11 replies to this topic

[openfire]

I remember watching an old episode of Bill Dance where they're on a florida bass pond chumming with live minnows...

They were using a half-inflated balloon as a float, fishing a minnow right in the middle of the minnows they dumped in. It was the most bizarre method of bass fishing I've ever seen... but man they were getting lit up with huge lunkers.

Anyone remember that episode, or seen/heard of this being done?

[Mykester]

How big was this pond? I would imagine a live school of minnows scattering.

[openfire]

It was a small lake if my memory serves me correctly. I was thinking the same about the minnows scattering, but apparently not?

I'm going to see if I can dig up more info on this when I get a chance.

[frozenfire]

I'm pretty confident the minnows will swim off and find cover/structure where they feel safe.
Unless of course there are swarms of hungry bass all over them... then yes...I can see this method working LOL.

Bill does fish small private ponds that are loaded with big bass... easy pickings! Kind of like some GTA ponds back when they were hot!

Is this episode or clip available online?

[openfire]

I searched online but couldn't find any references to the actual TV episode. While searching, I did however find plenty of references to guys in the southern US using partially inflated balloons to float minnows for bass.

I'll see if I can find anything about chumming with live minnows for bass.

[openfire]

Did a little more googling... I found some evidence of people chumming live minnows for bass. I was reading a thread on a Bass forum about chumming for bass, here are a couple of quotes:

Yes I've seen it work. Sitting on the side of a pond throwing out a handful of minnows every now and then and here come the bass.

and in the same thread a little further down the page...

I refuzed a guide that wanted to throw live minnows to get the bass biting. You can see this guy on the Pro Tarpon Tour.

Also seen it in Tennesse. It just doesn't interest me.

[jc53]

I searched online but couldn't find any references to the actual TV episode. While searching, I did however find plenty of references to guys in the southern US using partially inflated balloons to float minnows for bass.

I'll see if I can find anything about chumming with live minnows for bass.

Hey
Those are probably not minnows but shiners. Shiners are at least 6 - 8" long are used under a balloon to catch the big boys.
I when I was down there many moons ago I used to fish with my cousin that way. U could tell when a big bass was around cause the balloon with the shiner was moving @ like crazy.

[openfire]

Hey
Those are probably not minnows but shiners. Shiners are at least 6 - 8" long are used under a balloon to catch the big boys.
I when I was down there many moons ago I used to fish with my cousin that way. U could tell when a big bass was around cause the balloon with the shiner was moving @ like crazy.

Well there you have it! Mystery solved!

Yeah jc53, the TV episode was probably 10 years ago, so my memory may be a little sketchy... it could have very well been shiners they were using.

I didn't expect that one of our own members would have experience with this. Awesome!

[jc53]

Well there you have it! Mystery solved!

Yeah jc53, the TV episode was probably 10 years ago, so my memory may be a little sketchy... it could have very well been shiners they were using.

I didn't expect that one of our own members would have experience with this. Awesome!

Man
I remember those days driving into the everglades. Parking along the sides of the road, pulling in 10 lbs bass on a regular basis.

Gives away my age LOL