How to Hook a Minnow For Walleye When Ice Fishing
First, if you take a look at my image below I’m using a 6 lb. test line and a size 1 red hook. You’ll always want to use a very thin wire hook. A thick hook will pierce a bigger hole in the minnow and not keep him as lively, he’ll die a lot quicker. He’ll stay alive a lot longer, move around a lot more freely, and look a lot more lively with a thin hook. This is true regardless of whether or not you’re ice fishing.
Next, in my opinion the best concept of hooking a minnow for walleye when ice fishing is to hook right through the nostril. You want the minnow’s mouth to be open so water can go through it’s mouth and through it’s gills. If you hook it through the top and the bottom of the mouth, then it can’t open it’s mouth and it won’t live as long because water’s not going through it’s gills at the same rate.
But basically you want that hook tip to be facing towards the back of the fish so that way when the walleye comes from behind and grabs it, it’s more likely to be hooked than if the hook shank were pointed the opposite way. This will keep the minnow upright real well and swimming for a very long time, sometimes for more than 12 hours.
Tip: Fish the minnow 1-2′ off the bottom on 6 lb mono or flurocarbon line.
In short, hook the minnow through the nostril and only go through the top of the mouth, not the top and the bottom of the mouth. Also, in my experience I’ve also noticed that if you hook it through the back you’ll find that they will not live as long and they don’t flutter as long or look as lively on the hook.
Hooking Minnow When Cast Jigging for Walleye
When it comes to hooking a minnow when jigging for walleye, you’ll want to take the approach a little differently. This is also another good method if you’re ice fishing and going to be casting. First, you’ll want to hook the minnow through the skull itself since it’s the hardest part on the minnow. To do this you’ll want to put the hook in the minnow’s mouth and then upwards through the skull. This works well because when you’re jigging the minnow has a much greater chance of staying on the hook. Keep in mind that the minnow does not have to be alive because jigging it will give it some action and it gave it a lively appearance underwater.
Hooking Minnow When Vertical Jigging for Walleye
However, if you do want the minnow to be alive when jigging you can take another approach that is intended more so for vertical jigging. Like I mentioned, when you’re casting in order for the minnow to stay on the hook you’ll need to go through the skull. However, when vertical jigging it will stay on the hook and stay alive if you just hook it through the nostril. Since it will remain alive it will give you a little more action underwater. With this jig I’ll usually have the hook facing towards the head of the minnow. This way when the walleye comes up and grabs from the backside it’s more likely to get hooked.
Hook Minnow Through Tail
One of the easiest ways to hook a minnow is to hook it through the end of the tail. With this approach, the minnow will stay alive for a long time and cause a lot of action under the water, and entice a bite. However, the disadvantage here is that the fish are going to hit the head first. Therefore, if you use this method, just make sure you wait an extra second or two before you set the hook in order to give the fish a second to take your bait.
Hook Minnow Through Top of the Back
Another method to keep the minnow alive is to hook him through the back. With this method, just poke through the minnow along the top of the back. The advantage with this method is that now you have him shaking on both sides, both head and tail, creating a lot of havoc and commotion under water, triggering a lot of bites. Again, with this method, the walleye are going to hit the head first so wait an extra second before you set the hook.
Hook Minnow Through the Lips
Another very effective method is to just go straight through the lips. You can hook it just right underneath the the chin area and go straight up through both lips of the minnow and right through the head. This is very effective since the walleye are going to hit the head first. Therefore, you know you’re going to need to pull right away and you’re going to have a good chance to hook that fish before he takes your bait. However, since you are through both lips the minnow will not stay alive as long as the other methods.
Another Favorite Way to Hook Minnow
This is another one of my favorite ways to hook the minnow because of how effective it is. First, go in front of the eye and poke the minnow, go through the snout, and then out the mouth. With this method, you’re not closing both lips and the minnow can move around freely, and it really has a solid, firm setting so you’re not going to lose your minnow. Also, again the walleye will hit the head first so you’ll have a good chance to hook it once it pursues the minnow. This is a very effective method because it’s able to move freely and I’d say it keeps the minnow alive the longest.
So now you have some very effective methods, depending on how you want to fish, to hook your minnow for walleye. Whether you’re ice fishing, fishing off the surf, or in a boat, it doesn’t really matter. Using live bait such as minnow is very, very effective. If you get an opportunity, hook up some minnows, get ’em wet, and go get some good walleye! Thanks for reading, please leave a comment if this was helpful or if you have any other comment or suggestions!