# Fishing with Shiners on the OHR and LMR



## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

After seeing schools upon schools of these shiners jumping and evading predators these last few weeks, I decided to experiment recently with fishing with live shiners in both of these rivers and recently purchased a four foot, 1/4" mesh cast net to make this happen. I found they really like chum. A recipe I've been playing with is equal parts panko breadcrumbs and instant 1 minute oats, 2 hot dogs cut to very small bits, 1/2 stick of melted butter, garlic powder, salt and sugar. Mix this with just enough water for it to form into a ball and put in the fridge overnight. After chumming and catching shiners in my net, I hook the shiner on a #2 Aberdeen (down to #6 TrueTurnst to match bait size) under 2 split shot and a bobber and float/swing it down river in fishy spots. My last outing on the OHR, I managed to catch 3 smallies and one large drum within an hour. I missed a few other takers. I did the same thing on the LMR a few weeks back and got similar results (with the addition of catching catfish) until a floatilla of weekend kayak/cabrewers showed up and ruined everything.

Have you fished with shiners like this on these rivers? What was your experience? Other applications you'd suggest for this setup? Other chum recipes you like better? 

Thanks!

-GPatt


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

You're right about them being in the current. I caught them that way as well. I haven't tried the the other bait yet, but will give it a shot.


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## fisharder (Mar 18, 2005)

Shiners or shad? I have used my cast net for many years never got any shiners? I do use a glass bottle trap to catch river minnows they are a great bait.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

fisharder said:


> Shiners or shad? I have used my cast net for many years never got any shiners? I do use a glass bottle trap to catch river minnows they are a great bait.


Definitely shiners. If you have a 1/4" mesh, you will have no problem catching shiners. You won't catch them using a 3/8th mesh (which is the standard size when you buy at Walmart, Dick's or Bass Pro) unless they are larger shiners.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

montagc said:


> I catch bigger shiners at the tail end of riffles with a 3/8 cast net, right in the current. No chum needed.


I tried this method on the LMR this weekend, casting actually right into the riffle, and caught larger shiners than in the tail end of the riffle or in the eddy seam. I think the bigger shiners prefer being behind some of the larger rocks in the current. Still had decent success with the chum method and used a lot less effort than being in the stream and dealing with hang ups here and there. But the bass and catfish definitely prefer the larger shiners. Thanks for the tip!


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## 1more (Jan 10, 2015)

Please check your PM, thanks!


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

Had an awesome Saturday morning on cut shiners. The catfish and white bass were on fire. Got a few runs on live shiners that I suspect were gar hits due to how aggressive the runs were and my line breaking or being cut. Seemed like everything preferred cut bait though. I was surprised to not catch any smallmouth like I have been, but definitely love catching cats.


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## meisjedog (Oct 4, 2010)

Do shiners outfish shad? If so, why?


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

meisjedog said:


> Do shiners outfish shad? If so, why?


I don't think they do. But shiners are 10 times easier to find and catch, especially where I fish on the LMR. And the fish seem to like them a lot. I haven't been skunked yet. I started this post because I don't see anyone in SW Ohio really mention fishing with them, yet they are so abundant and probably better than using minnows in my experience.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

I rarely use live but this is one of my favorite shiner imitations for clear conditions and I like Chartreuse n white in early spring, cloudy water or nighttime. 
I like 3" for most species from wh/bss, hybrids, drum, sauger, even catfish and 1-1/2" for skipjacks.
Good luck and good fishing !


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)




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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

Those are some good looking lures. Those would definitely do the trick. Thanks for sharing!

Got on the LMR again this weekend and did the shiner thing again. Trying to perfect my shiner game by using different presentations and methods. I would say cut shiner works great for catfish. I caught a lot of catfish, lost count but north of 10 using cut shiners. No doubt a great option if you can't find any shad. I'd still prefer shad over shiners for cats, but not by much. 

I tried slow bouncing live ones down long, gravel riffles/short water and got a quite a few short strikes. Ended up catching a drum. The "short strikes" came as I was messing around with my cat rod, so no telling if I was actually tending to the rod, if I would have been able to set the hook in time. I noticed more strikes while tail hooking the shiner instead of through the upper lip. The head's-up, wounded look got a lot of attention. I didn't get a chance to use a float, but I have done that before and hooked into smallies. 

I had no problem catching 3" to 3.25" shiners. Several of them were fat and chunky too. Chumming for them was the most effective method before dropping a 1/4" mesh net on them.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

montagc said:


> How are you chumming in the current? Can you post pics of these shiners? I want to see what species they are and how your method works.


I'll take pics next time and post it. I use instant oats, salt, sugar, stick of butter, garlic powder and finely chopped hotdogs, mix it all together with some water and sit in the fridge overnight in a gallon freezer bag. I chum an eddy close to current where I see shiners jumping, let it sit for 5 minutes and throw a net on them. I'll try to remember to bring a measuring tape with me to get good measurements too. The shiners resemble garhtr's lure. They have shiny white/silver bellies, blue scales toward the top of their sides and dark top/backs. They range between .5" to 3.5" long. I keep the ones about 2.5" and bigger.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

montagc said:


> How are you chumming in the current? Can you post pics of these shiners? I want to see what species they are and how your method works.


The shiner in my hand measured 3". This is a pretty common shiner I've been catching in the LMR. Some are smaller and some are larger and chunkier. I caught smallmouth, white bass, catfish and drum using this exact bait Saturday morning. I fished it both live and cut. The bass and drum preferred live and fished weightless in short, moving water along gravel-based riffles. Swing it into a seam and bam! The smallmouth would hit it in mid-drift directly in the current. The cats eat both live and cut. Hooked into a large gar which fought hard but didn't land him.


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## PT-63 (Oct 10, 2011)

see below


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## PT-63 (Oct 10, 2011)

GENTLEMEN! inspect the shiners you catch in the OHIO or its tributaries closely PLEASE!
Juvenile ASAIN CARP are very similar to shad. The latest surveys indicate the ASAINS are gaining in population all the way upstream to West Virginia. The large "bloom" of shad this summer ,may actually be carp.


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## PT-63 (Oct 10, 2011)

Tanks MONTAG! I was @ meldahl yesterday and the shad& carp were on shore for minutes to hours! They were so thick the schools close to the edge were getting tossed up on shore when a wave broke from the blow hole!! I hand grabbed about 2 dozen while wading! yes some looked like ASAINS.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Still a ton of shiners and plenty of fish chasing em.
Size of w/bss is improving quickly, hybrids are plentiful but I'm still catching smaller fish. Skipjacks are everywhere but size is also disappointing.








Good luck and good fishing


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Another fun morning chasing those shiners.






















More small hybrids than w/bss but still a fun way to waste a morning.
Good luck and good fishing


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

garhtr said:


> Another fun morning chasing those shiners.
> More small hybrids than w/bss but still a fun way to waste a morning.


Those are some good looking fish. I wish I was as proficient as you using fly tackle. I've been catching white bass, hybrids, smallies and drum pretty regularly on the live ones. The white bass are starting to turn on quite a bit. Wish the water levels would rise some on the LMR. I find I catch more fish in the mornings with higher water.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

G-Patt said:


> would rise some on the LMR. I


Keep your eye on the discharge from E-frk lake , they are starting to dump some water a.m. and it should raise the lower lmr level in the evening 
Good luck and good fishing


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

montagc said:


> Umm, that skipjack is perfectly sized....for BAIT!!!


I caught a few that were 6"" ---- perfect hybrid and catfish food. Unfortunately large ones have eluded me, every riffle seems to have fish and hopefully some rain Sunday will bring in some larger S-jacks and fish with stripes.
Good luck and good fishing


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