Hey all I have a question about this minnow cage / small BG cage I made.

This cage is 2x2x2 and I was planing on putting it in my pond by my dock in a bout a 18 inches of water give or take an inch. Of course I still have to prep the wooden top for outside. I used galvinized mesh screen a LOT of zip strips and some quick clips to keeps the top closed.

My question is this. How many large shiners say 4 inches long can I put in a cage like this for a period of time say 2 months? Will this work? Will they get enough food just from being in the pond? Or will I still need to feed them? I just want to be able to stage some bait fish for the most part. Cause it's real hard to find live bait up where I am at.

Thanks for any help or ideas on this.
RC

Looks good... what about 200 bucks in zip ties lol..

If you feed the shiners ground or crushed fish food they will survive a lot better assuming they are in good condition when placed in the cage. Maybe feed the every 2-3 days or 4-7 days to keep them alive and reduce chances of lots of FA on the cage walls. Consider cutting a round or square hole in the lid and covering it with 1/2" or larger mesh so food can be added easily. You should be able to easily hold 8 to 10 dozen shiners in there for two months assuming some are removed on a regular basis. In the right conditions and smaller sized shiner, you might be able hold initially around 200, but start with abt 100 to learn the process. Be aware that FA could grow on the cage walls and will need to be scrubbed off with a stiff brush or stiff bristle small broom such as used to apply tar to roofs. I think it will be a good idea to float the cage off the dock in deeper water than 18"-28". I have several times held several minnow - shiner combinations in a larger cage (28" dia X 3ft deep) cage all summer.

RC, looks good. I made one outa pvc like yours and some sorta plastic chicken fence stuff. But I had to fill the pvc frame partly with water until it would sink. Maybe the galvanized screen on yours will be heavy enough to sink it.

Hey thanks guys!! Not sure if I want it to sink at least not all the way. I may put a few rocks in the bottom to get it to sink slowly. Then like Bill said zip tie some noodle floats around the top of it to keep it somewhat a float!

Bill a hole in the center to feed is a GREAT idea never even thought of that!! Thanks,

RC

BK you anit kidding! I thought I was never gonna get done! Took almost 300! Ughh...

This is kinda one of those projects where you think you can make one a lot cheeper then just buying one! Ha,ha, I may have saved a little money but not much!!

RC

Drill 1/8" or 3/16" holes in the bottom, and about 1/4 the way down from the top of the cage. That lets out the air at the bottom, but keeps some in at the top. If not, it might try to turn turtle on you when in the water. I agree about the noodles and the hole in the top.

Depending on the size of the GSH, they might beat their tails up on the mesh.

Thanks esshup that's a good idea too!! I apprecaite it!

RC

300 zip ties?? Try using weedeater line next time. I take .045 string, cut it to a length of 8-10', tie one end off, and start threading it through the mesh and around the plastic pipe/tubing. Keep pulling it tight, and when you get close to the end of the line simply tie it off and start again with another length.

This cage has been assembled for over 4 years, set exposed outside over a couple winters, and has been in the pond for 10 months straight now. Never had to replace any line, or tighten/repair it at all.

Zip ties in a 1000 count bag can be found for $20-30 depending on the length.

Scott, I'm new to the whole cage deal, but noodles on a bar 10" below the top of my big cage is what I used. It keeps a turtle/duck barrier up above water level.

Noodles are a great tool to keep around ponds. I use them to float my weed rakes, keep FHM pallets floating at water level, and on my cages. A good investment for a couple of bucks.

Oh RC, nice cage.

A cylindrical bait cage tends to work better. Bait swims in circles instead of bumping into corners and hurting themselves.

That's how I built my holding pen. I wanted it round sided so any BG I throw in it wont be digging into the corners trying to get out and injuring themselves. Seems to be working good, but I need to give it a good scrubbing now.

I had a buddy use an old dryer drum to hold fish by his dock until he wanted to clean them. It worked well, it was from a commercial dryer, prob 3 1/2' around