Soft minnow baits are often a better choice than live minnows. Dress a jig with a soft minnow imitation when the fish are very active and are continuously striking your jig. A lot of time is wasted with live minnows because they are so easily peeled off your jig. Fish have a much tougher time striping your jig with a soft plastic that can be secured onto your jig.. Vertical jig plastic minnows or cast out and retrieve it along bottom. Another option for soft plastic minnows would be on a spinner rig. Instead of using a night crawler or minnow, thread a soft plastic minnow on the hook in its place.