Minnow trap bait?

What is the best bait to use in a minnow trap?

I use corn bread.

pieces of onion and a small amount of bread

slice of white bread works good around here

I catch them with Gravy Train dog food.

I use dried dog food or cat food

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Originally Posted by cricket george

I use dried dog food or cat food

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You won't find much better or cheaper than bread. Any kind of bread.
Save those heels and throw them in the trap.
:cool:

I will be using a minnow trap at Smith Lake in northern Alabama. The water is about 30' deep where I will be using it. Should I sink the minnow trap to the bottom or suspend it just below the surface or next to the shore where it's only 3' deep?

Also, I was thinking of hanging it next to my light at night to hopefully get minnows AND shad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvcsw5rGqU0 Has anyone had any luck putting a minnow trap next to a light at night?

I'll be using dog food as bait.

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread but I don't think it is a bad thing.

I would put it in 3 fow next to the shore. I have never used it next to a light, but it should work fine.

We use crackers and bread

I use Wheaties made in to a dough ball and its great for carp fishing too....woody

Used to swear by Gravy Train dog food.

I've successfully tried bread, cake, dog food (both kibble and canned), catfood, and chunks of ground up fish. Really, most anything that will drift either its scent or small particals outside the trap to get their attention will bring them into the trap to feed on the bait cache. There may be some baits that work better for specific species of minnow, but the trap has to go where the minnows are. Light doesn't bother them at all, but despite the fact that a light alone will often attract them, I've had just as good results without the light in the same waters.

I am trying to use a minnow trap in my slip as you can always see minnows swimming there late in the afternoon and at night when you turn the lights on.

I tried suspending just under the surface of the water, with bread in the trap and suspending it about two feet under the water, again with bread in the trap.

I have not caught a single minnow to date.

Should I place the minnow trap at the bottom or near the bottom of the water? The slip is 10.5' deep.

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Originally Posted by ezgoing

I am trying to use a minnow trap in my slip as you can always see minnows swimming there late in the afternoon and at night when you turn the lights on.

I tried suspending just under the surface of the water, with bread in the trap and suspending it about two feet under the water, again with bread in the trap.

I have not caught a single minnow to date.

Should I place the minnow trap at the bottom or near the bottom of the water? The slip is 10.5' deep.

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Try putting it along the shore line and in no more then 2' of water or along the bulk head on the first stringer that is under the water about 2'.If you have a tide that comes in & out you may want to put it in 3' of water because if the water level is in line with the holes the minnow may swim out or a snake may swim in to feed on your minnows.............woody

A Clean sponge and McCormick Pure vanilla Extract in a minnow trap!!! Pour a little of the vanillia extract(cap full on the sponge)put in the minnow trap. The old fashioned wire ones works the best.When they get hard to trap a( minnow hook and light bread) and 2 lb test line.

Thanks for the response. I will try the sponge and extract when I go to the slip tonight.

The problem with placing the trap in 2-3 foot of water near the shore line is people steal the trap if you don't stay by it.

I have tried placing it 2' under at my slip, at both the front of the slip and the back of the slip. The slip is currently in 10' of water. However you can see large schools of minnows swimming in the side of the slip and the back of the slip when I turn on my green LED lights.

So they must be in the slip in the deeper water to be attracted to the lights and immediately surface when the lights come on.

Try it at different depths and see what it does. Haven't used a trap in a lot of years but used to use oat meal. Get it wet and form into a ball put inside trap..

Thanks for your replies.

I haven't used a trap in years myself. I plan on trying the sponge and extract to see if that works. I will try several depths as I know they are in the slip.

I used cast nets to catch shrimp and mud minnows for bait for seventeen years. Before that I used a throw net to catch shad and shiners.

But I can no longer throw the 6' and 8' bait nets. So I thought I would try a minnow trap again.

I think I will buy the smallest throw net I can find and see if I can throw it. I know I could get all the minnows I want if I could just throw a net.