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How to Fish With Shiners

On some days, as soon as the shiner on your hook hits the water, you've snagged a fish. On others, the shiner dies waiting to fulfill its destiny of being the last meal of your next meal. Sure, shiners are a popular choice for bass fishermen because they are a natural food source for the fish. The highly reflective skin attracts attention, a properly hooked shiner also swims naturally in a somewhat panicked mode trying to escape the hook and line. There are a number of factors that influence the success of your day on the lake, many of them chalked up to "good" or "bad" luck. It all starts with the bait you choose.

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the tank in the bait store before you buy the shiners. If more than 30 percent of them are dead or close to death, the shiners in that tank won't survive the day in a bait bucket. If they are bunched up in a corner of the tank, they are probably healthy. If you can, feel the temperature of the water. If it is extremely cold, it is a common bait supplier method of delaying the inevitable deaths of sick shiners. The shiners pulled from an extremely cold tank may not survive the trip from the store to the lake. If the shiners' snouts are red, then they have been in the tank too long.
- 2
  Hook the shiner through the lower lip and up through one of the two air holes in the top of the shiner's head. Typically, a bass eats shiners head first and a hook in this location will help increase the hook set ratio or number of bass you catch versus how many get away after grabbing the bait.
- 3
  Cast in the right locations. Grass mats are the floating vegetation masses that line some lakes and shorelines. A shiner hooked in the tail will be able to swim underneath these mats to reach the areas where the large bass are nesting. Near these mats you can let the shiner do the work for you.
- 4
  Observe your bait. The shiner's reactions will tell you what is going on in the area you are currently fishing in. If it is swimming confidently in front of you, there are no bass there. If it is pulling to the left, chances are the bass are to the right and vice versa. If the shiner is jumping out of the water, the bass is likely underneath the shiner waiting for it to come back down. Stop the boat and wait for the bass to get the bait.

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