what does it mean by fin fish?

That's just a regular fish, as opposed to, say, shellfish or crayfish.

These really work well! I made three of them out of discarded soda bottles I found on the beach here, and caught 6 fish in under 30 minutes using ritz crackers as bait. Half of the fish were caught in one bottle at the same time! Unfortunately, the photos I took weren't what one would call "good," otherwise I'd ask for identification help.

I'll have to give this another try after I steal some more crackers from the cafeteria.

Andrew, tell the cafeteria workers that you're horrified at the thought anyone would take more than one ice cream from the freezer. Then you'll be their pal... And I've found a wide range of tropical/semi-tropical juveniles around Dauphin Island (I'll give it away.) Various grunts, esp. French, show up en masse, and of course you should catch bunches of Fundulus species. Introduce yourself to chief aquarist Brian Jones at the Estuarium, he'll know most of the species.

I think I might have met Brian briefly today when I was asking about some of the seahorses in their exhibits... they feed them freshly hatched killifish!!

I know that I caught both gulf and longnose killifish (Two of the few that I'm able to recognize), but I also caught a solid white (with the exception of it's black lateral line) killifish as well. The other specie--well, I just don't know where to begin describing it. It reminded me of a blenny of some sort. I can't ID it, so it's probably a hybrid. I'm sure I'll catch more of them while I'm here--especially since Wal-Mart persuaded me to buy a cast-net.

The cafeteria workers don't have a problem with me stuffing my pockets with ritz crackers, but it's the wrath of god if I ask for an additional entrée.

I sure that would be a tasty treat, but I think I'll pass.

A quick glance at the GA law indicates that there may be a problem trapping "bait fish" in freshwater. Any opinions?

Well there was this long thread where I got well lets say mildly moderated but in conflict one usually learns and retains. I believe if you searched the regs carefully you will find that fish 5 inches and under (non game fish) may be taken with net, or seine (I do not know about trap) as long as you are not in trout waters. Now trout waters are littered all over the northern part of Georgia so that is up to you to find out. I usually call. But if you want to read there is a section in the regs on the net, PDF form, you can read where trout waters are by county if you want to dig. I did and it paid off.

You can make them out of a single pop bottle, from 16oz on up. Cut the top off right where it starts to neck down from the largest diameter, and invert the resulting funnel into the cylindrical part. Attach with a needle and strong thread - you can sew right through the thin plastic real easily. You only need to secure it in 2-3 places, makes it easier to remove the minnows later. Punch some small holes in the bottom, tie a string on, and voila - almost free minnow trap. 20oz water bottles (the ones with the ridges) work especially well.

I've seen more elaborate versions in China (with bamboo rim that secures the funnel), but this is the simplest you can get. This is one heck of a lot easier than elaborately woven bamboo traps that were used to catch loaches historically, and seem to have replaced the bamboo traps in all but the most remote regions. The pics below are of a traditional bamboo trap being emptied, and of the end result... mmm good!

cheers,
Dave

That looks from this photo at least like a large plastic bottle. I will take you word for it though. Anyone want to take a crack at ID'ing this fish in a bowl.