Using a live minnow as a jig trailer.

[aceman387]

Anybody ever try this ? I use the smaller bitsy bug jigs and I have rigged up some with everything from small finesse worms to the z man zero worms cut in half and the idea popped in my head to try tipping one with a live minnow. My favorite way to fish jigs is to toss them out and very slowly crawl them back on the bottom.I never fish with live bait like minnows so they might fall off in two seconds for all I know...LoL. We're dealing with fluctuating water temps and the typical crawl trailer has been starting to work but this live minnow trailer idea got me thinking. 

[Ski]

My thoughts are the minnow will go in one direction and your jig in another unless you are flipping docks or something.

Just my two cents, Chris

[iabass8]

Yeah, for walleye

[Ski]

 

19 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

Yeah, for walleye

Big difference in jigs and targeted species.

R/ Chris

[iabass8]

16 minutes ago, Ski said:

 

Big difference in jigs and targeted species.

R/ Chris

No, you crazy gurl

[Team9nine]

Jig and minnow will catch about everything that swims, including walleye, of which it is a staple spring presentation. If you upsize your minnow enough (use larger "bass" minnows or shiners, no reason why you couldn't put it on a Bitsy Bug, though that is a bit unconventional. We throw them (minnows) all the time though on lighter hair jigs, and bass will certainly hit them.

-T9

[Dwight Hottle]

I have used a  jig & a minnow for walleye for ever up in Canada. Very good presentation in cold water. I have used hair jigs tipped with a minnow for smallmouth bass as well. It works great in the spring. I caught a 6-14 smallie on one a few years back. 

 

[OkobojiEagle]

Jig & live bait is to fishing as trapping is to hunting... each to his own.

 

oe

[Kevin22]

There was a 2 week run in july about 5 or 6 years ago where someone stumbled on that pattern. I didn't believe it until I saw it work. 3/16 finesse jigs (silver/black) with a large fathead on it. We were catching walleye, smaliles, and largemouth. You won't be able to do a full cast, if that makes sense.. You have to lob them, a spinning rod would be best, otherwise your minnow will look like a deep fly into center field. We were just pitching them into current seams. 

[kcdinkerz]

I do that for crappie. Even those tiny hooks the minnows can come off easily. Not sure how good a bass jig would hold it

[clh121787]

Best jig trailer I've ever seen is a fresh bluegill fillet. If it's legal it's legal. 

[WRB]

Several have noted a jig-live minnow is standard rigging for walleyes in Canada, usually a banana head plain jig in various colors. The hook is carefully inserted into the minnow mouth, out the gill opening and then run through the minnows back near the dorsal fin. Cast and retrieved as you would any jig, workers for all predator species.

Tom

[scaleface]

Ive used jig and dead shad . they were hard to keep on . Didnt catch a bass on it but nailed two nice channel cats .

[blckshirt98]

I find this akin to live bait fishing for bass, so it's cheating!

[IndianaFinesse]

2 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

I find this akin to live bait fishing for bass, so it's cheating!

Many people actually find that using live bait makes it harder to catch bass, mostly because it makes it nearly impossible to cover water.  Another thing is, bass often are feeding on something that can't be bought at a bait store, like invertebrates and bluegill.  And if the water is muddy, a live minnow sitting under a float just doesn't stimulate enough of the basses senses for them to find it, a spinnerbait would be much better in that situation.   

[buzzed bait]

On 4/6/2016 at 11:12 AM, OkobojiEagle said:

Jig & live bait is to fishing as trapping is to hunting... each to his own.

say what?  how do you arrive at that comparison?  let's not confuse the OP too much here with that cynical remark....

jig + live bait still equals fishing.  trapping does not equal hunting.  how about limb lining is to fishing what trapping is to hunting, maybe that's a fair comparison.  one requires your presence, the other does not.

i believe it's "to each his own" 

[Dwight Hottle]

On 4/7/2016 at 2:24 PM, blckshirt98 said:

I find this akin to live bait fishing for bass, so it's cheating!

 

On 4/6/2016 at 11:12 AM, OkobojiEagle said:

Jig & live bait is to fishing as trapping is to hunting... each to his own.

 

oe

I don't get the negative comments about using a jig & minnow for bass. It's just another way to skin the proverbial cat. It is not cheating & it is certainly not akin to trapping. I don't look down my nose at someone trying to catch fish as long as it is legal. 

[blckshirt98]

If I were catching for food/survival I'd use live bait in a heartbeat, but I'm just looking at it from the "sport" perspective which I can agree can get condescending at times.  I'm looking at from the point of view as what is/isn't allowed in tournament fishing.  Live bait isn't allowed in pretty much every bass tournament I've ever heard of, so I look at it similar to say if someone were to use a seine net or bowfish for bedding bass or use a longline rig with 10 hooks danging from the surface.

[Dwight Hottle]

Your response is condescending to me. I don't tournament fish so tournament rules mean nothing to me nor do tournament rules define the definition of sporting behavior. I have no agenda against tournament fisherman. I do believe the sport of fishing encompasses more non tournament fisherman than tournament fisherman so the view point of tournament rules defining  what is sporting applies only to their members.   My apology to the OP for going off topic.

 

[Bluebasser86]

I use to fish a minnow on a jig spinner early in the year and caught a ton of bass doing it. It catches about everything that swims and fishing it on a light spinning rod allowed for a soft lob cast to avoid casting off the bait. 

[buzzed bait]

On 4/9/2016 at 11:55 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

My apology to the OP for going off topic.

i don't think you're far off topic Dwight...  if the OP gets those remarks that he's unsporting or whatever else it will likely deter him from using another way of catching fish.  if everyone went by tournament rules, they'd all fish tournaments i presume (i do not fish tournaments either).  i like to troll some baits behind the kayak from spot to spot, toss an umbrella rig, fish live bait, etc. all of which are not permissible in a tournament, but certainly satisfying to me when i catch one!  a great many of us got into this sport via live bait, odd how so many look down on it as they get "further into" the sport!

to the OP, i say give it a shot, see if it works for you and if you like it.  don't feel ashamed or embarrassed to post up a new PB on this method either!!  i know i'd be one proud S.O.B. to post up the PB largemouth that @Dwight Hottle (over 11lb) or @Ski (over 14lb) caught on live bait!!!

[avidone1]

On ‎4‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 4:37 PM, IndianaFinesse said:

Many people actually find that using live bait makes it harder to catch bass, mostly because it makes it nearly impossible to cover water.  Another thing is, bass often are feeding on something that can't be bought at a bait store, like invertebrates and bluegill.  And if the water is muddy, a live minnow sitting under a float just doesn't stimulate enough of the basses senses for them to find it, a spinnerbait would be much better in that situation.   

Sorry but that sounds like a justification to me.

Unless the bass are really active, fishing shiners, or other live bait will always out produce artificials.

 

[Fishes in trees]

The primary reason I don't use live bait in my boat is that I don't want to deal with the mess that would inevitably happen if you put me and live bait together.   I'd space out and leave the minnows in the bait well that then the water would evaporate and minnow stink would happen, and so forth.   More problem than it is worth to me.    I have friends who fish northern waters in the summertime (Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, southern Canada).  They tell me that a jig & minnow is a pretty common presentation - basically you're fishing for walleye and bass at the same time.   If you think about it - a Lindy live bait rig is very similar to a Carolina rig.    I think fish how you want to fish.   

[bowhunter63]

I use them in the fall some times for Smallies.In the summer tip a jig with a little crawler.When its really tough meat makes a difference.

[Master Bait'r]

Minnows and small baitfish/juvie panfish are TOTALLY fair game.  Gotta get a little minnow catching jig and pull that fresh hatch-matching forage tho, don't bother with the tackle store.  If I can't catch it in that water I won't use it there.  It's just my opinion but I feel it's the best way IMHO.