trapping minnows

[SirCranksalot]

So this year I thought I'd give it a try for bows on local rivers. There are quite a few spots where you can fish near the vehicle so lugging a pail is not much of a concern. Our local bait shop didn't have minnows when I was there so I figured it would be fairly easy do do. Apparently not. I have tried several local places incl 1 where my granddaughter and I C & R'ed about $20 of minnows, mostly suckers, last year. I have tried the river and a creek as well as a quite shallow lake known to hold bass, pike etc. I assumed that there would be bait fish in there for those bass and pike to feed on but NOPE!

 

I was using stale bread and a few crackers as bait as that was what I was told to use.

 

Anybody else trap minnows? Any suggestions?

 

(I know there are restrictions on the number and type I can keep---I've checked the regs)

 

Thx

[bobowski]

I trap minnows occasionally at a local trib. I always use bread. I find that putting your minnow trap in a shallow area with little to no current works best. Also try and find a spot that has some natural cover.

[cheaptackle]

Dog kibble. Use it to bait the trap. Bring 2 buckets. When it works - it WORKS!

 

Michael

[Acountdeleted]

Don't use the black traps. Only the silver. I don't know why but it's 100% true.

[Dutch01]

I have a silver trap, but that was random I didn't know any better when I bought it. I use a ball of compressed bagel. I put it out overnight in the creek behind my house and have have caught plenty of dace, chubs and suckers. I have put it out for a few hours during day and caught the odd one, but I found overnight to be the ticket for some reason.

Edited December 17, 2015 by Dutch01

[farsider]

Toast and/or dry out the bread before putting it in the trap.

 

Boilies, cat food have also worked.

 

Seasonal movement needs to be taken into accout but, if you see minnows in a spot/river...you just found a successful spot to trap.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[mike rousseau]

One HUGE tip

 

If your trapping in current like creeks and rivers make sure the opening is pointed straight down river... Don't just drop it in....

[irishfield]

Yep... I have a black one and a silver one. The black one never works... and I can't put them side by side beside the beaver lodge behind our island and there's never anything in the black one.

Edited December 17, 2015 by irishfield

[mike rousseau]

Glass traps are the best but at around $100 a pop they are a pricey and fragile tool

[misfish]

Jacobs?

[Sinker]

Weird, I painted my metal one black because my black one always does better. I trap boggy, black bottomed creek headwaters for dace. Easy to fill a trap overnight. I use dogfood for bait. I like to set the trap in a narrow channel.

 

S.

[Gnote]

If you are trapping a river or creek look for a still backwater section, my canal is full of minnows right now but they are too small for my usage.

The canadian tire in keswick still had minnows as of the last time i checked as well if that helps any

[SirCranksalot]

My trap started off as galvanized but by now is brown with silt and/or rust.

 

For those who know the area I tried:

1 Marl 'Lake', which is a small shallow body of water.

2 Two different spots on the Notty---1 with a fair bit of current, 1 with very little.

3 a small creek with very little current running into the Notty.

4 the upper part of the Mad with little current but did not set trap----just tried with small piece of worm on hook but didn't get any bites.

 

There are other small creeks in the area that I can try. Apart from that it's mostly water traps on golf courses! I have heard that some of them have bass but I don't know if they would have any sort of minnows. Presumably any bass were dumped into those water traps but I couldn't see anyone dropping minnows in there.

[OhioFisherman]

The color of the trap never seemed to make a difference for me. I used bread for bait, and put it in a piece of plastic mesh closed up with a safety pin and hung in the middle of the trap.

[farsider]

LeBaron still sells the Galvanized traps that are made in the USA.

 

SouthBend and the others that CDN. Tire and the like sell, are made in China.

 

I wonder if there is a difference in the construction or in the "galvanizing"?

 

Cheers,

Mark

[bow slayer]

I have a black trap and a silver one and both work the same,no difference. Look for a deeper pool below an area that has some current. Dog kibble works great if it is available but bread also works well.My buddy just hangs a small diamond shaped piece of shiny reflective metal inside trap that flutters in the current and swears by it to catch loads of minnows with no bait. I have yet to try.

[SirCranksalot]

Well, so much for location, location, location!

 

I have tried:

1 the Notty, 2 locations

2 a couple of creeks

3 a shallow lake/pond with lots of bulrushes, weeds etc

4 a shallow pond interconnected with several other ponds

5 a deeper pond in the same system.

 

I have used:

1 bread

2 Crackers

3 rolled oats

4 dog food

Up until the last spot I attributed my lack of success to poor locations but now I’m stymied! There must be minnows of some sort in the pond system that I tried last. Could it be that all the minnows in that location are warm water species and are now inactive? Any other explanation? P.S. My once shiny trap is now rust colored so I hung bits of foil inside as suggested above.

thx

[OhioFisherman]

Sir, could you see minnows in any of the locations you tried? I never tried trapping them this time of year, maybe they are in deeper water due to water temperatures?

[wormdunker]

Lottsa good advice here. In warmer weather I have found thousands of minnows in a little creek on the Niagara river. Using a long handled net I was able to fill a bucket in a short period of time.

[PUMP KNOWS]

Lottsa good advice here. In warmer weather I have found thousands of minnows in a little creek on the Niagara river. Using a long handled net I was able to fill a bucket in a short period of time.

 

 

Have you tried the same area during the colder weather?

[wormdunker]

No I haven't been there in winter temps. I should go check it out. In case we get some ice!!

[SirCranksalot]

Thx for all your comments and suggestions, guys. I'll probably pack it in for the winter now---there are limited opportunities to use minnows for bows right now and if and when we get ice I can buy them on my way to the fave spot(s). re winter---I have been on one of the American boards and some of those folks even say that they prefer winter! Sounds like a PITA to me to be cutting a hole in the ice big enough for a minnow trap. If I get a chance I might check a couple of spots around town with a rod and baited hook.

[Sinker]

There is much less available food under the ice so minnows are easier to attract to bait then. I have good luck thru the ice, you jusy need a spot with enough current that it doesnt freeze too much.

 

Throw some spruce boughs over the hole, and cover with snow to prevent too much ice on the hole. Works good.

 

S.

[SirCranksalot]

. I have good luck thru the ice, you jusy need a spot with enough current that it doesnt freeze too much.

 

 

 

This is the dilemma as I see it: If it has current the ice will be thin and unsafe. If it doesn't the ice will be thick and safe but therefore hard to cut a big hole in. I guess I could find a spot or 2 with big culverts under the road with enough current to keep it ice free, but many say that places with current are not much good. Has your experience been otherwise?

thx

[Sinker]

I like to set in a pool. I trap very small creeks though. Basically spring fed streams, with black mud bottoms. Almost swampy kind of streams. The headwaters of larger tribs. Mostly catch dace.

 

S.