anyone use rod n reel to catch shiners for bassin'?

[Guest avid]

No doubt the best bass bait there is.

I wonder, if there is a reliable way to catch a few for bait without having to throw a cast net.  Two shoulder surgeries and one elbow surgery kinda rule that out.

[roadwarrior]

We use Sabiki Rigs to catch skipjack for bait:

http://www.squidjig.com/fishinggear/sabiki_jigs.htm

Maybe BIG Florida shiners will strike the tiny jigs, but "regular" shiners will not.

What you probably need is a bait trap:

http://www.catchnbait.com/bait-fish-trap-tips.htm

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Avid, you can catch shiners using wax worms and a size 12 or 14 hook. We did it many, many times when I was younger.

Find a good concentration of them and throw your bait out w/ a little splitshot or under a bobber.  Not very technical, but it is effective.

I am sure the traps RW mentioned above would work, but I think it will probably be more fun for you catching them on your own.  

Good luck

Wayne

[Tin]

Avid, you can catch shiners using wax worms and a size 12 or 14 hook. We did it many, many times when I was younger.

X2

[RoLo]

You might try this, Don:

1) Tote the following gear to your boat:

> 4-lb Ultra-Light Spinning Outfit rigged with a size-12 Hook (bring your bass tackle too)

> Tiny Floats

> Quaker Oats Oatmeal

> Wal-Mart Pancake Mix in a small plastic container (1G more protein than Hungry Jack Pancake Mix)

2) Select about four baiting sites by focusing only on weedy flats in 1 to 3 ft of water (ideally, where you've seen baitfish cruising).

3) By hand, evenly distribute about 1-cup of Quaker Oats Oatmeal to each bait site. Then stake each site or memorize its exact location.

The chum will usually attract chubs, dace, shiners and other minnows.

4) Fish for bass for a couple of hours, then return to the bait sites one-by-one like a paper route.

5) Even if you were pitching a cast net, you'd still be better off beginning with rod-and-reel to find out if shiners have in fact moved in.

At 65, I'm not willing to waste too many empty pitches with an 8-ft cast net!

Set the tiny float above the hook about 2/3 the water depth. Bait the hook with a 1/8" dough ball made from pancake mix (bread balls are OK).

Any golden shiner or redfin chub over 4" long is bass-worthy bait, but of course 5 to 7" wild shiners are best 8-)

Roger

[CFFF 1.5]

RoLo has hit is almost right on the head, except I use your typical Hog Feed. Go to your local feed store and pick up the cheapest hog feed they sell. A 50lb bag shouldn't cost more than $10.00. I picked one up the other day for $9.00. I go to the spot a couple times a week and throw about 4 or 5 Handfuls out. I will also fill a zip lock bag with hog feed and tie some braid to the bag and cut some small holes in the bag and just throw it in the water this will attract the shiners. You can use a 12 hook and a little piece of bread and catch a good deal of shiners. I actually did this last Sunday and caught about a half dozen shiners in about 10 minutes. I didn't have my cast net or I'm sure I could have had at least 2 dozen shiners in about 3 throws.

[Guest avid]

Wow.

great ideas guys,,,,thanks.

any more out there?

Keep em coming......

[JayW]

I used to just go out on the dock and use a very small hook and bread balls. It usually worked great!

I'm sure the chum idea helps out a bunch, but they were always around the dock where I fished and I never really needed it.

[FD.]

Put your rod and reel in the boat.

Put you bait bucket in the boat.

Stop at the bait shop.

Put your bait bucket down near the live bait.

Pay the man at the counter.

Shiners magically appear in your bait bucket!

[roadwarrior]

Put your rod and reel in the boat.

Put you bait bucket in the boat.

Stop at the bait shop.

Put your bait bucket down near the live bait.

Pay the man at the counter.

Shiners magically appear in your bait bucket!

DUDE!

8-)

[Guest avid]

Put your rod and reel in the boat.

Put you bait bucket in the boat.

Stop at the bait shop.

Put your bait bucket down near the live bait.

Pay the man at the counter.

Shiners magically appear in your bait bucket!

DUDE!

8-)

Wimps!!!  

[bassinforlife]

You could use a minnow trap made out of wire and when they come, it is shaped so they can't get out. Fill it with pieces of bread and then throw it in the water until looks like there is alot of them in there. Dump them out and repeat until you have enough.

[Bassn Blvd]

Almost every Florida canal, pond and lake have shiners.  I use my cast net most of the time but hook and line are easy.   Rolo explained a good way but all I do is

1. Take a loaf of regular white bread.

2. Pull a slice or two out and submerge them in a bucket of water.

3. Bread is now nice and soggy, smack the slices against the water near grass or canal edges.  I usually focus on 1-5 ft of water.

4. This will attract many blue gill, bream, talapia and shiners.  The shiners will usually be underneath the bream, bluegill and if you have on good quality sunglasses you will be able to see them flash.

5.  use #4-6 mono and a hair hook.  You can use a SMALL float if you want too and even a small splitshot to help get the bait below the bream.

6. use a small piece of bread ball and fish where you chummed.

I will often chum 50 -100 feet of shoreline until I locate the bait.  If you find a nice pond or canal, chum on a regular basis and the shiners will begin to hang out in that area on a regular basis and you won't have to hunt them.

You can also mix a little bit of flour and water to a paste.  This makes good bait balls and stays on the hook pretty good too.

I've caught many shiners doing this.  Don't forget that bream make an awesome bass bait as well as shiners.

[Bassn Blvd]

In addition to oatmeal, you can take a 8 or 12 ounce can of cheap cat/dog food. ( not the hard crunchy king but the wet nasty stuff).   poke holes in the side of the can and submerge it along the bank where bait is likely to hide.  This will most definately attract the shiners.  Cat food has been used for decades and is a very common way to attract shiners amongst shiner fisherman who do it for a living.

Just make sure you retrieve the cans afterwards and don't leave them in the canal.  Tie rope to them is an easy way to retrieve them.

[X-Rap]

I just find any little creek and get some size 14 hooks with a tiny peice of worm hooked on.  Find a nice hole and let the worm drift through.  you'll get em every time  

[surfer]

Awesome info guys.  I have been using the bread ball and bread chum technique.  Sometimes I cast net um sometimes I hook um.

[.dsaavedra.]

caught this 9" shiner while fishing a creame colored chunk of a plastic worm on a size 12 hook on UL tackle (messing around with the bluegills on the shoreline at the park)

[.dsaavedra.]

i developed my own secret recepie to make some dough for bluegills and shiners at the park. they demolished it. what i did was i took an empty butter tub and put in some flour (add enough flour to make enough for how much you wanna use) then i added a good deal of garlic powder to it and mix it up real nice. then (here comes the secret) add enough vegetable oil to make it into a nice dough consistency. use vegetable oil because it will prevent the dough from going all soggy on you and falling off the hook. oil is water resistant so it keeps its shape and stays on the hook!

have fun with it and let us know how it goes.

[.dsaavedra.]

oh and if you do chum, dont over chum, cuz they they wont want to take your bait, they will just eat the chum.

i catch shiners and bluegill all the time at my local park so i have some good experience at it

[Guest avid]

Thanks Chum  

[Micro]

We use Sabiki Rigs to catch skipjack for bait:

http://www.squidjig.com/fishinggear/sabiki_jigs.htm

Maybe BIG Florida shiners will strike the tiny jigs, but "regular" shiners will not.

What you probably need is a bait trap:

http://www.catchnbait.com/bait-fish-trap-tips.htm

Sabiki rigs are great for catching herring for striper bait, too.  

[Bassn Blvd]

I use Sabiki's to catch most all my saltwater bait but never tried for shiners.