Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations DIY minnow traps

Well here is my finished super duper minnow trap somm to be tested on bullheads. If you build one post it here.

Robbor,

That is pretty neat. I may just make one of those.

It really reminds me of a much larger version of what we used as kids to catch minnows on a creek that ran through our farm. We would use a 1-gallon glass jar with a big funnel facing upstream.

Ken

robbor - Great idea.
1. what did you use to cut the water bottles?
2. you just used 3 bolts to fasten the bases together, correct?
2. how did you get a piece of plastic with correct curvature for the access panel?

Be sure to let us know how it works.

1. OK the funnel end of the water bottles were cut off using a 12" compound miter saw left all the way up. I clamped a 2x6 up heigh against the fence and then another 2x6 piece as a stop block so it could just push the bottle into the blade and rotate the bottle. It worked like a million $$$. The flat end i just used a dremmel routing bit and a large sanding drum to clean it up. I actually used 2 people here, because i had to have some hold the guard up and saw on while i did the cutting.

2.I used (4) 1/4-20 SS bolts, 90 deg apart. I just had to drill that one you cant see with the bottles apart. I also drilled about 6 hole opposite of each other inside so i could use a small bungee or wire to keep the bait in the center.

3. For the door all i had was pretty thick plexiglass/lexan about 1/4". It gets heated in the oven for about 5 min at 350degrees and your cookies are done . I heated it on tin foil and when you can see it has totally layed down flat on you pan i took it out and laid it on the bottle with 4 pieces of newspaper between the 2. I had to do mine twice and the curve was not good enough for me the first time. thinner plexi will bend easier. In different places i epoxied the plexiglass to the bottle and in a fes spots i drilled and tapped the plexiglass for 10-24 screws to hold the aluminum hinge to it.
If it bubbles it is to hot, there are bubbles on mine as i used 375 and got it to hot the first time.

Lastly the clips to hold the 2 pieces togather i made also out of wire much heavier than coathanger but i will try coathanger next time. I had a piece of scrap aluminum with a square U shape in it and i just layed the wire on top and with another piece of metal and hammer, i hammered the wire into the U shape so all my clips were flat on all 3 side and identical like a staple.
Drilling all the holes took some time because i also countersunk them inside and out. On the next one i am hount to try using a heat gun on them to see if it will smooth them out. You can easily get away with just leaving them as drilled.
FYI, the bottle does sink. I want to say my finished trap is 11.5" x 26"

Thats it , all my secrets until "Super Duper Pooper Scooper Minnow Trap Mark 2", lol. I started drilling holes today. I got 2 bottles without the grab handles, which i like much better.

Sorry about the pics guys, I reduced them but obviously not enough. Ill reduce them more.

Its fixed, You old guys might need a magnifying glass now, lol.

Being a cheapskate I love posts like this. Make something out of junk to avoid having to spend money on what the store sells. I might just make one too.

I am somewhat miffed at the lack of duct-tape usage on this project.

It reduces the "trust" factor just a tad.