Catching your own minnows

[TheHurt]

I have just started trying to catch my own minnows and so far have been unsuccessful. If anyone out there has any tips on how to find a good spot, bait, etc. I would appreciate any tips your willing to share.

[rocky324]

I thought you had to be licensed :confused: But there is a spot up by thomas rd seen lots last spring :fish:

[HANNIS]

It's legal.There are restrictions on how big nets or traps can be.I have always caught them from the dock right before i go out.

[fish_skeered]

and you have to use them in that or a connected body of water due to laws to stop the spread of species and vhs

[fish_skeered]

use a trap in the edges of deep holes of rivers, baiting with a bunch of saltines or bread. i like bread because you can pack it into nice sized balls and it soaks longer. let it sit in there for at least a few hours, overnight if possible. get it dow to at least 2 FOW, about 3-4 is best. oh yea, and make sure you tie it something!

[love2fish93]

I just use one of the wire minnow traps and I will take a film canister and drill holes in it and fill it with dog food. Bread works but they can pick it out and it also dissolves.

Just my oppinion

Pat

[HANNIS]

I use the trap with bread,but if i can see them at the dock i also use my dip net on a rope and just yank them up when they swim over it.

[AduntonLSSU]

oatmeal and a bit of water. just enough water so its a little more dry than you would make it if you were eating it.

[ehavel]

Glass Minnow traps work best around shallow, sandy docks and I always crunch up 3 Saltine crackers. Make sure all the air is out of the tank when putting the trap down

[Biggsy]

We use what i'll call a drag net (not sure of the real name). We start in chest deep water with a person on each end of the net and walk towards shore and lift. We take the net with us to whatever lake we go to, and catch the minnows were going to use from the lake were going to fish. Works best in a sandy beach areabut we normally use them right at the boat launches. I've attached a picture I found that looks very similar to the net we use. The net has weights on the bottom and floats on the top. Works great.

Biggsy:coolgleam

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:I58lvvOl6tYeUM:http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/oct06/Silvery%2520Minnow.jpg (http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/oct06/Silvery%20Minnow.jpg)

[TheHurt]

Can you catch minnows year round or only in the summer?

[WALLEYE MIKE]

I thought you had to be licensed :confused: But there is a spot up by thomas rd seen lots last spring :fish:

Legal for personal use. Cannot sell them.

[Michigan Sniper]

Biggsy - that net is a seine. I use those, too. In Michigan they can't be more than 12 feet long or 4 feet high. I would recommend the ones with 1/8" mesh, especially if you don't want most perch minnows to slip through.

[Fishslayer5789]

I would agree with the seine net. I use a seine a lot and get all the minnows I could ever need, especially in the late spring on my lake.