Better all around bait minnows or worms?

[Cu455]

This past weekend I used minnows as bait for the first time and it sucked at first. I killed the first few minnows trying to hook then and lost a few casting out. I barely caught anything at the start. At the end of the day I was pretty good at hooking them and finally started to catch a few pickerel and a bluegill missing it's top jaw.

That is what got me thinking about this. I did a google search of "better bait minnows or worms" expecting to see a million threads about this. There was nothing.

You are going on a fishing trip and you can bring worms or minnows, not both. Which will you bring? You are not targeting any species in particular just going out to enjoy the water.

There is a poll at the top.

EDIT: I guess since I started this I will give my opinion. I am going to say worms for now. They are easier to carry and hook. I have caught a lot more fish on worms but most of them were sunfish. My choice might change once I start fishing more and get tired of catching so many sunfish.

 

[MonsterFishCreeper]

Minnows unless I'm targeting panfish. To hook them properly you should go through the bottom jaw and come out the the soft part of the head. Don't have the hook go through the hard part of the skull between the eyes or they die. Aim more for the nostril area.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

minnows. Chance of hooking into something bigger and meaner than a worm. Plus you don't have to deal with bait thieves being nearly as efficient

 

[Cu455]

EDIT: I guess since I started this I will give my opinion. I am going to say worms for now. They are easier to carry and hook. I have caught a lot more fish on worms but most of them were sunfish. My choice might change once I start fishing more and get tired of catching so many sunfish.

I added this to the first post but will post it again.

 

[Cu455]

Minnows unless I'm targeting panfish. To hook them properly you should go through the bottom jaw and come out the the soft part of the head. Don't have the hook go through the hard part of the skull between the eyes or they die. Aim more for the nostril area.

The minnows I had were very small. I went underneath the bottom lip, at the V area where the gills split, and out the mouth. I only pierced the bottom lip. I tried the nostril once or twice and ended up with a dead fish.

 

[fatboy8]

Hook them only through the top of the mouth with the hook point coming out between the nose and the eyes. Its the most effective way to keep them alive the longest.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

I just usually wacky rig them in front of their tail, they stay alive for a good while that way

 

[xraycer]

It depends on what you're going after. For bass, I would say a live, wriggly worm, but all to often, it becomes a PITA when you have contend with bait thieves such as bluegills. For essox, minnows

 

[Frank Castle]

Hook them only through the top of the mouth with the hook point coming out between the nose and the eyes. Its the most effective way to keep them alive the longest.

You don't mind the extra drag the open mouth creates in the current?

I also voted minnows or just plain "live fish". Worms are ok if you want to catch large quantities of fish, but mostly will end up Panfish as they generally never make it to the gamefish. Large crawlers can be very effective for gamefish when Panfish aren't present, but those places are far and few between. IMO and IME, aside from lures and my largest Trout, most of the largest fish I have caught were on live baitfish, crayfish or hellgrammites.

Leeches are also an overlooked bait that can lead to great hook-ups as well.

 

[Wailua Boy]

I think as an all around bait worms are more versatile, in the sense more more species and sizes will take them