help, my minnow floats

[Ghoti_Hook]

I went to Utah Lake on Friday afternoon to try and get some cats. Anyway, I got some packaged shad and tried "fly lining" it with no weight but as I reeled in to check my bait for the first time I noticed the shad had not sunk at all but was floating. What gives, how can I get em to sink?

Stayed for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours with no bites on shad or shrimp. I was at Lindon Harbor and tried both inside and outside the harbor. I remain skunked for channel cats but hopefully that will change soon =)
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[fsh4fun05]

Keep em in the bag, or feed them to the seagulls, go get some minnows out of the freezer at sportsmans warehouse. They are much fresher and they sink with no weight.
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[Ghoti_Hook]

thanks, I'll be sure to go get some freshies from Sportsman's before my next cat outing. What type do you recommend or is there only one kind they sell from the freezer? Do you fish em frozen?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sounds like an air bladder problem. Take a needle or sharp point of a knife and poke the stomach area of the minnow to deflate the little air sac. While you're at it, poke a few more holes in the side of the minnow, to release more flavor into the water. For larger minnows you can cut them in half. You can see the inflated air sac to pop it, and fishing half a minnow is sometimes even better than a whole one. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I always drop a freshly hooked minnow into the water in front of me to check for sinking. If it floats, I do the above recommended procedure. It usually works.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The other thing you can do is pinch on a small BB shot about 6" to 8" ahead of the minnow. That will usually be enough to sink it, without creating much extra problem with snagging or with drag on the line if a fish picks up the bait. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Actually, it is often a good thing to have the bait float up off the bottom a few inches. A lot of us rig them with corkies just to get that floating effect. That uses a sliding sinker, behind a small swivel, and a floating corkie between the swivel and the hook. Again, use 8" to a foot of leader, depending on how high off the bottom you want your bait.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I get my own chub minnows, but chubs or redfin shiners (sold at Sportsmans) both work. So do anchovies, pieces of mackerel, shrimp and crawlers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I partially thaw the frozen minnows from my freezer the night before going fishing. I put them back in the refrigerator just when they start to soften. By the time you get to the lake, they will be cold and firm, but unfrozen. Some minnows get very soft after freezing and need to be hooked and casted carefully to avoid ripping them off the hook.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you really get into fishing minnows, you need to get minnow traps or a cast net and find your own private spots to harvest minnows. I keep several boxes of frozen minnows in my freezer, sorted by size. Having a wife that fishes with me, and likes to catch and use the minnows too, makes it easier to get freezer space.[/#0000ff]
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[RiverRat77]

I was going to ask you about this Pat..... I took Kasey out on Sunday and procured some bait for Tuesday.... I used a little size 12 Eagle Claw hook and the chubs were all over it but I had the hardest time hooking any of them.... it was fun though. Was my hook just too big?? I got some from three inches all the way up to about six inches. Will it work to cut that big minnow in half when we go? I also filleted out two decent sized carp that Kasey caught so I've got a bag of carp chunks (cut into longer triangles) for Tuesday as well. I'm excited to go but I keep having these stupid attacks of conscience that I really shouldn't be missing work and then going to play/coach in my softball game later that night.... [cool] I know, that takes me down the fisherman ladder from the diehard level.... [] But I'm still going.... I just need to figure out with you where we're going to meet.... I'll email you. Oh, and I was dog tired when I got home Sunday night so I'll have to work with the digital and get you and Leaky some pictures of the day out and about.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hooks not too big. Maybe too much bait. Only takes a tiny piece. I use tiny jigheads with about size 14 hooks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All sizes of minnows work. I have been catching some of my bigger cats on whole minnows up to 6" long. But, there have been times when most fish come on half minnows or even smaller chunks. Sometimes they prefer the heads. Other times it tails. (flip a coin).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you have conscience...get it surgically removed. If you have scruples, get vaccinated. No place for that stuff. If there's fishin' to be done you gotta have your priorities straight.[/#0000ff]
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