Minnow is a small fish that is used as live bait when catching predatory fish species. Naturally, it is not an object of serious fishing because of its small size. Therefore, many anglers practice catching minnow only for the purpose of using it as live bait.
Despite this, you can meet anglers who go fishing only for minnow. Some anglers prefer to catch this small fish in order to enjoy the fishing process itself. This is exactly the case when fishing is part of an active holiday, but not an integral part of the profit.
Briefly about minnow
This fish grows in length no more than 20 cm and weighs no more than 100 g. This fish has practically no scales, which is why it got its name from the word “naked”. Inhabits almost all water bodies of Russia, preferring fast-flowing rivers and cold water. It is very important for her that the water is constantly saturated with oxygen. In addition to the river minnow, you can also find a lake variety of this fish. They differ from each other in color: the river minnow is more of a silvery hue, and the lake minnow is more of a golden color on the sides with a transition to a dark back. The lake minnow has a reddish tint to its fins.
When, where and how to catch
This little fish is caught at any time of the year. For this, various baits, both animal and vegetable, are used. As mentioned above, the minnow is interesting as a live bait for catching fish such as pike, perch, chub, burbot, as well as large trout.
As for the “little thing”, it is not at all difficult to catch it, since it is constantly at the surface of the water, gathered in flocks. They peck at any bait that will be put on the hook. As for larger individuals, you will have to work hard here. A large minnow hides in various thickets or underwater obstacles, such as driftwood. Therefore, the task of the angler is to lure large individuals out of their hiding places. This is not so easy to do, as the minnow is afraid of noise and immediately hides at the slightest danger. Therefore, castings are carried out very carefully and without extraneous movements. It is desirable that the angler remain invisible. A minnow can bite on such bait as bloodworms, maggots, worms, dough, ordinary bread, flies, grasshoppers, etc.
There is another, more effective way to catch minnow, and not only. If live bait is required, this can be arranged quickly and without much effort. To do this, you need to take a bucket and make as many holes in it as possible so that it sinks quickly and is just as quickly freed from water. A crust of bread is laid on the bottom of the bucket, and the bucket is lowered into the water, to a depth of no more than 1 meter. After a while, various “trifles” will gather in the bucket, including the minnow. Somewhere in an hour and a half, you can safely check your tackle. There may be several individuals in the bucket, the size of which will correspond to the size of the live bait. In winter, minnow can only be caught at the beginning of winter, when serious frosts have not yet set in.
Despite its size, minnow is very tasty, both fried and dried. It is enough to try it once, and there will be a great desire to catch this fish.