Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

It is very important to understand a few simple pointers when you go to purchase your crappie minnow bait fish at your local bait shop or at any bait shop. Many times we do not have time to catch our own bait fish for our fishing trips so we go to our local bait shop to purchase some. In most case this works out just fine. Unfortunately there are so many bait fish that make great live fishing bait presentations that you cannot purchase in at at bait dealer, but for the basic bait fish types or worms bait shops work fine.

One thing you may not know, bait shops do not adhere to any set standards on naming the bait fish they sell many times they list their baits as they are called by the local fisherman in the area. For example they may be selling rosy red minnows but they advertise them as tuffies which in truth they are not. Rosy red minnows are actually a type of commercially raised fathead minnow used for crappie fishing that is sold throughout the United States and Canada to bait dealers. My point here is you need to be able to identify what type of bait fish you are wishing to purchase. It does make a difference depending on what type of gamefish you are targeting.

You also need to inspect the bait fish the bait shops have in their bait tanks to make sure they are healthy. Here’s a few tips to help with your inspection:

Number – 1

Look in the dealers bait tank to see if the bait fish are swimming in tight formation at the bottom of the tank. This is a clear sign of healthy bait fish.

Number – 2

Have the dealer pull a few bait fish up with a bait net so you can inspect them. If any of these fish have a red noses or missing scales, or have white fungus on their bodies, DO NOT BUY these fish are are sick and they probably have infected or weakened the rest of the bait fish in the tank. These fish will be dead before you can ever use them on the water. Go to another bait shop if you can.

Number – 3

If any of the fish pulled out to inspect are discolored or darker then the others do not buy these fish are probably sick also and have probably infected the other fish in the tank. Don’t get the the dis colored fish confused with breeding males. Breeding males will be darker then the other fish but will have tubercles on the top of their head. These fish are healthy but really not a preferred bait either over the lighter females.

Number – 4

As mentioned in tip number 3 breeding males do not work as well as live bait as do the lighter females so if you could have the bait dealer separate the dark males from the lighter females and purchase only the lighter females you will have better fishing luck.

You also need to keep your bait fish lively while you are transporting them and also while you are fishing heres a few tips to keep them lively:

Number – 1

We suggest you purchase at minimum a battery powered aerator they work on the same principle as aerators that you see on in door tropical fish tanks. You can purchase them at any department store that sells fishing supplies or you can purchase them on line at bass pro shop or cabala’s. As soon as you transfer the bait fish you have purchased install the aerator and turn it on. you will be surprised how many fish you can loose if you don’t do this little simple step.

Number – 2

Normally bait shops keep their water temperature in their tanks much cooler then the outside temperature. To make sure the water temperature in your bait bucket does not go up rapidly, drop a few ice cubes in every few minutes. this will keep the water cool for the duration of your fishing trip and save you some money.

We hope the information in this article about bait tanks. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip

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It has been estimated that live bait accounts for about 75% of all walleyes that are caught on a hook. One of the favorite foods that walleye like to eat on a regular basis is the ribbon leech And ribbon leeches make an excellent live bait. Amazingly few fishermen use leeches when they are walleye fishing. Probably the biggest reason is the bad reputation that they have as being thought of as blood suckers. Actually the leeches used as live bait to catch walleye or any other gamefish are not blood suckers at all.

The popular leeches such as the ribbon and tiger Leech feed on small worms and other aquatic organisms, but they do not bore through the skin of live animals to suck blood. Actually when leeches get on your skin they are using their powerful suction cup on their tail to hang on. The Leech that gave all leeches a bad rap as a live bait is the medicine leech and it was used to suck blood from humans many years ago.

If you are going to fish with leeches as your live bait selection for walleye it is probably best to use them in late spring or summer because leeches do no work well if the water temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaches tend to curl up around your hook if the water is to cold. You need your leech to be as lively as possible and swim as natural as possible to entice any nearby walleye. Just remember leaches work better if the water temperature is above 50 degrees.

One of the best ways to fish leaches as a live bait presentation for walleye is by using a slip sinker rig with a plain short shank or circle hook or a floater size number 8 through number 2. The best leaches to use are the ribbon and tiger leech about 2 to 2 1/2″ in length. The best way to hook leaches is through the tail, through the tough skin on the back of the leaches neck head area, and through the middle of the leech.

I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about live bait. Have a great day!

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