I fish quite often with different people and everyone seems to have their own ways of doing things. I was wondering, some people hook minnows through the eyes and some people hook them through the back. What is the difference? Do they live better one way or the other or do fish bite them better a certain way?

thru the lips, nostrils, or back works for me depending on the situation. I've never seen anyone hook them thru the eyes, seems like it'd kill 'em instantly.

I have hooked through the eyes with great success. My father hooks them through the back with the same results in a side by side type test. When the bite is on it doesn't matter but when you are drowning them waiting for the bite it is a matter or preference.
Through the back gives a natural look on a bobber but you have to be careful not the cut the spine or you get no movement plus multiple cast will rip though.
Through the eyes works well bobber or casting and the skull helps the minnow stay on the hook and take the strain of casting. After a while though they will still pop of the hook.

For trolling I use a truturn or similar type hook - Feed the point into the mouth and out the gill openning without piecing the minnow/shad, then flip the point up and drive it just under the skin's surface including the barb at the dorsal.
The hooks eye is at the mouth and the point and barb are buried ready to break the skin at the the top of the bait as you set the hook. We used this to help catch short hitting Walleyes after we kept getting just the heads back after a bit.

Good luck

Steve

If I am getting hard bites where they swallow the minnow I then hook them thru the tail. This keeps the hook at the opening of the mouth and much easier to remove it also helps prevent killing the throw backs. If they are hitting soft then right thru the eyes! Hook is right there to grab him. No it does not kill them hooking them thru the eyes, try it. If I am trolling or drifting then thru the eyes or mouth/nose.

for gizzard shad it's right through the nostrils carefully and ofr shiners it is through the lips, both work well

I'm going tonight if I get clearance from headquarters, I'll give it a whirl.

I actualy read a neat article on hooking minnows through different parts of the body. I have tried many of them and i feel that the minnow will stay alive longer if you hook them through the back just behind the dorsal fin. I like hooking them through the eyes however, because the hooking blinds them and they cant see the predator fish approaching. this really does help when fish are slugish and reluctant to bite.
I hope there are no minnows reading this post

I'll be out there Sunday in the New Boat and maybe Monday too, clearance from Headquarters? heck headquarters is coming with me!! LOL

actually got to go, fished in Falls Lake and ended up with about 50 crappie and an 8 lb. blue cat, and threw back a bunch of small crappie, white bass, largemouth, and even a few 12"-14" stripers. I hooked some minnows thru the eyes, some in the back, some in the lips...didn't seem to matter much as long as the minnow was alive, they wouldn't touch a dead one even if you put some artificial wiggle on it. I tried several colors of tubes and plastics, I caught the catfish and a 3 lb. bass on a swim-shad type of plastic on a flyrod by pitching the bait into a fallen tree and swimming it back out kinda shallow so it wouldn't get hung up. The wind was up and a bit of current where we were at so any minnow hooked in the back ended up folded-double and not fish-looking at all after a minute or 2. It was actually easier to hold them and pass a hook thru the eyes than up thru the jaws, thanks for the tip, I'll add that to my arsenal. I added my power bait crappie nibbles to a few lines every now and then, I can't say it made any difference. retnavyvet I wish my wife would fish with me, the only time I've been able to get her on the boat was when we took the in-laws for a boat ride. I think the only reason she went then was to make sure I didn't set them out somewhere. I came up the lake one evening right at dark and let her feel the sting of bugs on her face and she didn't care much for that.