Central FL: Catching Shiners

[TyTy 0]

I have read some articles on catching them, I can throw a cast net very well, I have tried oatmeal baiting for them but am not attracting any.  

Do any of ya'll actually catch your own or does everyone just buy them?  

So far I have only tried throwing the oatmeal out, havent tried leaving a bait can for them and coming back later.

So far I have tried in shallow/weedy shore areas...thoughts?

I am headed to the Stick Marsh on Sat and wanted to try it there if possible.  I figure after the wind picks up its going to be hard to troll in and out of the wood so I was going to try anchoring up and drifting shiners down wind if I can catch them.

Maybe I should just break down and buy some.  Always seems like when I buy live bait though a lot goes to waste...hate to spend $50 bucks on shiners and not catch anything and end up tossing them out or giving them away.

[Under the Radar 23]

TyTy, are you sure there are shiners where you're baiting them?

Dumb ? but had to ask. I've had some fair amount of luck using purina game fish chow.  It comes on 50# bags so storage might be a problem. I will soak some of it in a medium plastic bowl for about 5 minutes or until it absorbs most of the water in the bowl. throw a few pellets out and see if they sink. If so then I'll throw a lot more out and wait. come back in 30 minutes and throw some more out but dry this time. Usually you can see some activity at or near the surface. You'll know they are there and cast away. Try to bait up a few spots.

Good luck

[Bassin_Fin@tic 5]

I've also heard of using rice.

[TyTy 0]

TyTy, are you sure there are shiners where you're baiting them?

Dumb ? but had to ask. I've had some fair amount of luck using purina game fish chow. It comes on 50# bags so storage might be a problem. I will soak some of it in a medium plastic bowl for about 5 minutes or until it absorbs most of the water in the bowl. throw a few pellets out and see if they sink. If so then I'll throw a lot more out and wait. come back in 30 minutes and throw some more out but dry this time. Usually you can see some activity at or near the surface. You'll know they are there and cast away. Try to bait up a few spots.

Good luck

No Im not sure if they are where I am baiting.  Do you stick to small ponds and canals and stuff or are you able to catch them on the main parts of lakes, edges, etc?  

Where do you that Purina Game Fish Food?  Never heard of it.  I have used oatmeal but I bought some cat food because I read to mix it.  I think this weekend Im giong to try baiting up an area and leaving a container or something full of cat food and oatmeal staked at the spot and come back later.  

Maybe that is it, Im not baiting and giving it enough time.

When you say come back later do you mean like the next day or a few hours?

[CFFF 1.5 5]

Okay, here is the way to bait a shiner hole.

You need a lake preferably a tannic dark lake with a shallow muddy bottom flat. Preferably 1.5 to 2.5ft. Get yourself some Hog Feed Pellets. Get a gallon or quart size freezer bag and fill it about 3/4 of the way to the top. Get some 20lb fishing line and tie it to the ziplock. Go to the lake/river. Poke about 20 holes in the bag and toss it in the water until the bag sinks. Tie the 20lb line to a nearby tree or whatever you can find. Toss some extra hog feed in a 20 foot radius around the area. Wait about 12 hours and come back. Slowly and quietly creep up on your shiner hole. Throw some more hog feed out and wait about 5 minutes. You should be able to see the shiners eating the hog feed on the surface. Now all you have to do is throw the cast net.

A 50lb bag of hog feed should only cost about $12. I used to do this all the time. I was able to get close to 3 dozen shiners in one cast net throw. Hope this helps you and anyone else out. Hog feed seems to work the best. Make sure the hog feed is oozing out of the ziplock bag.

[SoFl-native 1]

oh you might want to reconsider the Marsh on Saturday. Wind is gonna be bad.

[Al Wolbach 224]

When I was fishing Lake Okeechobee a few years ago my boat was searched by a county sherrif and a Florida wildlife officer at the boat ramp after I got it out of the water. I was not breaking any laws so I didn't mind and I don't remember what reason they gave me for the search, however we did talk for an hour or so.

They told me it was against the law to have a cast net and fishing rods in the boat. Either one but not both. I was probably whining about the cost of shiners that started the conversation to catching shiners. I'm not sure that the law is still on the books but you may want to make sure if you are planning to carry rods and net together. As I remember the fine was pretty steep.........................Al

[CFFF 1.5 5]

I have read that is still the law, however I don't know how strictly they enforce the law. I remember being stopped at the ramp in my jon boat with my cast net and fishing poles and bucket for shiners and the only thing the office asked me was if I had my life jackets.

[TyTy 0]

oh you might want to reconsider the Marsh on Saturday. Wind is gonna be bad.

I have been debating that.  I cant go for 2 or 3 weeks after this so Im kinda forcing the trip I guess.  Darn it.  My thought was to stay out of the thick wood and anchor and fish shiners.

Another thing that I did last time I was there that worked well was instead of trying to troll through the wood when the wind picked up I would just troll to a new spot and kind of wedge the boat in between two stumps and then just fish 360 degrees around the boat.

[TyTy 0]

Okay, here is the way to bait a shiner hole.

You need a lake preferably a tannic dark lake with a shallow muddy bottom flat. Preferably 1.5 to 2.5ft. Get yourself some Hog Feed Pellets. Get a gallon or quart size freezer bag and fill it about 3/4 of the way to the top. Get some 20lb fishing line and tie it to the ziplock. Go to the lake/river. Poke about 20 holes in the bag and toss it in the water until the bag sinks. Tie the 20lb line to a nearby tree or whatever you can find. Toss some extra hog feed in a 20 foot radius around the area. Wait about 12 hours and come back. Slowly and quietly creep up on your shiner hole. Throw some more hog feed out and wait about 5 minutes. You should be able to see the shiners eating the hog feed on the surface. Now all you have to do is throw the cast net.

A 50lb bag of hog feed should only cost about $12. I used to do this all the time. I was able to get close to 3 dozen shiners in one cast net throw. Hope this helps you and anyone else out. Hog feed seems to work the best. Make sure the hog feed is oozing out of the ziplock bag.

12 hours huh?  That stinks.  That basically makes it impossible to do in the same day...guess that is why most people just buy them.  Would be perfect if you lived on a lake...just bait them up by the dock and net them before you go out.

I also did not know about that law.  I dont want to break the law even if they dont enforce it much so I guess I will take the net out of the boat.  I am googling it now but I cant find anything.  I guess I could try the small hook/cane pole shiner catching tecnique but seems like that would take a LOOOONG time to get enough to really use.

[CFFF 1.5 5]

YOu can wait longer than 12 hours. YOu can bait at 6pm on a Thursday and thrown the net at 6pm or really any time on Friday.