Miss Judy Charters
Captain Judy Helmey
"Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!"
124 Palmetto Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 or 912 897 3460 fax
www.missjudycharters.com
June 18, 2007
Captain Judy's Saltwater Fishing Report
Inshore, Offshore, Freshies Suggestions, and "Little Miss Judy's Believe It or Not!"
Hooking Up the Old Mud Minnow
I had a question from one of my reader this past week, which went like this: What is the proper way to hook up a mud minnow? My first answer is going to be the way that works the best! However, here are some suggestions that have worked for me.
The first thing you must consider when using any sort of live bait is that your picked hook doesn't over power your bait used. This means, "Your hook used must allow the bait to swim somewhat." Using too big of a hook is the worst thing that you can do. The beauty of live bait in the first place is that it's alive giving you the best chance for a feeding fish's attention. You can place the hook through their lips or the top of the eye sockets, behind the dorsal fin, or in the tail section. All hook placements will work. Through the lips or eye sockets are my first two choices. The reason being is that when the line is moved the bait still looks alive. When hooking your bait behind the dorsal fin it allows it to dive more readily, but when used under a floating cork this could be a problem. When free lining your bait I suggest hooking your bait up behind the dorsal fin. This allows your bait freedom to move more naturally. When using some sort of popping or floating cork I suggest placing your hook under and through the bottom lip up through the top of the head. When using this style your bait is going to hang there and wiggle. It's not going to do much swimming away.
Some fishermen suggest placing the hook in the tail section. I'm not going to say, "it won't work, because it might!" However, placing the hook in the fish's tail section limits your bait natural movement. This brings to liight another fish biting scenario: Does a hungry fish prefer to attack the head or the tail first? The answer to this question at least from my point of view is "depends on how hungry the fish was in the first place?" Thanks Jim for you continued support and please tell your grandson, "that if what he is using works for him to keep doing so!"