There are a number of ways to catch minnows, including traps, nets, and fishing for them with micro hooks � so I read. Have any of you ever caught a few on hooks? If so, what size hook did you use? I ordered a pack of size 30 micro hooks and they are so small that I can hardly see them, much less thread a line through the eye. I finally got a piece of 4 lb. mono through the eye of one by holding the hook with tweezers, but I figure a minnow will swollow the hook, not allowing me to continue catching more on it. Haven�t had an opportunity to try it yet. Just thought I�d ask if anybody else on the forum has already been down this road and learned about catching minnows on hooks. Will appreciate any feed-back.

Huh. I've caught shad using very small gold hooks (like, #16 or #18). But hadn't heard of 'micro hooks' till now.

Just googled it .. wow, a #30 hook? Yeah, get the tweezers and magnifying glass out to tie that!

I�d like to catch shad, but I no longer have a boat. I see minnows in shallow water around vegetation near the shore line, so thought I�d drop a tiny hook in and see if I could quickly catch a few. There is only one place anywhere near where I fish that sells minnows and they charge $5 per dozen, which seems pretty steep to me. It has been a long time since I have bought any, however, so I really don�t know what the normal price is nowadays.

You might try an umbrella net.cheap,easyto use and will catch bait.

Thanks sae. I recently bought one that I haven�t used yet because I have not seen minnows in shallow waterr until recently. But I will try catching them that way as well as with a hook.

Microfishing! If you're doing it for bait then I only ask that you take the more common species and release the rarer ones, you'll figure it out after catching some. I use the hooks in the photo below with a half or quarter piece of Gulp! maggots in various colors. You can also use bits of cooked rice or of course pieces of worm.

What kinda line do you use? Does it have to be fluro or is mono better so it stretches? Can I use braid?

What knot do you use as well? Have you ever tried a snell knot?

Which is preferable? A round end hook or EWG? Do you have a better hook up ratio with the offset hooks?


















Actually, that�s pretty cool. Never ever crossed my mind to catch a minnow on a hook. What would you use for bait and how the heck would you put it on a hook? I know my eyes would tell me not just no but heck no!

Interesting. Keep us updated.

catching bait with bait. Makes total sense.

Get yourself a minnow trap, pretty easy to catch all the minnows you need.

Check out Tenkara bum and scroll down to the tiny hooks designed for catching tiny fish!

Here's some size 32's I tied many years ago...
I tied these for fun...WITHOUT ANY magnification during tying!


One size 32, one size 28 Mosquito [Image: 20130228_094914.jpg]
Size 32 spinner
Size 32 Parachute Fly
Assortment of wet and dry 32's

Many yeas ago my cuz and I would catch as many as we wanted on no. 8 thread ,a cone or bamboo pole and
sewing pin bent to shape no barb. boloney or white bread. lake cliff park and kidd springs

Many yeas ago my cuz and I would catch as many as we wanted on no. 8 thread ,a cone or bamboo pole and
sewing pin bent to shape no barb. boloney or white bread. lake cliff park and kidd springs

This, IMHO, is turning out to be a very informative thread. Truthfully, I didn�t expect many, or possibly any, replies. As I mentioned, the size 30 hooks I bought on ebay are so small that I had to hold one with tweezers to put line through the eye. I�m wondering if I could use a hook that is a tad larger? I see pictures of size 26 micro hooks, do you think a minnow could get a size 26 in its mouth?