How to Bait a Hook with a Live Minnow

• Hook a minnow through the lips by threading the hook through the bottom and then top lip. This helps it swim and breathe.
• Or, insert the hook on the minnow's back right behind its dorsal fin. This method is great for still fishing and typically keeps the minnow alive longer.
• As an alternative, hook the minnow through its tail. This works the best when you’re not using a weight or bobber.

Hooking the Minnow

Hook a minnow through its lips when trolling or when repeatedly casting and retrieving. Hooking a minnow this way lets it swim naturally when being pulled through the water. Rigs that call for lip-looked minnows include live-bait rigs such as a sliding weight or drop-shot rig, as well as with a sinker and bobber. You can also hook a minnow this way on a jig head to “sweeten” the lure. When hooking a minnow through the lips, thread the hook through first the lower, then the upper lip. Because the hook will turn point up, this will let the minnow swim upright. Hooking a minnow through the lips will prevent water from entering its mouth and exiting its gills, causing it to eventually die. Check live minnows hooked this way often and replace them when they show signs of dying.

Hook a minnow through its back when still fishing. Hooking a minnow through the back, just behind its dorsal fin, lets it swim more naturally when rigged under a sinker to keep it under the water and a bobber about 18 inches (45 cm) ahead of the minnow to keep it from going down too far. This method is also recommended for using minnows as bait on a tip-up when ice fishing. A minnow hooked through the back can survive longer than one hooked through the lips. However, if you pierce the minnow’s spine when hooking it this way, you’ll paralyze it.

Hook a minnow through its tail when fishing it without any weight or bobber. This lets the minnow swim as freely as possible when it is not pulling any weight other than that of the hook. Fishing a minnow with an unweighted line works best when casting to a specific target or when fishing for fish suspended in trees or near a boat dock. Some anglers also use the tail hook method when using a very light sinker on the line.

Tackle and Rigs For Minnow Fishing

Choose the right hook. The size of hook you use depends on how large the minnows you’re fishing are. For minnows under 3 inches (7.5 cm), a size 4 or size 6 hook works best. For minnows 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) or larger, you can go as large as a size 2, 1/0, or even 2/0.

Tie direct. Although snap swivels make it easier to change hooks and lures, they also add extra weight that can upset the minnow’s swimming action. You can, however, rig either a barrel swivel or a three-way swivel some distance ahead of the hook to fish with either a sliding sinker (using the barrel swivel as a stop) or a dipsey sinker or split shot (with the three-way swivel).

Use thinner line in clear water. Lines of 6 to 8 pound test (3 to 4 kg class) are recommended when fishing clear rivers or lakes.

Taking Care of Minnows While Fishing

Maintain a cool temperature. Minnows thrive best in cool water or water of a temperature no higher than that of the water they’re being fished in. Cooler water holds more oxygen than warmer water. Keeping your minnow bucket out of direct sunlight will keep the water cooler. If the water in the minnow bucket is in danger of getting too warm, you can add ice in small amounts. Too much ice at once, however, will cool the water too rapidly and will send the minnows into shock, eventually killing them. If the temperature of the water in which you’re fishing sharply differs from that of the minnow bucket, temper the bucket water by gradually adding outside water to the bucket. Although some minnow buckets are designed to be immersed in the water you’re fishing, doing so before tempering the water gradually will shock and kill the minnows.

Keep the water clean. Just as with caring for fish in an aquarium, you need to filter and change the water in your minnow bucket when keeping minnows in it for a long period of time. If your minnow bucket water comes from a city tap, add a few drops of de-chlorinating solution to take out any chlorine present in the water. If the bucket water turns cloudy, change it immediately to remove the ammonia built up from the fishes’ waste excretions.

Consider an aerator. Portable aerators add oxygen to the water in the minnow bucket, which can help keep your minnows alive longer. Aerators typically run on batteries, but some may include adapters to connect them to a 12-volt battery. Some aerators let you adjust the level of oxygen they deliver to the water. Generally, you want to maintain an output of tiny bubbles, which carry more oxygen, and don’t push the fish around the way larger bubbles might. Choose an aerator that runs as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing you when you’re fishing.

Don’t overcrowd your minnows. Too many baitfish in too small a bucket leads to increased competition for the available oxygen in the water and increases the amount of waste ammonia. A 1-gallon (3.79 l) minnow bucket can handle up to 6 dozen 3/4 to 1 inch (19.1 to to 25 mm) fathead minnows, 4 to 5 dozen 2 to 3 1/2 inch (50 to 88.9 mm) shiner minnows, and 1 to 1 1/2 dozen chubs of 3 1/2 inches (88.9 mm) or larger. For very large baitfish, such as 10 to 18-inch (25 to 45.72 cm) suckers, a 5-gallon (18.93 l) bucket is recommended.