Everybody has a favorite. For many, it’s topwaters. A strong finesse contingent exists, too. And of course there’s always been bass anglers wild about flipping, or throwing a spinnerbait or a square-bill.
For some, it’s a shiner.
Now, I know what you’re going to say. Live bait doesn’t count. No talent involved. Old-man technique. But for those of you who believe such nonsense, it’s apparent you know little of this art from, because shiner fishing is just that.
In fact, I’ll go out on limb and tell you, without question, shiner fishing is more difficult than the majority of artificial lure techniques used for bass. At times, it’s no more effective.
However, on occasion, in certain places, fishing with big golden shiners is like using dynamite, both on the bass and your heart.
Golden shiners belong to the largest family of fishes in the world, are close relatives of the goldfish and carp, and inhabit waters all along eastern North America. Yes, those are golden shiners in the Great Lakes and Canada and, yes, they will catch nice bass and monster muskies. But nowhere else is shiner fishing synonymous with trophy largemouth like it is in Florida.
Research indicates that shiner fishing in the Sunshine State gained popularity in the 1950s. This was the beginning of the big bass craze in Florida, which corresponded with many Americans' newfound leisure time and destination travel. After packing the wife and kids in the family truckster, once in sunny Florida, dad and a buddy would rent a boat, buy a bucket of shiners and take off to the bass lake, where a 10-pounder hid behind every tree. So they were told.
Truth is, most successful shiner fishermen – both then and now – are the full-time professional guides specializing in the technique. The learning curve is too great for occasional anglers accustomed to casting plugs and plunking worms. Just dealing with shiners takes some know-how.
First, consider when walking into a bait shop, those shiners in the tank were caught by a local fisherman who dedicates much of his life to their pursuit. Many anglers have quit bass fishing altogether in order to pursue shiners full time, so demanding is the practice. Shiners must be baited, often for days. When collected, they require specialized cast nets, and must be handled delicately. Tanks are insulated, hundreds of pounds of ice are often used, oxygen is injected, water chemically treated. Then the shiners must undergo a “purging” period in isolation, before moving, again under scrutiny, to bait shops, where they must be held at optimum temperature and chemical conditions. You haven’t even bought them yet.
Once ready to sell, shiners fetch $15 to $25 a dozen throughout most of Florida. Occasionally, they’re completely unavailable. If you’re lucky (and wealthy) enough to buy a few, once in your boat, shiners must be kept in ideal conditions without the use of a traditional livewell pump.
Fishing the bait requires specialized tackle. Long, stout rods are preferred. Flipping sticks will suffice, but I prefer musky rods, as they allow me to lob or cast big shiners easier. Often, I use baits exceeding 10 inches in length and weighing in around a pound.
The most productive methods for fishing shiners are those where a void is left in lure fishing. This is a key, and a primary reason I shiner-fish. Sometimes, especially here in Florida, giant bass live in places where lures aren’t effective.
The most obvious of these is ultra-heavy cover. While “punching mats” gets all the press come tournament time, the fact remains that there’s a whole bunch of water down here that’s un-punchable. In addition, big, wise fish grow tired of yo-yo punch rigs being bounced off their heads. A shiner presents a natural, horizontal look. Knowledgeable anglers can lob a massive shiner within inches of a mat, then coax that same bait to swim up under, into the lion’s den.
As one can imagine, once the jig is up, the shiner has no intention of heading in. But, with years of practice, a knowledgeable shiner artist can persuade the bait to fish for him. It’s an unnerving frustration for newcomers to the sport, as they tangle up and pluck off shiner after shiner with no result, watching 2-dollar bills swim away. But, in time, the feel of everything the shiner observes is transferred to the angler’s hand. Like closing your eyes and watching a movie.
Here is where we need to discuss a trait that is unlike any other in bass fishing. Without question, for some reason, giant bass are programmed to kill and eat wild shiners. Only shiners will avoid predation to the point of suicide, and their escapism drives monster bass bonkers. Once you’ve witnessed this phenomenon, it’s unmistakable. Until then, you’ve never truly seen a “reaction strike."
Finally, then, the payoff. After running for its life under the mat, sending shockwaves through your rod, the shiner gets creamed. A big bass slowly pays out more line as you prepare to give it the steel, knowing that the fish of a lifetime may be attached 50 feet away, under unthinkably heavy cover. Taking one last deep breath, you engage the spool.
If you’re lucky, you’ll land about half.
Another common method is to troll shiners around pads and grass. Assuming your bait meets all the previously discussed specs, the challenge here is keeping it moving forward, and not tangling in maiden cane, reeds and lilies. Just enough in to coax a lunker, but not enough to hang the line. You’ll need to brush up on your lily-pad bouncing skills, the specialized technique where shiners are fished through pad fields, but never hang in the crotch of the plant. That will take about a year, and a few grand in bait.
In some places, specialized hooks, weights, even sinking lines are deployed to target deep-water haunts. New GPS trolling motors help, but trolling can make for long days of fighting the wind.
Until it happens, as it did to me just a few weeks ago. Little activity on the line, the shiner now comes alive. Instantly, the big bait is on top, when an enormous bass charges through the maiden cane. The shiner jumps completely out of the water, the quick move paying off as the big bass misses. The boil created can only be understood by a saltwater angler who’s seen tuna or giant snook eat.
Last week, on a remote lake in central Florida, I contemplated what I had just been a part of. It all happened so fast. The leviathan charging. The boils like bowling balls tossed in the pond. The breaking of my 50-pound braid.
Twice since, I’ve returned to the scene with nothing to show. In less than minute, a fish changed my life.
I haven’t slept well.
And that’s the art of shiner fishing in Florida. An unnerving habit. A tick. When it comes together, it’s taking part in something completely different than anything in the world of bass fishing. Skydiving. The perfect wave. Seeing Bigfoot, you think.
You’ll be back.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
