[Jay K]

So, since it's been mentioned that cut bait and eyes are what's effective at times, I've been dutifully enucleating the poor perch I catch and trimming their bellies at home. Now I've ziploc baggies of this stuff... and thinking it's just been a waste of time.

When would I decide it's the right time to switch from minnows and shrimp to an eyeball?

Does this stuff really work?

Cut the belly into a "minnow" shape? Really?

I hate to waste, which is one reason why I've been dissecting out all the various parts of the perch and saving 'em... even roe and milt.

Now I think it's just taking up freezer space....

 

[RonG]

It's mostly a winter thing and the eyeballs are usually an icefishing thing. Eyes don't hold up well on long lobs of casts.

It's still worth trying the cutbait now. On a double-jig rig or crappie rig, I put a minnow on one hook and a strip of cutbait on the other and see which works the best. If they are hitting on cut bait, it stays on your hook for a decade or two and you can really cut down on your minnow usage.