# Save Your Shiners!!!



## eyeangler1 (May 21, 2004)

Hey guys & gals~
I'm reading on the site about how difficult it is right now to find emerald shiners. 
It seems that this happens most every year about this time. I have been experimenting for the last 4 seasons with live shiners vs. frozen shiners. I have also heard that some guys use pickling (not iodized) salt to freeze the shiners. Personally, I don't like getting salt all over my boat (it's bad enough on the family car in winter!) so I use an alternative. At the end of your perchin' trip save your leftover shiners (provided you can find them in the first place). When you get home drain the water off of them and spread them on a piece of screen. Let them drain and dry for about an hour. Then place them in a ziplock sandwich bag (I put 6 dozen per bag). Add lotsa *dry* "old fashioned" oatmeal (use the house brand). Fill the bag with air and shake it good so all the shiners are mixed in with the oatmeal. This helps draw extra water out of the shiners. Leave them in the bag overnite in the fridge then next morning deflate and press out all extra air. Freeze and grab a bag or two the next time you go out. 
I used to question the dead minnow as bait theory. However, after 4 seasons I have found that using the dead, frozen minnows has little or no effect on the number of perch caught. I generally let my fishin' partners buy the minnows on the way to the ramp. Some use the live ones and some of us use the frozen ones. It makes no difference to the perch, from what I can see.
*Oh yeah, keep the "used oatmeal"*. Dry it out on newspaper (it's only slightly damp) to use again to freeze more shiners. Or... maybe you could cook, add milk and tartar sauce and serve for breakfast YUCCCCCKKKK!!!! (Only kidding 'bout the tartar sauce...HA!)
One more thing... you can get shiners in the spring in the local rivers or at the bait shop (they're generally cheaper then) and freeze for fall fishin'.
Hope these tips help ya.
Good luck and see ya on the water!


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## twistertail (Apr 10, 2004)

Great tip, thanks. Have you ever used the preserved shiners you can buy at the store? I got some at Wal Mart on clerance a few years ago, it says great lakes emerald shiners on the bag. Its in a yellow ziplock type bag and there are probably 2 dozen or so in a bag. I have never used them for perch but use them for crappie and do pretty good. They are a little expensive but the last few years I have been buying them in Feb. on clerance for about a quater a bag.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I found that the fish seem to prefer salted minnows but I like your Idea with the oatmeal. You can also use borax. I'm going to try the oatmeal and salt as well as oatmeal and borax plus salt. Thanks for the information.


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## mousejam515 (Jun 3, 2004)

isnt borax a chemical used in bug killer and soap? it cant be good to be feeding it to fish and putting it in the lake.

just a thought

j


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## beatsworkin (Apr 12, 2004)

The borax will not hurt as much as the fillet knife will!! I would think that the tiny amount left over on each shiner would not pose a problem with the sheer volume of water in Lake Erie. Not any more than curing them in salt!


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## eyeangler1 (May 21, 2004)

Guys & Gals~
I never tried the bagged storebought shiners. If you have them already, give 'em a try. You won't be out anything and you just might find another way to get those hard to find shiners.
I'm not sure mixing the borax, salt and oatmeal together will be an advantage to just the oatmeal. I use the oatmeal to get away from the corrosive effects of salt on my boat and tackle. I know that salmon eggs that are cut from the belly are often packed in borax for later use by many salmon/steelhead anglers. As for the borax pollution issue... I'm clueless!


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## jrsfish (May 21, 2004)

For the last five years I have been catching emerald shiners in the rocky river late in the fall. I dry them on newspaper and put them in a food dehydrater for 45 minutes. Then I vacumn pack them and put them in the freezer. My fishing buddies buy live minnows when we go out,and they laugh when they see my dried minnows. They look all shrunk up till you put them in the water,within seconds they swell up and catch all the perch you want,and when youre done you can put them back in the freezer and use them again.Ive triedm all different techinques over the years and this works the best for me. I havent bought a minnow in years, and my freezers full of perch.Give it a try youll be surprized.


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## eyeangler1 (May 21, 2004)

JRSFISH~
Great idea. Only problem is... I don't have a food dehydrator (sp?). But, if a person has one, it's definitely the way to go!
Thanks for the tip.
Guess I'll have the wife look for one at a garage sale... or on sale!


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## Budman (Aug 21, 2004)

I was told by one of the older guys that the fall shiner availability depends largely on two factors. First, and most obvious, demand. Second, whether there is a night moon for the shiner netters. He told us that if there's no moon the night before, forget about live ones. I don't know if that holds up all the time, but he sure seemed to know what he was doing judging by his results.

-Bud


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## steelhead1 (May 14, 2004)

I have had just as good luck with fathead minnows when shinners are not to be found.

I like the ideas on salted minnows.


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## bttmline (Apr 7, 2004)

hey guys
i have never done it but while around the lake i have seen a contraption made out of 3'' pvc that has a place for a lantern in the middle and a net suspended underneath 
the guy using it around docks and such told me the emeralds jump toward the light and end up in the net , don't know if he pulling my leg but why would he.


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## The One (Jun 9, 2007)

Borax keeps them becoming freezer burn't. I do this with my salmon eggs.


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

i just salted my 500 minnies last sunday using pickling salt. the trick is to get them as dry as possible first,then salt them and freeze. i used newspaper ,but i like the screen too but didn't have any on hand. i tried the oatmeal and it does leave a big mess in the boat while using the minnows. oatmeal everywhere! i prefer the salt.


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## Double J (Jan 7, 2009)

On nights with a full moon shiners are hard to catch if not impossible.Reason being it makes the lanterns ineffective to draw the shiners to the nets,so plan on frozen emeralds during periods surrounding the full moon.I catch my own shiners in the spring and never buy bait,limited the boat with perch 99% of the time last year out of conneaut.I add nothing to my shiners.Get them home alive, strain them until dry,to the freezer bag and flash freeze.Freezing immediately is the key imo.when using only thaw what you can use within 1 hour or they will get soft.Mine thaw quick and i only thaw one pint size bag at a time.Caught all the perch I wanted last year.These will easily outperform goldies and fatheads.Hope this helps.good fishing,Jeff.


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## Spaniel235 (Jun 19, 2005)

I'll put in a plug for Gary Zart............I got some pro-cure brine from him. My dad and I got some shiners from near a boat ramp. The stuff worked wonders prior to freezing them. Plus it gives some scent..........


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## pastordon (Jul 21, 2008)

I was frustrated not being able to get shiners last fall several times at the marinas. Had to use goldies not working very well! I also bought some brine off of Gary and am excited to use it for a back up when no shiners are to be found. Jeff I need to go out with you and net some. It was good to read your post and I look forward to fishing with you this spring. Don


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## wanderin_eyes (Jan 14, 2009)

If you don't have a food dehydrator or even if you do theres a better wau to dry them. Get 2 filters that you use for your AC unit and after drying the minnows off lay them on one and place the other on top and strap them together and place them in front of a box fax and attach to it the air blows through the filters. The fan drys them with out the heat like food dehydrators use. It works with meat as well. I learned this little trick watching "Good Eats"


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## Lou K (Aug 30, 2007)

Not sure what all the fuss is about drying, salting, boraxing, etc. Just take the minnows, get them fairly dry before rinsing by straining them in a bucket with holes in it, then transfer to styrafoam cole slaw (single serving size) containers with a plastic lid and freeze. Don't leave much air/water in the container and when you take them out to go perching, take the lid off and put them in a 3 lb butter dish container with lake or river water to thaw. When you get to your spot and the minnows are separated, take them and begin fishing and put a few on a rag or towel and the sun will dry them enough as to where they won't tear off. Keep the bait as natural as possible without adding the preservatives. We froze 5 gallon 4 years ago and still have some left, caught enough for 1/2 a year this past weekend. Keep it simple. Good luck and yes, it does save a lot of money and you don't have to worry about the "minnow shortage".


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## Classic25 (Oct 16, 2008)

Gonna try the oatmeal way this year. (with tabasco)


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