minnow traps?

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Louie

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 29, 2007
3,701
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South Florida
Hello
I was looking at minnow traps (mesh type with funnel ). How long do they need to be "set" for? I was planning to use it for couple of hours while I fish as didnt want to leave it overnight . Not sure if that would be enough time.

I imagine bread would be a good bait?


Thanks
 
try if a few hours is to short try longer
bait,bread is good but falls apart
greasy food is good,like ham or hot dogs
you can also buy bait from walmart or bait stores
throw in a few pieces of cucumber with the bait,might get plecos too
so bread,meat,cucumber ball for bait :grinno:
i get nylon mesh from fabric stores,or wallyworld, and make bait bags also ;)
 
Thanks the hot dogs sound good cheap enough to might just also add bread in mesh bag great idea never thought of that .

Just want to catch half a dozen or so minnows each week if catch something interesting that can live in my pond will keep it
 
oh wow amazing stuff. I never thought to click on it before glad you mentioned it. Real neat stuff you have posted thanks

I am in Doral/Miami .There are large lakes here and big canals. Some of the lakes are clear and water looks very clean yet other than tiny "minnows" (turtles and iguanas see all the time) here and there havent seen anything.

I put in a large plastic home depot type pond in my yard and going to try to catch small neat stuff to stock it now that the water lilies are covering the surface.

I initially was going with bass but after few answered my posts here realized they just get to big.
the lakes here have tested fine with my freshwater test kits and again very clear yet as a whole not much as far as life other than bass here and there and channel cats but havent seen anything near the shores.

I am going to try few places further up North soon. I just ordered a minnow/crayfish trap hope to try that as soon as I get it with hot dogs/bread
 
Could be these lakes are predator bound, oxygen depleted or treated with chemicals by "lake specialist".

Old borrow pits are usually a good bet, or moving water (canals).

Anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, it just depends on how hungry or inquisitive the fish are.

If it's an area you go to alot start feeding every time you go whether you net or not. I always keep oatmeal in a sealed container in my tackle box just to see what's in the water.

Keep us posted on how you do, midnight needs some competition :ROFL:.

Dr Joe

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Next time I am by the lake in daylight will take a pic of it . Its crystal clear water looks like Hawaii only houses in the area .
As far as I can see no junk at all in the water the bottom is white sand but only thing I can think of is not much cover .
Ph is high 7.8 but most PH is high in Miami my rainwater is marine water ph. everything else tests great .

If it wasnt for me fear of alligators (never saw one) I would go scuba diving in it on weekends thats how crystal the water is.

I catch more fish (catfish mostly other types I dont know what they are) in the big canals.
I unhook them let them go and use barbless hooks. I am trying to stock my pond and bought the minnow/crayfish trap should arrive this week .
Hope to catch tiny cichlids
 
midnight;1661244; said:
try if a few hours is to short try longer
bait,bread is good but falls apart
greasy food is good,like ham or hot dogs
you can also buy bait from walmart or bait stores
throw in a few pieces of cucumber with the bait,might get plecos too
so bread,meat,cucumber ball for bait :grinno:
i get nylon mesh from fabric stores,or wallyworld, and make bait bags also ;)


I caught countless mosquito fish -3 tiny bass- 4 sunfish longear. I used hot dogs and bread set the trap out Sun am while fishing put it out about 5 feet deep among cattails.

Trap was only in water for about 4 hours. few turtles showed up to . It was a gold mine. funny thing is I have gone there at night nothing but during day it was full of biting fish.

On hook caught 4 bass (nothing big) 2 big sunfish. let everything go but 12 mosquito fish put them in yards pond 3 that I kept are black/white type.

Before leaving to give my thanks lol cut the hot dogs up into tiny pieces and threw them in the lake with bread . This way "no hard feelings" with the fish lol however I was after cichlids but none to be found
 
Congrats :headbang2

Some success is better than none.

Keep trying every time you go... you haven't caught a walking catfish yet either ;).

They need to find out there is sometimes food in that spot, then they will come back looking each time.

Dr Joe

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