# steelhead minnows



## las johnny (Sep 20, 2007)

I seen that somebody has posted using minnows for steel head. I was wondering how to rig those up. I have never used minnows for steel head. I have had no luck this year with maggots, hooked one but lost it. I have caught 5 this year with spinners. but just wondering how to rig up with minnows. 1 in the chagrin and 4 down in euclid creek. Big one for the year is 27" about 7-8lbs.any help would be helpful. Thanks


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## pymybob (May 28, 2004)

When I fish them, which is rarely, I usually use a thin wire octopus hook and hook an emerald either behind the dorsal or through the tail. They usually don't live that long, which is why I don't like using them often, but they can produce for you when nothing else does.

Good Luck!


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## BigDaddy300 (Nov 1, 2004)

Use the smallest hook that you can for the minnow size. Hook them in the tail or in the lip. Good luck!


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

saw a dude at the rocky last year using emeralds and he was the only one catching anything. he must of been fishing right above bottom, because he snagged up about 5 or 6 times and broke off each time(tells me he was using light line). after he left i got one of his snagged setups and it went like this. clip on bobber, below that about 3 feet of line, 4 very small split shot about 1 inch apart, about 2 more feet of line and what looked like to me a very small salmon egg hook. the minny was hooked right thru the back, behind the dorsal fin. like i said he was the only one catching anything and there were 4 of us fishing that hole.


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## archman (Apr 30, 2004)

Fish a #10 or smaller steelhead hook under a float. Depending on what kind of water you're fishing, I usually have a split shot about 10 inches above the hook. If they are pulling the float under but you're not hooking them, hook them in the tail. Typically, I'll hook them through the eye. I also put them on jigs, too. Minnows are pretty consistent no matter what time of year. However, I typically do my best with them in the winter time.


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## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

I like to drag the bottom with minnows like I fish my eggs.
I fish it like archman says with a split shot about 10-12" above the hook, and fish it maybe 2 feet deeper then I think that area of the river is.


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

i did real good last year in rocky river with salted and flavored minnows i preserved myself. anise worked the best


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## BigMha (Nov 24, 2005)

i've used them at daniel's park...they are larger than normal minnows and the bait shop that i purchased them from was off lakeshore down the street from the wall out in eastlake


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## SteelieHunter (May 25, 2004)

I have a question. Its always been kind of a pain in the butt to get minnows, at least for me. I dont really live around any bait shops either. Do the minnows you can get a wal-mart work? Has anyone tried them? I have tried those salmon eggs they sell but it never produced any results. I do most of my steelhead fishing with a fly, but i would like to give the old noodle rod a try again. Thank


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

I rarely use lake minnows (emerald shiners) for steelhead. Best for me are river minnows netted from the same river that I'm fishing. They are more hardy and I can get a better size selection than the lake minnows. Some days they want the extremely small ones where other days a very large minnow is the ticket. I have had days where small minnows produce in a hole, only to find that they will only hit the real big minnows at another hole on the same river, same time of day.


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## BigDaddy300 (Nov 1, 2004)

Steel Cranium said:


> I rarely use lake minnows (emerald shiners) for steelhead. Best for me are river minnows netted from the same river that I'm fishing. They are more hardy and I can get a better size selection than the lake minnows. Some days they want the extremely small ones where other days a very large minnow is the ticket. I have had days where small minnows produce in a hole, only to find that they will only hit the real big minnows at another hole on the same river, same time of day.


I concur!!! I net my own out of the river I am fishing. I net them when the river is up and have a storage tank set up in the garage.


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## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

BigDaddy300 said:


> I concur!!! I net my own out of the river I am fishing. I net them when the river is up and have a storage tank set up in the garage.


Heres a question for you.
Whats all the upkeep involved in catching and keeping your own minnows?
Do you feed them?
Do they live long?
How often do you change the water?

So for the questions, I was thinking about doing this myself seeing how hard it actually is to buy minnows, and how easy it actually is to net them.


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## snake69 (Sep 26, 2005)

I normally don't catch my own, but when I buy them (sometimes in advance of an outing) I keep them in the garage in a fridge. I drilled a hole in the side and use a simple pump for an aquarium, price is only $10 - $20. I change the water every 2-3 days and add a few drops of chlorine remover every time. I've kept them upwards of a month or two. With the water being in the 35-40 degree range, I see no reason to feed them either. Hope that helps!


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