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Homemade Minnow Traps..do they work?


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#1 Guest_CatWhat_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 07:11 AM

I made up a few homemade minnow traps using the 2 litre pop bottle method. All three turned out fine but I had no luck when I set them. But I was going to try some different areas this week and try to put the blame on my technique or because there are very few fish species to be caught in my area. Anyway I was wondering how much success can I expect with using these homemade traps? I am going to order a couple of actual traps from Cabelas soon.
From what I have read so far it seems I should try and set the traps either in deeper hollows and near cover as its still winter.

#2 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 08:16 AM

Do you have pictures of your traps? What are you baiting them with?

#3 Guest_CatWhat_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 10:06 AM

I tried bread the first time around with no luck, but we don't have minnows here so maybe the bread works well for minnows. I read about using dog/cat food, so that's what I'm baiting them with now. I forgot to take a pic of them before I set them. I plan to check them before dark today, so I can get a pic of the traps tonight. I just youtubed how to make a homemade minnow trap. I went with the 2 litre pop bottle style, with a funnel type enterance ( I guess like a typical minnow trap ) by cutting the top off the bottle and putting it inside the bottom half of the bottle.
Not sure how often I should be checking them though.

#4 Guest_MichiJim_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 10:59 AM

I've made traps from window screen and a regular desk staples. They worked great, were inexpensive and scalable. I sized them to tuck in the undercuts in small streams.

Baited with dog kibble they caught blacknose dace, brook sticklebacks, central mudminnows, mottled sculpin and other small stream fish.

#5 Guest_CatWhat_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 04:22 PM

I can't picture how to make a trap with a window screen, any pics? I checked them after about 4 hours and no luck, at location #1 I had some insect larvae and thats it. I got some pics here of the traps and of where I have them set, any help or comments would be good. Thanks.

The Trap
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Location 1
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Location 2
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Location 3
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Let me know what you think.

Edited by CatWhat, 02 April 2012 - 04:25 PM.


#6 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 04:38 PM

i have done it a few times in similar locations. I just decided to spend the $12 on the true traps. Anyways, bottle traps worked fine. I did earthworms in a nylon (so they couln't get the bait) and I would get sunfish, crayfish, darters, madtoms.. I never got minnows in my bottle traps nor any perch/crappie/bass/gar like I have gotten in others (that gar comment was in regards to one that entered the trap looking for food I guess.. as he had a buldge in his belly)

#7 Guest_CatWhat_*

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Posted 02 April 2012 - 05:12 PM

Hopefully I wont have much trouble ordering a couple of the real deal traps from Cabelas in a couple of weeks. I would rather them. But all the same I don't think I'll have much luck regardless what I use as there isn't much in the area, espcially during the winter. I havn't been setting them in very deep water, mainly amongest cover, roots etc....maybe a foot or so of water.

#8 Guest_MichiJim_*

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Posted 03 April 2012 - 10:20 AM

Sorry Cat. that was a few (30?) years ago. No photos. But to construct, just think of a long tube, staple along the seem (doesn't have to be fancy), staple one end shut, and fahion a funnel for the other end. It's not pretty, but you just rip it open, take out the fish, and staple it back together.

Full disclosure, I use commercial traps now. But it is one way to do it on the real cheap.

#9 Guest_CatWhat_*

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Posted 03 April 2012 - 04:52 PM

Ok I can visualize it a bit better now. I would say the next time I attempt to set traps I will have a couple of actual ones by then. I just pulled my three homemade ones up today, after checking them a couple of times for two days with no luck at all. So I'm going to wait until it gets a bit warmer. Maybe then I'll have some luck.



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