# Minnow Traps



## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Due to the lack of bait shops in close proximity, I wanted to go and try to catch some minnis in creeks around town.

Before doing this, is it legal to catch minnows in Ohio? Also, if it is, and you do catch them, how do you keep them alive until you go fishing?


----------



## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

Ur fine catch all I can up to o think 500 but as long as u don't try to sell em ur fine I may be very wrong on the count but I think u will be fine 

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## olderfer (Feb 2, 2009)

Northern1 said:


> Due to the lack of bait shops in close proximity, I wanted to go and try to catch some minnis in creeks around town.
> 
> Before doing this, is it legal to catch minnows in Ohio? Also, if it is, and you do catch them, how do you keep them alive until you go fishing?


It is legal to catch minnows for personal use, tho I don't know the limit.

Keeping them alive is another question. Most of what you catch in creeks and such are fairly hardy and will live a good while in a bucket with an aerator. Keep it in a cool place. Emerald shiners, on the other hand, are fragile and die very easily. Summer heat is a major cause, as is inadequate aeration. Even bait dealers have trouble keeping them alive. If you discover some magical solution to the problem, please post it.

Jim


----------



## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Thanks guys, I'm going to throw the trap in this morning. We'll see what I get in the trap this afternoon. Yeah aerating the tank is the tricky part. I think keeping them in the basement should keep them cool enough. I have small refrigerator down there if not.


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

puting them in the fridge is a good idea. but you must have a good aerator the best one i have ever used for minnies is called the minn-o-mizer i think. but it floats and sprays water around. it also cools the water. but it doesnt hurt to put a handful of ice in you bucket ever so often.

we use to go to dale hollow fishing for eyes in the spring. we could get minnies at home for 3 dozen for a dollar and they were 85 cents a dozen at east port marina. so we took about 100 with us. and we kept them alive for days just using that minn-o-mizer and putting alittle ice in the cooler we used for our bait bucket.
sherman


----------



## 1mecheng (Jul 28, 2009)

ODNR Regulations for bait capture/sales:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=18644

Dan


----------



## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

Maumee Tackle sells a nice bait bucket with a self contained aereator, where its in the bottom of the bucket,and the bubbles come up thru the bottom middle. The ones where the pummp clip to the side kindof suck. The only disadvantage is you cant dip it in the water. We've even kept shiners overnight in it.
Hint - If you are keeping larger minnows like chubs, put a cover on your bucket or they'll be all over your basement floor in the morning.


----------



## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Went and checked the trap at about 6:30. This is just a small creek- maybe 10-20 feet wide in places. The trap was PACKED full of 4-5'' minnows! These are almost as big as some of the crappie I catch lol. There was a guy in waders casting around. He said the creek actually gets to be 3-4' in some places. He showed me his bucket and it was full of smallies and rock bass. Looked like fun, I might have to pick up some waders. I'm sure NW Ohio is packed with little creeks like this...Easy alternative if I dont feel like hauling the kayaks or the boat anywhere and staying in town. I gave him most of my minnows, as I wasn't going for saugeyes tonight on the lake. ( I might throw another trap and go for some muskie with those big shiners down at Alum this weekend, though. ) 

On another note, my wife and I took our yaks to Indian Lake tonight. She was out for a pleasure ride, I was out to fish and enjoy the evening. Only caught 1 small crappie, but we had a lot of fun. Kayaking is a perfect mix between leisure and exercise. When you're fishing from one, it makes it even better! If you are on the fence about getting a kayak, I would highly recommend it. I found mine here on OGF marketplace and there's no sales tax!


----------



## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

By the way guys, thanks for your replies and input. I'm trying to find something that is small enough to fit in my kayak, but can still go on the boat. I might settle for just a simple aerator from Wal-Mart for under $15 for the short trips. I just use an 8 quart styrofoam minnow bucket in the front storage compartment since I don't want a lot of bumping around by using a 'trolling' minnow bucket in the water. But I need to figure out a good solution to keeping the extras alive after the trip so i'll keep an eye out using the suggestions.


----------



## crappiefish (May 17, 2012)

another tip when putting ice in the water make sure u dont use too much ice u cool the water to fast and they will die i like to freeze 1 liter bottles and stick one maybe 2 in my bucket right after catching them depending on the seize of the container. it cools water down slower and a chunk of ice will last longer than cubes of ice. as far as keeping them alive just keep the water cool and areated and they will stay alive a long time. in the spring when its cool ihave kept minnows alive for a couple weeks on my porch with a fish tank areater and feeding them goldfish food. my daughter had some she caught in a pond at our campgrounds that she wanted to keep we put them in a small fish tank with a areater and feed them gold fish food and they lived for over a year in the tank.


----------



## firelands (Oct 5, 2006)

I use one of those blue plastic kids pools (OK as long as you keep it out of direct sunlight) with a pump thing I got at a hardware /building supply store.
I've kept them alive all summer/winter with this set-up. It doesn't aerate, it just "pushes" the water, i.e. just keeps it moving. I think it's designed for aquatic yard ponds like they keep goldfish in. Anyways, it works for me.
I'm talking about keeping creek minnows. I think it would work for lake shiners but have never tried it.
Obviously this is for keeping them at home, not a trip to the lake. Unless you've got a big boat!
Good luck!


----------



## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

Northern1, what type of minnow trap did you buy?


----------



## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Timmyv, I got one from walmart. Just the standard- about 8 or 9 dollars. Not too bad. I get probably a dozen to twenty large minnows anytime I throw it in for a few hours. In creeks around here there are minnows all over the place. If you wanted to get more than just a couple doz at a time, it wouldn't be hard with a siene net. Also with a net, you could target a specific size. I find that I often want minnows that are a bit smaller than what I get in the trap.


----------



## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

What bait do you put in the trap? I tried crackers and bread with peanut butter a couple days ago and got zilch over night. This was one night after billions of minnows were on the surface of the harbor spawning or something. The next afternoon, I put out the trap at the back of the boat with the bait. Checked it 2 times that day and the next morning with nothing. It was in 3 feet of water.


----------



## Angl3r (May 29, 2012)

I use onion and bread. Works great! 


Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

I keep it simple- one piece of bread into four or five balls and put it in the trap. Scout the areas and see if there are minnows in the area, and don't use the same spot every time


----------



## dreamstalker (Sep 8, 2011)

Get a 1-2 dollar laundry bag from walmart and line your bucket with it. When you need to, just hang the bag in the water. There is a small version made for delicate clothes to go in a washer. This makes it easy to water change for a bucket. No aerator needed.


----------

