Oh yeah. They are skittish enough that they may never come to where you can observe them, but they can definitely smell the feed and go after it.
I have one fairly robust factory heavy wire trap that they bent up the trap door to the feed tube located in the middle trying to get to it. Most off the time on the minnow traps they just push them around and the trap ends up deeper than you set it and sometimes up on end. But both the sliders and snappers will mess with it.
That is why you always have a rope attached and a stake to tie it off if you don't want to go exploratory swimming for your trap. Don't ask me how I know. I've got a couple sliders and a common snapper in my puddle that will get right in the mix of me feeding. The snapper has drug up right at my feet several times. So far I guess I've been lucky about them not messing with the traps tho. And yes...you definitely want to stake them out!!
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
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