Stickleback minnows for bait?

Trying to trap minnows for bait and getting at least 10 sticklebacks for every regular minnow. Always been told they arent good for fishing bait but have never tried using them. They sure are active little wriggly minnows, am wondering if I should just use them? Crappie fishing right now.

Wives' tale. They're very good bait.

try em.seem like they'd be tough on the roof of your mouth.

Give them to your fishing partner and keep the chubs for yourself. IMO, nothing will eat a stickleback except mergansers.

I believe this too

I've used sticklebacks for pike, seemed to work good, but maybe the pike were hungry??

Snot rockets will eat ANYTHING! I believe MNMAN even caught one on a rock if I remember correctly.

We used sticklebacks for crappie bait all the time .... That's what was in the water and that's what they wanted .... They are a very tough minnow and multiple fish can be caught with one minnow ...

I have found a huge difference using them ice fishing compared to bait minnors. Perch seemed to not bite at all on them.

That is correct.


I have not used the sticklebacks much since I always thought they were inferior. My experience has more or less convinced me anyway. I have, however, heard of others having good luck with them. I won't use them if I think there is even a one percent chance that the fish down there won't eat it unless they are the last minnows left in the bucket. They might work great for you...only one way to find out.

Big yellow perch are not afraid to gobble up sticklebacks.

I have caught lots of Walleye on them. You can usually reuse the same one over and over, they really stay on the hook.

I have used sticklebacks. I don't think they are as good as dace, fathead minnows, chubs, shiners, small sunfish or stone rollers.

Keith

I don't know if we have them here. But I've been fooling with my trap catching chubs. Could one build a small cage and leave in the creek to store them until you went fishing? What's the best thing to bait traps or feed caught chubs?

For those of you using them for pike, how big are your sticklebacks?
The ones in the cricks around here top out at a measly 1 -1/2" long only.

I too have caught crappies with them. I always left them for last in the bucket but after the fatheads and other smooth minnows are gone they catch fish too.

I think if you read the rule book in Minnesota you will find that Sticklebacks can not be used for bait. Why I do not know.

Maybe your F&G department is afraid sticklebacks will spread to new lakes, if used as bait.

Here in AK, you can't use ANY minnows for bait. F&G is very concerned about keeping keeping our rivers and lakes pristine. This is good and bad.

About ten years ago, F&G found out someone had stocked perch (a non-indigenous species) in a land-locked, otherwise fishless lake on the Kenai Peninsul. People were enjoying catching and eating the perch. But F&G poisoned the lake to kill every last fish.

Jim

A large part of the diet of sticklebacks can be Purple loosestrife seeds and the seeds are spread to new water bodies

If you want an easy way to store your minnows. Get a 5 gallon pail . bore a whole bunch of holes in it . Smaller than what your minnows are. Don't put holes in the last several inches at the bottom or in the bottom, this leaves some water in the pail while you are dippin.. put the lid on securely. Tether it to a dock or limb with the top just above water. They will keep a few days, this way. old243