Ben,
I started out right at ice out with dog food and I think my goldfish, perch etc were just hungry!! They all went in the traps. Then the bloom, or mud or whatever hit and it was like the lights were off. I tried 2 different style traps. My kids caught a perch and he didn't survive. I put the carcase in a metal style cylinder trap and after a week had 1 crayfish find it.
In a lake I fish where there is abundant crays, I use a filet BG carcass and it works wonders. Once I used the fat trimmings from some boneless chicken breasts and that worked great.
Back at home, I tried some meat scraps (table scraps of a ham dinner) No luck. Also no luck with bread or even tried a can of tuna fish with holes drilled in it.
Lately I've been using optimal fish feed and putting that in traps. I think the perch come to the feed area on the pond and clean up the feed after it sinks. I put the same feed in the traps and they seem to go in there and clean up the pellets.
Prior to optimal, I used what the fish farmer used and I think the perch were used to that, at least the adults were (Skretting steelhead food)
I'll try some dog food again, we have a few varieties in the garage.
I HOPE the pond is clearing, we'll have to see....
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oh, one more variable. The American Toad eggs have hatched and the edges are black with 'toadpoles' or I think they are called 'toadlets' Maybe by sheer numbers they are eating the 'haze' that is in the shallows.
Last edited by canyoncreek; 05/20/16 01:22 PM.
