Tons of crappie anglers use only artificial lures. However, most crappie anglers – amateur or professional – won’t get in the boat unless they have a bucket full of live bait. (Photo: Richard Simms)
From Hatchery to Hook
by Keith Lusher
Shiners – they are the number one choice for baitfish across the country. According Al Linder’s Angling Edge, shiners account for almost 4 million pounds sold annually for a retail price of $16.4 million. In many areas tuffy minnows (also known as fatheads) rank high for crappie anglers. They are generally less expensive and easier to keep alive. But from a sales perspective, apparently shiners win out.
But even if you have fished with shiners all your life and never put too much thought behind where they come from or how they are produced in such high quantities.
I recently made a fishing trip with a gentleman who is probably the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to maintaining shiners. John Guillot of Kiln, MS is a shiner fanatic. He’s studied all about these fish to the point where he is able to keep more than 1000 shiners on his property, ready to take fishing at a moment’s notice.
On my latest fishing trip with Guillot, I arrived at his shop next to his home. Inside the shop was where “the action happens” according to the 62-year-old crappie fishing veteran. As Guillot scooped out the shiners that would be accompanying us on the boat, he began to explain the process that he uses in order to get his shiners primed for his next fishing trip. And during our trip, Guillot continued to shell out interesting facts that made me appreciate the entire process involved in getting these bait fish from the hatchery to the hook.
After returning home I decided to dig deeper into the shiner industry to see if I could establish a better understanding of everything involved. Several times Guillot mentioned Anderson Farms in Central Arkansas. Anderson Farms is said to be the largest shiner hatchery in the country. I reached out to owner, Jamie Anderson, who said it is the largest minnow farm in the world.
The 11,000-square-foot hatchery has been in operation for over 60 years and produces op to1.3 billion shiners every year, as well as other species, including fatheads (also known as tuffies).
Brooding Process
Anderson agreed that the most common type of shiner used by anglers is the Golden Shiner
“All our shiners start outside in ponds that contain mats,” he said.
Much like crappie, shiners lay their eggs on structure. The mats serve as the perfect host for the female to attach her eggs. After the male shiner fertilizes the eggs, the mats are removed and brought inside the complex where the conditions can be monitored to maximize the hatch rate. The fry remain inside for about a week and then are released into the ponds on the property.
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Anderson said the ponds start out dry and it’s then that they are all sterilized and treated with an insecticide before being filled with water.
“Until the fry are three weeks old the number one is insects so that’s why we treat the ground with insecticide. After three weeks, the fry are large enough to where they can turn the tables on the insects and the prey becomes the predator,” he said.
After the fry are fed and grown in the ponds, the workers remove them with a seine. Screens are used that have holes just big enough to grade the Shiners for the desired sizes.
Anderson said the most popular shiner, referred to as a #6, generally about 2.5 inches long, is the targeted harvest size. It takes 1,000 #6 shiners to weigh six pounds. Anderson said it is the most popular size and is what is found in the majority of bait shops across the country.
Water Conditions
Throughout the entire process, these fish never experience a change in water temperature greater than five degrees when transferring from one holding area to another.
“Typically the difference in water temperature is in the one to two-degree range,” said Anderson.
While maintaining consistent water temperatures during relocation is important, Anderson said surprisingly, it’s not the most critical when holding shiners in a container.
“The number one thing that kills shiners is ammonia,” he said. “A lot of folks think lack of oxygen is what kills shiners, and it is important to keep the water well oxygenated, but you can drop a dozen shiners into a Styrofoam bucket of water and the thing that’s going to kill them first is the ammonia that builds up in the water through their waste.”
Shiner hatcheries throughout the country deliver their shiners directly to the bait shops via trucks purpose-built with transfer tanks in place of the truck bed. And much like the water at the hatchery, the water conditions during transportation are kept impeccable.
After delivering the minnows to the bait shop tanks, the hatchery process is complete. It is now up to the bait shops to maintain quality water conditions that will keep the shiners alive until sale.
Bait Shop to Hook
After the sale, a shiner’s chance of survival drastically diminishes. Gone are all the high-end aerators and water quality monitoring systems that the hatcheries use. Now it’s up to the anglers to keep the shiners alive until they officially become bait.
Throughout my years of fishing with shiners, I’ve learned a lot through trial and error and have come up with a system where I hardly lose any minnows because of the extra steps I take to treat and oxygenate the water.
I use a Cool Bubbles Insulated Bait Saver with the aerator attached to the side. While the aerator that comes with the bait bucket is sufficient, I replaced it with a more powerful unit that puts out more oxygen. The Hush Bubbles Pump can be found at any major fishing tackle retailer.
After replacing the pump, I recommend replacing the air stone as well. An air stone that diffuses oxygen into smaller bubbles is better than the cheap, coarse stones that are sold with most bait buckets. If it’s a really hot day I use two air pumps with these stones. The increased volume of air helps carry the ammonia produced out of the water.
Another adjustment I make is targeted at keeping my hands from touching the water inside of the bucket. Eagle Claw makes a long handle bait net that has styrofoam that envelopes the handle. The purpose of the styrofoam is to keep the handle above the water surface which keeps me from having to reach down into the water to grab the net. Sunscreen kills baitfish.
Before adding the shiners to the bucket, I treat the water with a product called Bait Buddies. These tablets are worth their weight in gold! One pack treats the water for eight to twelve hours.
Travis Gergely, the owner of Sure Life products said, “Inside the pack are two tablets. One is responsible for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia, and the other tablet adds oxygen to the water through diffused bubbles,” he said.
Gergely then went on to give me a valuable tip on what to do in an emergency situation.
“In the event that your aerator dies and your shiners are starting to fade, you can pour a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution into the bucket. The peroxide loses one oxygen molecule to the water as the peroxide breaks down. Those shiners can survive off the oxygen that the peroxide gives off,” he said. The mix ratio for this is 4 ounces of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide per 15 gallons of water.
While shiners can be a challenge to keep alive, it certainly has helped me to know exactly what it takes to get a shiner from the hatchery to the hook.
Keith Lusher is an award-winning outdoor journalist from Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and other outlets. He serves on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Lusher contributes to numerous publications both online and in print and prides himself on promoting South Louisiana’s unique fishery.
