Bass Enthusiast - The Wild Shiner

Home

Tackle Box

Professional Articles

The Wild Shiner

Your Ad Here

The Wild Shiner

Hugh discusses the process which a bass angler must go through when fishing with wild shiners.

The Wild Shiner

Knowing your prey is important. It is equally important to know your bait when fishing with wild shiners. A wild shiner grew up in the wild. Hence, wild in the name. There is a difference between hatchery shiners and wild shiners. A wild shiner knows what a bass is and it knows what a bass is going to do to it.

The catching process for getting the wild shiners involves baiting up a hole and then netting the bait. Either by a cast net or a net in position. The process can be harmful to the shiner. Good care by the catcher is important. Clean nets, good bait, and clean live wells are extremely important. Sometimes the bait is chemically treated to be lethargic and sometimes not. The bait, once caught, travels from the boat to the wholesaler. Then by truck again to the tackle store. Each step involves netting. Each step is important to the angler. The angler wants and expects the best bait he can get.

the perfect shiner has been allowed to be cured. Today, the availability of bait, the increase of fuel costs, the reduction in profitability, the available help supply, and the demand for the bait have created a situation where the shiner does not have time to get through the curing process.

Curing gets all the junk out of a shiner. It becomes hardy. It also turns a light green color. All shiners are golden . They turn lighter when cured. So... golden ones are shiners that have not been cured.

When the angler goes into the tackle shop he should look at the shiner tank. If the shiners are in a huddle they are probably cured. If they are swimming around hap hazardly they are drugged. If the shiners are swimming from end to end OR they are jumping. Get some-get to the lake. The bass are doing the same thing!

The tackle shop person has to net the shiners. Next they go in the anglers livewell. This can be a detrimental process or an improvement process. Lots of air. Lots of water circulation will maintain and sometimes improve the bait. Water circulation includes the addition of new water. BAIT CARE-FRESHWATER-BAIT PROTECTOR (www.baitcare.com) is an extremely effective chemical in improving and maintaining wild shiners.

The quality of the bait has a direct relationship with the success of the angler. Better Bait equals more and bigger bass. Many times better bait makes a dramatic difference!! The angler should have every advantage possible!

Hugh Crumpler