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Well I bought a minnow trap to try and catch a few and I can't seem to catch anything in this trap? I have put bread in it and some AM600 and I still can't get anything in this trap. After 2 day I had nothing??
Am I missing something here? Is there something else I should try?
I don't get it. I have the trap just deep enough to be under water and I can't get a minnow one to go in it and yet there all around it???
RC
Last edited by RC51; 04/07/14 10:37 AM.
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
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RC, don't know what the problem is. This is probably a silly suggestion and please don't think that I'm an idiot, but are you placing the trap so the inlets are parallel to the shore line. As crazy as that sounds, that might help...
Just do it...
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And wasn't there some talk on here awhile back that there is a difference between colors of grey, black, etc
I have an old galvanized one that always gives me a better success than the new black one.
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Yeah I have is parallel for sure. And it is galvanize kind of silver in color?
Maybe they just need to get used to it?? I don't know?
RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
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Did you put your bait in a container in the center of the trap? If you didn't it will float up to the top of the trap and they can nibble on it from the outside of the trap without having to go inside.
2011 five acre pond. LMB, SMB, HSB, SPB, BG, CNBG, HBG, RES, WM, CC, BCP, GC, FHM, GSH
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dj thats exactly what I did. I guess I need to somehow secure down in the middle of the trap?
I'll try that thanks, RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
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Last year in the fall I might get a dozen or so minnows at a time. Lots of minnows around, just did not go in well. This year I have had the trap literally half full of minnows when I pull it out of the water after only about an hour. I don't know how they all got in there and still swim around.
I just put some floating feed and let it float up to top. I can see FHM cover the top of the trap where they are eating it on the outside. Have no idea what I did right this spring that I could not do right last fall. Plenty of minnows both times.
I just throw it out in about a foot of water. Have not even been worrying about which way it is oriented. Now I will say I put the trap on the other side of the pond a couple days ago and did not get too many in it. Just now thought of that. Brought it back over near my dock and it filled a third full in half an hour. Come to think of it, I had it on the other side of the pond last fall and never tried it where I am having good success now. Hmmmmmmm........... doesn't seem like that should make any difference as the minnows travel all the way around the pond as I see them when feeding.
Might try another location???? Don't know if it will help but worth a try.
John
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If the trap is new and with shiny silver mesh, then use some spray paint to make the trap drab colored to look more like a old rock underwater. Black mixed with green and or brown. Then try trapping again. Report back here with results. The shiny wire mesh tends to 'scare' or make minnows avoid the trap.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/07/14 03:46 PM.
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I've never had consistent results with these minnow traps.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Do the bait thing, dull the shiny new trap like Bill said, make sure the openings are parallel to shore, and if still no minnows, move the trap around 'till you find 'em. Sort of like sitting in one spot all day long fishing. You'll usually catch more if you move around rather than sit in one spot.
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I use a small fabric paint strainer bag for the pellets but drop a couple in loose. Then I toss some in the area of the trap.
Neither color nor direction have ever made a difference.
If I leave it in too long they escape.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Thanks everyone I will try some of this, this weekend. I have minnows all over the place where my trap is they just won't go in it.. I have a small concrete pad in about a foot of water and they love swiming on it. I put the trap right at the end of it, but so far to no avail. It is shiny silver. I was thinking about that when I bought it. Maybe the black one would have been better but it wasn't galvenize and I wanted the better material. I will cammo it up some and see what happens.
RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
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Leave it out in the weather to get the shine off of it and you'll see a big difference in what it catches. Or spray it like Bill said.
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I put peanut butter crackers in old panty hose.. Don't ask me why they love them. Goldfish "the crackers" funny as it is.
Last edited by Cody Veach; 04/08/14 10:48 AM.
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Here you go. Its still early with colder than normal water temps here. I think there are about 3 doz in there. Secret bait was meow mix dry cat feed. Here they are in a 5 gal bucket. Some are over 3" long.
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MSC - It is hard to recognize what those fish are that you trapped when the fish are viewed from above. How about a close up side view? .
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Bill I believe they are banded killifish and mummichogs. Thanks to you guys I am getting better at identifying minnows.
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I catch all my minnows in tidal creeks and tidal areas. Not ponds or lakes. It really starts getting good around early May.
I do it the easy way. I find places where I can stop my truck, take one step and throw a trap out, fast and discreet. I also retrieve the traps fast and discreet. I don't want traps disappearing and I don't want other people knowing this is a hot minnow spot. And the best spot is... Roadside tidal ditches.
I rarely leave the trap in more than an hour or so. I believe minnows get back out after a while. And anyone with a very keen eye coming down the road, might spot my trap.
I just have good luck with the cat feed because its always here. Some people use bread or wheat bread or oatmeal or such. I would guess that fish pellets would work great. I also heard of people using white styrofoam packing peanuts in the trap as a visual attractant.
Free expert fishing tips. Just call BR-549.
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MSC, I've tried traps baited with AM600 pellets and with AM600 pellets and styrofoam peanuts. No difference in the amount of fish caught.
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I only see mummichogs in the photos. But it is hard to say if all those in the pics from above are mummichogs. A couple may also be striped killifish as well. Look them up, they are neat fish but not nearly as hardy as mummichogs or even banded killifish.
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Guys,
I stopped by to pick up a new minnow trap today at Farm and Fleet. My old disappeared during our move. They had two brands, both painted black. One had entry holes about 1 inch in diameter. The other was more like 1.5 to 2 inch. The 1 inch trap was also heavy wire and tighter mesh. Which would be best for trying to catch SFS, BNM, etc. in the creek as well as for assessing the small fish population in my pond?
Any thoughts?
Bill D.
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Just saw esshup's hint to bait traps with styrofoam peanuts. That is brilliant! If it works, it isn't hard to keep a ready supply. I wonder if color peanut matters? Obviously there is white peanuts but sometimes I get pink green or blue as well. The peanuts are visual only to improve trap rates, but you would still need a 'food smell' of some type to get them closer?
The other thing I have handy is dog food (no fish food) but that dissolves and tends to go away. I wonder if other small bits of styrofoam would work?
I've read that for crayfish one of the best baits is a can of tuna fish with the top kept on but small holes drilled in the top to allow the fish oils to slowly ooze out. I thought this was another great idea. I'm going to be sampling my pond for crayfish soon to see if I have any survival and who knows, maybe I can catch some minnows as well.
I've read leeches can be caught with a sealed metal coffee can with holes drilled in a way that the leeches can just squeeze through the hole but the deformed metal on the inside of the can (the burr of the metal) is left in place so they can't come back through. On my list of things to try
Bill Cody thought you would get better yield if the metal was bare, or painted a drab color on the trap. Those are harder to locate so I wondered out load with him if one could put a metal wire on the trap and throw it in a campfire, or maybe use a torch to burn off the plastic coating on the ones that are for sale by me. IF successful they would likely start rusting soon so would want to be primed and painted once they cool down. Not sure how effective that would be but could be tried.
IF Farm and Fleet have truly metal traps with no coating and black paint then you should be good. My trap has hot dip PVC or something coating it.
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""They had two brands, both painted black. Which would be best for trying to catch SFS, BNM, etc. in the creek as well as for assessing the small fish population in my pond?"" Neither one, unless as Canyon says the black is just paint and not rubberized coating. Paint can be repainted camouflage or green with brown. Many minnows/shiners don't seem to like the rubber coated traps for some reason - catch rate is lower. Bare metal painted galvanized traps catch about twice as many minnows in my creek sets than the rubber coated ones. I got rid of my rubber coated traps and replaced them with Gee style minnow traps. I have about 10 older Gee traps plus homemade ones. http://www.easternmarineoutlet.com/gees-galvanized-minnow-trap-g-40http://www.memphisnet.net/product/3804/t...ivLnxoCh2Dw_wcB Look for 6 pack free shipping offers on eBay. Here is a pretty good deal. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIX-6-Gees-G40-G...=item25938802ee
Last edited by Bill Cody; 03/18/15 03:18 PM.
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I have been looking at the net type on e-bay. They are kinda square and have about 5 or 6 entry holes. Any feed back on these? cost is only about 10-12 bucks for one with free shipping.
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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The one with the smaller hole was rubber coated. The other was painted.
I will check out the links. Might as well get the best.
Out of curiosity, what about the hole size question? Is there an optimal size for what I want to use it for?
Last edited by Bill D.; 03/18/15 03:26 PM. Reason: Clarification
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