- Largemouth Bass. Perhaps the one species of fish most anglers associate with shiners are largemouth bass. ...
- Smallmouth Bass. 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.
- Striped Bass. Striped bass are the larger, more nocturnal relative of largemouth bass. ...
- Walleye. Walleye are a prime predator of shiners. In lakes where shiners school up in large shoals, walleye will often trail these shoals as they move looking to pick ...
- Catfish. Catfish love eating baitfish and shiners are certainly up there with the most desired catfish food right behind shad and bluegills.
- Yellow Perch. Yellow perch can be caught on small shiners if presented right. ...
- Crappie. Like yellow perch, crappie can be caught on small shiners if presented right. ...
- Northern Pike. Northern pike are aggressive, “toothy” fish that have a reputation for devouring anything that moves around them including other pike about their same size.
- Chain Pickerel. I can’t tell you how many chain pickerel I caught growing up ice fishing with tip-ups and golden shiners.
- Trout. Believe it or not, large trout will also eat shiners. Big brook, brown, and rainbow trout can be caught using small shiners in the 2-4 inch range.
Where/how to catch wild shiners?
Method 1 of 5: Catching with Traps Search the shallows. Concentrate on shaded areas around docks, overhanging trees, and vegetation. ... Chum the water if necessary. Lure the shiners out of dense vegetation and deeper waters. ... Bait and set your trap. Use bread or crackers to lure shiners inside. ... Collect your catch. Wait for shiners to collect inside. ...
How to rig a shiner?
How to Rig a Shiner on a Hook. 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 ...
Can you eat golden shiners?
Yes a few times and a smelt once as well. They taste best when chased with some Dr McGillicuddys. Conditions have to be just right and the bite real slow. Can you eat shiner minnows? As food. While primarily used for bait, minnows can also be eaten directly by humans. Some Native American cultures have used minnows as food.
What do you feed shiner minnows?
Types of Pond Minnows
- Fathead Minnow. A fathead minnow has an achromatic appearance of light green/grey. ...
- Mosquito Minnow. Mosquito minnows are small and have a grey tint. ...
- White Cloud Mountain Minnow. The white cloud minnow has a shiny green color with bright red fins. ...
- Spottail Shiner. ...
- Common Minnow. ...
- Creek Chub. ...
What can I 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 wild 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. They may also eat dragongly nymphs sometimes.
How do you raise wild shiners?
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. Keep a record of the size of shiners every 2 months.
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.
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.
How long will shiners live in a bucket?
How long can Minnows survive without food? Wild-caught minnows can go weeks without food if kept in a clean and properly oxygenated tank. Commercial or store-bought minnows should be fed every 3-4 days.
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 does it take to raise shiners?
The whole process takes about 6 months compared to as long as two years for shiners hatched in a wild environment. Right now, the survival rate for his indoor-hatched shiners is lower than he would like — in the range of only 5 to 12 percent. However, at times he has attained a 90 percent survival rate.
How big do shiners fish get?
Adult golden shiners may reach 1 (30.5 cm) in length and live for nine years. Golden shiners are raised primarily for bait, but they also are used as forage for largemouth bass, crappie, and in other game fish ponds.
What do bait shops feed their minnows?
Minnows kept in captivity eat algae, phytoplankton and zooplankton from their tanks or ponds. They also eat commercial fish food, including minnow food, catfish food and tropical fish food. It is a good idea to supplement commercial food with dried bloodworms or brine shrimp.
What do you feed wild minnows?
Wild minnows eat mosquitoes, dead and rotting organisms, algae, diatoms, and small crustaceans. It is common for them to eat fish eggs or smaller fish. Saltwater minnows also enjoy shrimp and brine shrimp. As minnows grow, they will eat algae and the larvae of tiny insects.
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 do you take care of shiners?
3:489:59WILD SHINERS RECEIVING AND CARE - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThey love to fish with mouth shiners. Because of ocean are more aggressive okay but at the same timeMoreThey love to fish with mouth shiners. Because of ocean are more aggressive okay but at the same time they are very fragile.
Are shiners good for a pond?
Because they are a relatively long and narrow fish with soft fin rays, they are an ideal forage fish for bass. Golden shiners are one of the two most widely cultured bait fishes (along with fathead minnows) and have been cultured in ponds for more than a half century.
Can humans eat shiners?
description. The golden shiner, or American roach (Notemigonus cryseleucas), a larger, greenish and golden minnow attaining a length of 30 cm and a weight of 0.7 kg (1.5 pounds), is both edible and valuable as bait.
Can you keep shiners in a fish tank?
Re: Keeping Shiners I have mine in a 5 gallon aquarium in my garage, about 3 or 4 dozen, just bought a $10 walmart fish tank filter and its working great. I have had them since about 2 weeks before xmas, and just keep adding a few dozen every now and then as I use them and I have only had like 2 die in the whole time.
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 are wild shiners?
Wild shiners are a prey fish for many animals including eagles, ospreys, alligators, otters, snapping turtles and of course gamefish. So it’s no secret that shiners like to spend their time around cover. They need an easy place to escape from all the predators!
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 catch shiners under your nose?
This ‘chumming’ method attracts fish from the dense cover and concentrates them into an area where you can catch them with a cast net, hook, and line or a fish trap. It works very well and you may be surprised at how many shiners live right under your nose.
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 can you catch with shiners?
What can you catch with shiners as bait? In states and waterways where it is illegal, you can catch catfish, crappie, yellow perch, largemouth bass, striped bass, walleye, and pike using shiners as bait . There are a number of ways to fish with shiners for each of these species which will be explained.
What are Shiners?
Shiners refer to a whole range of small baitfish with shiny or “silver-ish” coloration along their sides. Shiners are commonly found in large quantities in many eastern lakes and rivers. They are also stocked heavily through much of the continent as prime forage for large game fish as well as mosquito-control.
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 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.
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.
What is a healthy shiner?
A healthy shiner is a frisky shiner. Once you’re sure you have quality shiners, the next important element is your bait tank or live well. If your boat comes equipped with multiple wells, dedicate one well strictly for your bait and the other wells for your catch.
How to hook a shiner?
To extend the lifespan of your shiner, you should use an appropriate sized hook for the size of the bait and hooked them without damaging any vital organs or nerve systems. Hooking a shiner from the bottom jaw through the upper jaw coming out just in front of the nostrils will make the bait swim downward. Placing slight pressure on the line will cause the shiner’s head to turn in the direction of the tension which will give you some control as to where the bait is swimming to. This method also increases the chances of the shiner swimming back to the boat. Hooking the shiner just in front of the dorsal fin will make the bait swim on the surface and away from the boat. Hooking them just behind the dorsal fin will allow the shiner to swim in a more natural presentation but you’ll have less control as to which direction the shiner will swim to.
How to get more oxygen for shiners?
During the summer months, wild shiners require a higher oxygen level to survive so supplementing your factory installed a erators with a 12-vt bubbler will increase the amount of oxygen available to the shiners. The bait needs oxygen not water current, so just increasing the flow of water with your built-in aerator may actually do more harm than good. Another tip is to turn your aerators on before you go into the bait shop to buy your bait. This will give the water a chance to build up a surplus of oxygen before the introduction of new shiners.
What color is a golden shiner?
A healthy wild golden shiner should have a golden brown tone to the back and feel soft and slick to the touch. This slick feel is a good indication of a healthy slim coat which is the shiner’s first line of defense against disease. The shiners should also be energetic and a challenge to catch with a dip net.
Where to catch golden shiner bass?
Fishing with wild golden shiners on Lake Okeechobee or any of the Florida lakes is the most consistent way to catch trophy sized bass. One of the keys to success is to have well maintained and lively shiners. Treat your shiners well and they will reward you with a lifetime of memories. Credits:
Do wild shiners change water temperature?
There is no pun intended here, wild shiners are very sensitive to rapid changes in water temperature and may go into life threatening shock if the differences are too great. Unfortunately there are way too many opportunities where rapid changes in water temperature can occur.
Can you use a shiner for fish?
Some additives such as ‘Finer Shiner’ are great for shiners but are not to be used for fish when they are going to be consumed. Though commercial water additives can improve the survivability and friskiness of your bait it’s important to match the right additive to the right job.
What do golden shiners eat?
One thing you need to know about golden shiners is that they eat a lot of larvae, small vegetation pieces, and algae; they can even eat small minnows, and that will give you an idea about how to lure them in.
What to use for golden shiners?
The chum you should use is oatmeal, as they love the small flakes and can eat them. Entire schools of golden shiners will flock to the area, and you will be able to catch plenty of them. You can even use oatmeal by impaling some flakes on a hook. They love this chum so much that oatmeal can serve as bait, just as well.
What bait do you use to catch shiners?
Here are a few tips you can follow to maximize your chances of catching plenty of shiners without too much effort. The preferred bait is bread, so if you hook a tiny piece in your hook, you will make sure to catch something more often than not. Treble hooks work best for these small fish; this is another recommendation to bear in mind.
How to draw shiners from hiding places?
You can always draw them from their hiding places, by spreading some bread pieces in the water, away from the vegetation that constitutes their home. Even if shy, the promise of a good meal will have them emerge from the shadows and swim right into your trap.
How to store live bait?
A bucket that allows the water to flow through should serve as storage. The live bait should have enough room to breathe, so don’t hurry to crowd too many in the same bucket. In case you don’t want to use the live bait right away, a good idea would be to place the shiners in a cooler. This way, they will be kept alive until you need them.
How to find shiners?
The first thing you need to do when you are searching for shiners to catch is to see where they gather. Since they like sticking to the shadowy parts of the bodies of water they live in, they are not easy to spot. However, if you know what to look for, it is not as difficult as you might think. Those that are active can be spotted by their silvery bodies.
Where to place a shiner trap?
The first thing you need to do is to place the trap in shallow waters. This is where shiners have their usual habitat, and you will be in luck if you focus on this particular area. It is also a known thing among anglers that shiners prefer to stick close to trees and other forms of vegetation that provides enough shade, which is something they like, as it ensures protection.
