You can use either method. The funnel method is usually fest or famine in my experience. When you hit the jackpot though, you hit it! Bait is a matter of what you are trying to catch. But for your average minnow species like BNM, I like to use cheap koi pellets or dry dog food. Put them in a mesh bag so they don't float away or come to the wire of the trap and allow fish to feed without entering. You can often catch a large number of minnows if left out for a day or so... Many times it is the only method to use in some places because they are so thick with rocks, logs or vegetation making the use of a net impossible.
