Blac crappie

[muskie71]

im lucky. i have a fire pond across the street right choc full of fatheads , banded killifish and red belly dace. a minnow trap in there for a few hours gives me 6 doz. 1 1/2 to 2in. minnows. i keep them in a old freezer in my garage w/ a homemade fliter system i made. i always have bait to fish with and my pet fish are set forever. i keep about 200 in there all the time. a little goldfish food keeps them in good shape. i put about 6 at a time in my sunny tank. then let the chase begin! maybe if you could find a pond you could collect some minnows and keep them alive in a tote or old cooler till you feed them. if you want to catch the real small minnows , get butterfly net, find a place you see a lot of minnows. put the net on the bottom in 3-4in. of water then crumble bread in the middle of the net. if your patient and hold still, the minnows will all come for the bread. when you get a bunch in there quickly lift your net. I've got 20-30 at a time this way. can get some as small as 1/4in. even a 2in crappie can eat those. never met a crappie to turn down a live minnow. its fun to do and its free food for your fish