for use as walleye bait is between 3-5 inches. Walleye usually won’t mess with any bait much larger than 5 inches.
What fish are good for striped bass?
Striped bass are often hybridized with white bass to produce what is referred to as “wipers”. To fish for striped bass or wipers with shiners, any sized shiner will do but for truly large stripers, go with golden shiners greater than 6 inches. 4. Walleye. Walleye are a prime predator of shiners.
How big do shiners get?
Feeding on insect larvae and zooplankton, shiners are commonly less than 3 inches in length with some golden shiners reaching up to 10 inches in length. Because of their small size, abundance, and protein-content, shiners are a key food source for many gamefish.
How to hook a shiner?
For shiners in the 8-10” range, go with a 5/0 or 6/0 hook. There are 3 ways to hook the shiner. Through just the lower lip for the healthiest baitfish but most challenging to cast with. You could hook through both the top and bottom lip which is better for casting but a little worse for the health of the baitfish.
Do smallmouth bass eat shiners?
Smallmouth bass will also readily consume shiners. Since they have a much smaller mouth than largemouth bass, focus on shiners under 4 inches in length. Smallmouth bass frequent many of the same habitat-types as largemouth (under docks, weed lines, submerged timber) but to really have some exciting smallmouth fishing, drop shiners near rocks and underwater boulders. Bass will be here chasing baitfish and crayfish between the rocks.
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.
What is the golden shiner?
The golden shiner is among the most abundant species of fish in North America. It has become a food source for large freshwater game fish and for commercial farms. Due to its easily identified vibrant scales, this minnow is used by anglers to lure large fish into striking their lines. Golden shiners can be raised with little effort as they thrive ...
Can golden shiners be collected from a pond?
Do not collect golden shiners from a local stream or pond. The shiners could carry diseases and transport the disease to your pond. Thomas Ganio began writing in 2006 for the "Northern Virginia Daily," a community newspaper in Richmond, Va.
Do golden shiners care for their offspring?
Golden shiners are not caretakers of their offspring and within a few days after hatching, the fry start competing for food with adults. Warnings. Large game fish in the pond can significantly reduce the numbers of golden shiners. Do not collect golden shiners from a local stream or pond.
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 keep shiners alive?
Keep them aerated! This is the most important part of keeping your shiners alive. Use a battery-powered aerator, a water circulator, or a livewell pump to keep rich oxygen in the water. Keep them fed! If your only planning on keeping your shiners alive for 24 hours or less, don’t worry about feeding them.
How to catch shiners in a trap?
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. Break it up into a few big chunks. You can also chum the surrounding area to attract more fish.
What is a golden shiner?
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. They can be very expensive, but make no mistake about it ...
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.
How big do shiners get?
They inhabit freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, ditches, and streams. Wild shiners can grow up to 12 inches in length and females lay between 100,000-200,000 eggs per spawn. Due to their size, shiny color, and natural scent they are a fantastic choice when it comes to live bait!
How much does it cost to catch wild shiners?
How To Catch Wild Shiners For Bait (Step By Step) Wild shiners can cost as much as $50 per dozen! Ouch! Well, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg at the bait shop to fish with wild shiners. In fact, chances are your favorite lake, pond or river has a population of shiners ready to be caught!
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 ...
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 is the feed form for a fry?
Fry are fed a finely ground commercial feed (meal) for the first month or so, then the feed form is switched to a crumbled extruded pellet, then to an extruded floating pellet. The feed pellets are too big to fit within the mouth of a golden shiner.
