I’ve written enough about worms to last a while, so let’s keep on the subject of live bait but switch to discussing minnows and leeches.
The smallest minnows that are normally found around here are fatheads. The smallest are sometimes labeled as “crappie minnows.” They get bigger and van be used for many species. Some fatheads are called “rosy reds,” because of their crimson coloration. Most fatheads are very dark green, almost black.
The next largest type of minnow is the shiner. The name is derived from their shiny silver color, although some shiners are gold in color. These catch bass, pike and walleyes.
Chubs are popular for larger fish. These are fish from the same family of chubs that you find smoked at delicatessens.
Suckers are the big boys of the minnow world. They show up in bait shops measuring 8 inches and up. Some suckers can weigh much more than a pound. These are the minnows that muskie fishermen drag around in the fall.
All minnows need to be kept cool and in fresh, oxygenated water. Frabill makes a complete array of minnow storage pails and buckets that are excellent. The fastest way to kill your minnows is to put too many of them in the same bucket.
Minnow pails that float in the water and allow movement of water are best. Remember, however, that these buckets sit on the top of the water. That water that the pail is floating in is still pretty warm. Your minnows can die in this type of set-up and you won’t be able to figure out what you did wrong.
The best setup is to keep your minnows in a pail that has a built-in aerator. In addition, tossing a handful of ice cubes into the water every so often is the best way to guarantee minnow survival.
I am often asked how to put a minnow on a hook. There are many ways and I am not sure which is the best. It’s a matter of personal preference.
Through both lips is the easiest and most popular way to hook minnows. The minnows have a tendency to die faster because they have a hard time breathing when they are hooked like that.
Some people push the hook through the minnow’s mouth, then out the gill, and then back into the mouth again. That’s too complicated for me.
You can hook a minnow through the tail or through the back. If you do it correctly, these techniques keep the minnows very lively. The problem is that you have to be careful not to put the hook through the spine because that kills them immediately.
If you have minnows left over at the end of a fishing outing, make sure that you throw them in a garbage can. Whatever you do, please do not put leftover minnows into the water.
Dumping minnows into a lake or a pond is one of the most potentially destructive things you can do. You may have purchased shiners or fatheads, but there is no guarantee than your bait purchase did not accidentally contain some kind of invasive species.
That’s right. I’ll bet you’ve read about Asian carp being found in local park ponds in Chicago. The dumping of minnows is probably the way these critters got there in the first place.
Leeches are my favorite live bait for a number of reasons. The best reason is they catch fish for me more consistently than minnows or worms, time and time again.
The next reason is that leeches are hardy creatures. They last a long time without much special handling. Cool temps are best, but they survive heat pretty well. All you need to do to guarantee a long life for your leeches is to change their water occasionally.
Leeches that are sold for bait are usually the “ribbon leech” variety. They do not suck your blood. Put one on your arm and it will attach itself for traction, but it does not pierce your skin. Bait leeches are totally harmless. The bloodsucking leeches are “mud leeches.” These aren’t sold for bait because fish hate the taste of them. Mud leeches put out a noxious smell underwater.
Go on! Pick up a nice, fresh, squirming leech firmly between your thumb and forefinger. Push the hook right through the sucker and go fishing. Leeches stay on the hook better than worms do. They live longer on the hook than worms or minnows do. They have a more seductive motion than worms or minnows do.
I think leeches are the absolutely perfect live bait. If you don’t use them, please give them a try. I promise they won’t hurt you, and I guarantee you’ll catch more fish.
FISHING REPORT
Northern Illinois: Dave Kranz from Dave's Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake reports: "Fox River fishing has been good for cats and smallies. Channel cats are taking stink baits just about everywhere. If there is a little rain and the current quickens a little, but not too much, smallies push to the shoreline. You can get them shallow using minnows on a hook under a slip bobber. Don't be afraid to put your minnow into water as shallow as a foot deep." Call 815-455-2040 for an updated report.
As of Tuesday, the Upper and Lower Fox River and the Fox Chain all were deemed to be open for boating by the Fox Waterway Agency. For water conditions on the Fox Chain and Fox River visit foxwaterway.state.il.us/ or call 847-587-8540.
Lake Michigan: "Fishing remains good in the Illinois waters of Lake Michigan. Lake trout, steelhead, and Coho salmon are making up the majority of the catch. The best depth has been from 140 to 180 feet of water. Cohoes and steelhead are being caught in the top 30 feet of the water column, while the lake trout are being taken deeper. Moonshine's Orange Flounder has been a very good bait."
The Lake Michigan Fishing Report is provided by Bob Rossa of Migrator Charters – 815-338-8093.
Fox Chain: Chris Taurisano of T-Bone Guide Service (tboneguideservice.com – 630-330-9090) sends word, "This year has been another great one for muskies on the Fox Chain. Patterns change weekly with the weather, but none the less, the fish are active and for the most part big and chunky. The walleye bite continues to be very hit-or-miss on these waters this year. There is no consistent bite, but some days we pull some nice fish. White bass are starting to school up a bit, but no huge numbers of bigger whites as of yet. We are approaching the warm water period and the weeds will be in full growth. Check extensive weedbeds and adjacent drop offs for good fishing."
Lake Geneva: Lowrance electronics pro, Mark O'Neill sends this report. "I had two days of on the water training sessions this past Friday and Saturday, so there is not much to report for those days as far as fishing goes, but we did manage to get out on Sunday to do some more software and hardware testing for Lowrance. Water temperatures are still struggling to get out of the lower 70's and yes, we are still behind with regards to that as compared to most typical years. We did manage to fish two different locations on the lake and caught smallmouth bass at both locations. The magic depth was again in the 28-foot range, and they were all right off the edges of the deeper emerging weeds. If you went into the weeds, you caught nothing, but if one concentrated right outside of those weeds, which is where the smallies were. We ended up with six smallies ranging from 18 to 19.5 inches. The key was to eliminate dead water and only fish locations where one can find active fish."
Wisconsin: Call Wisconsin's Lake Michigan Fishing Hotline at 414-382-7920 to hear the latest fishing information for Lake Michigan and its tributaries.
Illinois: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources offers fishing reports on a number of waterways across the state. The fishing reports for lakes, rivers and streams are updated weekly.
Users can search by body of water here: ifishillinois.org/fishing_reports/fishing_report_selector.php.
A digest that includes all locations can be found here: ifishillinois.org/fishing_reports/digest.php
NOTES
New deer permit regulations: The IDNR has announced some deer permit regulations changes.
Hunters participating in Illinois’ Youth Firearm Deer Season in October will be able to use unfilled permits from the youth season during the first weekend of the regular Firearm Deer Season in November. The three-day Youth Firearm Deer Season is conducted during the Columbus Day holiday weekend on Oct. 10, 11 and 12. It is open to youth hunters who have not reached their 16th birthday prior to the hunt. Youth who purchase the $10.50 permit for the youth season and are unsuccessful in taking a deer during the youth hunt will be able to hunt with that permit during the first segment of the regular Firearm Deer Season, which this fall is Nov. 20, 21 and 22.
“We want youth hunters to enjoy the excitement of deer season, and give them ample opportunity to bag a deer,” IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal said. “This suggestion came from hunters, and it is a great idea.”
The IDNR is also proposing elimination of the nonresident single antlerless-only over-the-counter archery deer permit beginning in 2016.
The IDNR also is considering a bag limit for archery deer hunters. A recent IDNR online survey regarding an archery deer bag limit showed broad support among those participating in the survey. More detailed questions on the bag limit idea will be included in the statewide IDNR Deer Hunter Harvest Survey in early 2016.
New catfish rules: Please take note that the IDNR has instituted new rules regarding the harvesting of flathead catfish. The Division of Fisheries is concerned about the overharvest of this large fish species. Because flathead catfish are so long-lived, overharvest damage to the population might not be noted for many years and recovery could take decades, so the Division of Fisheries is taking steps to be proactive in their management.
There are new regulations now in effect on the Fox River from the Wisconsin border through the Chain O' Lakes to the mouth at the Illinois River, including the Fox River tributaries. The regulation for this area allows harvest of one fish per day 28 inches or larger and two fish between 13 inches and less than 28 inches.
• Steve Sarley writes about the outdoors for Shaw Media. Write to him at ssarley@shawmedia.com.