Minnows hide on rocks, tree roots, and other surfaces near the shore. Cheap baits, such as leftover bread and pet food, can be used to attract them.
If you would like to catch these small but useful fish, bait a trap, then place it in shallow water near the shore, and wait to see the minnows come into it. Catching minnows using a trap is an easy way to use them as bait for larger fish.
How to Attract and Catch Minnows Using A Fishing Trap?
You can catch a lot of minnows at your local creek using the following method. You can find minnow traps in just about any fishing store. They are also fairly cheap, costing around 8 to 10 bucks.
These traps work really well if you know where to place them properly. On both sides of the traps, you will see little holes where the fish swim in.
Once they get inside the trap, they can’t figure out a way to get out. I guess they are just too stupid. That’s why a lot of minnows get trapped inside but don’t get out. They usually don’t get back out once they go in, no matter how long you leave the trap underwater.
Of course, you will need to use bait to lure the minnows. As for the bait, you can use any type of bread. All you have to do is put the bait inside the trap. Eventually, the bait will slowly dissolve and leave little particles in the trap.
Preparing The Trap
Commercial traps are often shaped like torpedoes. Each end of these traps is equipped with a funnel opening. The trap can be modified by using pliers or string or plastic ties to close one end so minnows and bait can only enter and exit from one end.
There is likely to be a sliding door on your trap and a latch on two sides. The latch can be undone, and the halves can be separated for easy bait placement.
Minnows are attracted to light and can be attracted to traps by using light. Hang the glow stick inside the trap with a length of string or plastic tie. If you want the string to remain in place, knot it around the cage and glow stick. Place the glow stick over the bait.
Silver is now a popular color for commercial traps. The glow stick provides an optional means of attracting minnows, thus making it less of a necessity.
Bait for minnows can be made from various household items. Among the cheap baits that spread from traps are peanut butter, bread, crackers, live insects, and cat and dog food.
In addition to stuffing the food through the funnel end, laying it in the trap, or wrapping it in porous material before placing it in the trap so it won’t sink to the bottom, food can also be wrapped in cheesecloth or pantyhose at the start.
You can pack a bait like a portion of cat food on the outside of the funnel end if you are going to deploy your trap in a stream. If the minnows smell food, they will swim upstream to the open end of the trap.
Tip: Smash the bread into the trap where the entrances are to increase catches.
This way, all the minnows will try to get to the bait, and eventually, some will swim through the holes and not be able to get back out.
Setting The Trap
Keep in mind that minnows dwell near the surface of the water. As you look toward the shore, they are likely to be under debris such as rocks and tree roots feeding throughout the day. You can use your fishing trap for a few hours at most if you find minnows in shallow streams or other areas where you can leave your trap.
Make sure there is enough string attached to the trap so that you can secure it while it is submerged. A dock, a rock, or a wooden stake can serve as anchors. Tie a rope or string to one of these. When the time comes, you will be able to pull the trap up without needing to wade in.
The minnows need to be trapped in an area where the trap is oriented toward them in still water. Once you’ve located debris, move the trap as close to shade as possible. Open one end and point it toward the shore, the rocks, and the tree roots. A minnow will go into the trap when he smells the bait.
In the event that there is a current in your area, face the trap open-end downstream instead of to the shore. There is no difference in getting the minnows into the trap if the bait is spread outside or placed inside since the current removes the scent.
Catching the Minnows
The minnows will often come right into your trap. Since the minnows can’t eat the bait, you can return the next day or two when you’re using safe bait like tuna in a can. However, you will need to return in a few hours when the bait has gone, and the trap has filled up.
Bring the trap back to the shore once you have caught minnows in it. It is time to open the trap. If you plan on keeping the minnows in the bucket for a longer time period, make sure the water is kept aerated.
Young, small minnows, as well as any other minnow you aren’t planning on using, should be released. So that not only other fishermen can catch minnows, but other fish will also have minnows to eat. It is necessary to maintain a healthy minnow population.
In A Nutshell:
Step 1: Get a trap, put your bait, and soak it for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2: Once you put the trap in the water, leave it there and check back after every 15 minutes or so.
Step 3: Pull out the trap, and you will see a bunch of minnows.
When you are trying to catch minnows, you would really want to focus on the location. Most creeks that have water running through them year-round will have a lot of minnows.
Also, you want to look for something that blocks out the water from upstream. For example, a small dam. This way, all the minnows will swim upstream and get stuck.
As a result, all the minnows will conjugate around the small pool in front of the dam. This is an excellent area to catch minnows. You know minnows work as an excellent bait to catch turtles with a fishing pole. So, if you don’t release the caught minnows you can use them to catch turtles.
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