Fish-Hawk.Net

Just think about how many times a year you head down to your local baitshop and purchace a couple dozen minnows.Now try and figure out in your head how much money you might spend on them in a season, if you fish live bait as much as I do you will find out that you spend way to much on your bait.

Over the past year I have been trapping my own bait, and have found in alot of ways this saves me ALOT of money.I have been to bait shops and seen a dozen minnows priced anywhere from really cheap to extremly over priced(Halifax $8.00 a dozen).In this post im going to tell you a couple ways that Jig head and I capture our bait, and also how to keep them alive for a long period of time.You might also want to check your local regulations to make sure that you can use these types of techniques for trapping bait in your area.

Locating Bait

Any creek, river, lake , pond should have minnows in it.When looking for minnows remember there favorite places to hide are areas with reduced current.When water levels are low shaded pockets, sunken trees and deep pockets will hold lots of bait.Any type of cover should hold bait.

Trapping Techniques

-Seine netting involves two people moving in the same direction, while working end poles with a net tied between them.The seine is worked up current at a 45 degree angle. If the area you choose for seining is chocked full of minnows or other small baitfish, you'll catch enough to last you several fishing trips.It is also good to chum the area with bread or oatmeal.


-Trapping is done with a store-bought minnow trap. Place your trap in shallow water, about one meter deep. Minnows frequent shallow areas in the early morning and evening. Set your trap at these times, using bread for bait. Lay the trap parallel to the shore or in the path of flowing current for best results. If you don't want stressed-out minnows, don't let them sit for more than 24 hours.

Whether you're trapping or seining, the most important thing is to keep your catch under the best conditions possible. Placing a floating minnow bucket in the water allows oxygen-rich water to circulate continuously. To store your bait when away from the boat, keep your minnows in a cool, shady area, and avoid over-crowding. To maintain lively bait, I recommend that you change the water at least every day. A large cooler (no aeration) will keep five dozen minnows alive indefinitely if the water is changed daily. Use of a commercial aerator is also recommended if your set-up allows. Your minnows will stay livelier, which make them much more inviting to larger game fish

Normal bait seine

Various minnow traps

Bait aerator

Great tips tip-up
My dad and I did that with worms. It saved us a lot.

Pieter

Good tips on seining and traps, tip-up.

I've never been a fan of standard minnow traps, though. Even in areas with major baitfish populations, it's often hard to get enough bait to make it worthwhile. Not to mention the fact that the last two I had were stolen from the water.

The neat thing about traps, though is the variety of species you can run into. I've had babies of many gamefish and oddballs like madtoms that you normally don't run across.

My favourite method is to use a large collapsable, cylindical dip-net. Mine is 48" in diameter and 48" high when extended.

I've nabbed as many as 2-300 at a crack using it. Considering I don't fish with live bait and only use what I catch to feed my aquarium fish, I don't have to make too many trips to the ol' creek.

CCB

Read the regs before you get your own minnows. haven't done it for many years (I used to sneak on NCC property to get mine, a definite no-no).

There are rules covering:

-traps must have your identification on them
-maximum number of traps?
-maximum size of traps
-maximum number of baitfish in possession
-types of baitfish in possession (No Gobies!)
-restrictions on where minnows can be used (eg Quebec has very strict rules)

I know the reg's state that you can only be in possession of a maxiumum of 10 dozen, and I'm preety sure you cant use any traps bigger than what you would buy at a store.

For bait try dog food it does not break down in the water as fast as bread. However dip nets work great and they are fast.

To keep them at home I use a big plastic drum, most of them will have a 1 inch drain in them. Lie it down on its side with the drain at the ground, and cut a good sized "door" in the top. Affix some hinges and a handle and you are set. To cange the water you can just losen the drain so the bait stays in but water comes out. I have kept dozens of minnows this way from April till the end of May

We have a creek at my cottage that we trap our own. I plan on bringing some home to keep in an old acquarium when I knoiw I will be fishing around here. Definetly for next winter!

Cheers,

Scott

I have tried dog food,cat food,rabbit food even worms.The best overall bait to catch the bait for me is bread.I always have 3 traps out taged with my phone number.On a good day you can get easily over 100-150 minnows in the traps.Umbrella nets are also great for getting bait into your bucket, I have found that if you chum the area you can catch minnows with anything.By the way CCB what do you feed your minnows too?

Good tips Tip-up.

I use a lot of live bait when I come up but un-fortunate for me, US citizens are not allowed to trap their own bait in Ontario.

I have set out traps yesterday in a creek where I have seen hundreds of big guys in the spring....Hoping to catch a lot of big shiners to freeze for next winter and a few walleye size for tonight.....

120 minnows per person at any one time.

dont transport minnows from waterbody to waterbody....

these are the two biggest problems/infractions with catching your own minnows.

Thought it was 100

Good to know Steve...Thanks

i was told by the local bait guys that your allowed 10 dozen per person.

that would work out to 120 minnows per person....

then again, i could have been fed erroneous information....always best to double check the regs, than trust the word of someone else.

hi tip up.......


great tread....

I use to trap all my minnows at the cottage........and catch all kind off bait,man was it fun,,,,,,, ...

and i did save some monney$ and time to go get bait....

same thing for worms.....use to pick them up,on golf course,,,,,,,,,,,but now,,,,,,,,,,,,my bad back... .dont like it to mutch so i have to buy them........there a bit off$ specialy wen i use about min,3 box a night. .....



but the last time i went to catch minnows.............wen i went back to chek my trap..........there was a little card there(mnr).. ......yep my 2 fish trap was confiscated,,,,,,,,

i did not call them back.........to get my trap...... .....


thats about 10 years ago.............i did not no at that time that i had to put my name on the traps....... .........so it cost me 2 trap......could have been worst if i would ask for my traps.........

so now i no better.................i do have my names on my traps......but dont have time to catch them........ .......

but i would love to catch them its so mutch fun.......

i do have a minnoes seine to.............thats a great thing to catch minnows...........i caught everything whit that............all by accident but still..................baby pike,,,,,,perch,,,,water snake baby turtle,,,,,etc etc.........we all release them.........but it was fun........a minnows seine is the way to go..............

I have the other on to the one is about 24 or 36 inch by 36 inch skware....that you trow and lift it...thats a good one to......


keep the report bud.......

joco

Hey guys.

Just remember there is only 1 trap or net allowed per person.

120 Minnows is the limit. And I think there is a rule about using minnow caught in one body of water in another.

If you use lots of minnows catching them yourself is worth the time and effort. I toss my old trap out with bread when I arrive at the cottage and the next morning I usually have a enough to tip my spinners all day.