This years bait trapping thread

[COLD-AS-ICE]

I can't speak on behalf of a lot of ponds but the one I trap produces far more once I can walk on it. Right now I have maybe a little over 100+ in my bait tank but once it freezes I should be able to have double that in one haul. It also shuts right off come late February and March.

Same here. Gave up trapping until I have ice. May be February or March at the rate we are going

[saltyshores]

Been doing well on mummichogs (tomcod) so far but have only managed half a dozen shiners... do folks ever use tomcods for trout and salmon?

     
Yes, I've caught both  on mummichogs, but I prefer smelts for salmon.

[woodchip]

do folks ever use tomcods for trout and salmon? I always try to use Tom cod when I can get them .They are easier to keep alive and are more lively then shiners I like little ones  I put one on thru the back and on the same hook one tru the lips they fight each other and can be seen from all angles. Lake trout love em.

[SirCranksalot]

Some people trap thru the ice. That sounds a bit difficult to me. How do you cut a big enough hole for the trap? Right now we have just a skimmer of ice----not safe for walking but too thick to pull the trap thru. I guess I'll have to wait until the ice is 'safe'. That's generally regarded as 4". Cutting a big hole thru 4" plus doesn't sound like a lot of fun.

[saltyshores]

Yup, we mostly chisel holes for trapping bait. We mainers are tough  although a few soft guys cut bait trapping holes with chainsaws.

[APJ]

I use a canoe and long 12 ft poles to hang traps off. Works awesome and I'm the only one out there. Get alot more bait in half the time..

[lunkahville]

Some people trap thru the ice. That sounds a bit difficult to me. How do you cut a big enough hole for the trap? Right now we have just a skimmer of ice----not safe for walking but too thick to pull the trap thru. I guess I'll have to wait until the ice is 'safe'. That's generally regarded as 4". Cutting a big hole thru 4" plus doesn't sound like a lot of fun.

My husqvarna 460 will cut upto 19" of ice. Empty the bar oil run a tank of veggie oil through it then commence to cutting holes. It's nice too because you don't have a bunch of jagged edges to chip around when your tending them.

[SirCranksalot]

I use a canoe and long 12 ft poles to hang traps off. Works awesome and I'm the only one out there. Get alot more bait in half the time..

I'm puzzled. How do you use the canoe and poles? thx

[APJ]

I'm puzzled. How do you use the canoe and poles? thx

The poles are for sticking into bottom of pond upright then hang your traps off the pole. My ponds are under 10 ft deep.

[nalegtx]

I'm running a 100 gallon Rubbermaid water trough from Tractor Supply (black ones) with a hanging Repto Filter on the side of the tank. The i have a canister filter that filters 500 gallons/hr. Two air pumps that are rated for 50 gallons a piece. I change my water every 3 days with a garden hose (well water) and using a bilge pump to flush the bottom of the tank. I use Fungus Aide and Shiner Holding formula from Better Bait and i keep bait for 5 months no problem. It sounds elaborate but really is not.

[SirCranksalot]

Well, so much for location, location, location!

I have tried:
1 the main river where I live, 2 locations
2 a couple of creeks running thru marshy areas
3 a shallow lake/pond with lots of bulrushes, weeds etc
4 a shallow pond interconnected with several other ponds
5 a deeper pond in the same system.

I have used:
1 bread
2 Crackers
3 rolled oats
4 dog food
Up until the last spot I attributed my lack of success to poor locations but now I’m stymied! There must be minnows of some sort in the pond system that I tried last. Could it be that all the minnows in that location are warm water species and are now inactive? Any other explanation?
thx

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

I was having trouble too finding a place. Eventually I ended up tossing a trap off my parents dock while up for xmas. Got some nice sized bait. Also my best spot was a bever bog I found out in the woods. Had 2 bever huts. Haven't had any luck in flowing water.

[Fish Wayniac]

any one cheeping there bait in a non heated area? I have a un insulated / un heated garage any thoughts on how I could cheap bait in there any container that would hold water that was already insulated?

I have heard of people using junked freezers. Use a piece of rigid insulation for a cover.Cut a hole in it and rig a light that shines in above the water. You will also need to keep the water moving with a pump.This thread has been going for years, if you back some pages you will get some ideas.

[Shrinkage]

Stupid question #1: Anyone have any experience using tank warmers and just leaving a plastic tub outside? I'm messing with my holding set up and I want to leave it right on the porch? My Ham cooler is toast...I have a storage bin and will wrap it with insulation. Just wondering if I need it. With the Ham cooler last year it never froze with a small circulator.

...just saw Waynes prior post...should have done a little reading

[JustForTheHalibut]

Hey guys have a quick question, and it might be in these 36 pages of this thread, but I did a search and nothing came up and to be honest I don't want to read through 36 pages . Do any of you guys/gals using a chest freezer black them out? all my bait died (luckily I didn't have a lot) and a local bait dealer told me the whites of the walls make them "bleach" their stomachs? Anyone run into this or heard of this before? thanks

[GasBlaster]

Plenty of people using white . the fish will lighten there color a ton in a white tank but I don't think it will kill them . some guys line here bait buckets with a black trash bag to darken them back up

[LilWeezy]

Stupid question #1: Anyone have any experience using tank warmers and just leaving a plastic tub outside? I'm messing with my holding set up and I want to leave it right on the porch? My Ham cooler is toast...I have a storage bin and will wrap it with insulation. Just wondering if I need it. With the Ham cooler last year it never froze with a small circulator.

...just saw Waynes prior post...should have done a little reading

I'm using a plastic tote with insulation. And a trough heater with guard. Works great. Hasnt froze yet.

[Shrinkage]

How maNY watts is your trough heater?

[9huskies]

Plenty of people using white . the fish will lighten there color a ton in a white tank but I don't think it will kill them . some guys line here bait buckets with a black trash bag to darken them back up

Wouldn't it be easier to use a black bucket?

[Wolley]

A couple things I just thought of:
Close the lid on a freezer, what color is it then on the inside.
If it snows and the ice on a pond turns white, do all the fish in the pond bleach out.
I'm going to have to think some more on this

[nbg]

Wouldn't it be easier to use a black bucket?

I use an orange colored bucket...I'm screwed. lol

I always used a trash bag only because I couldn't find the lid to the bucket and could tie the bag off. 

[9huskies]

I learned about the trash bag liner sort of by accident. I was dipping spring smelts into a black bucket without thinking about it. It happened to be the bucket I grabbed. A bait dealer who was dippping at the same brook wanted to know where a got a black pail. He was using a trash bag. Now I mostly fish S-44 lakes so I have no reason to keep smelt alive. They go directly into a salt and baking soda brine. As soon as I get home they go in the freezer.

[LostOne]

I use 3 separate containers for my bait. Two of my containers are medium blue colored, the 3rd is dark gray inside and has a lid that I keep closed most of the time...It's true about the color getting bleached out of the fish. The shiners that I keep in the dark colored container stay nice and dark, but the others definitely get lighter after a couple of weeks.

[9huskies]

The color of the bait tank seems to make  difference in the color of the bait. What really matters is if it makes the bait less effective. I haven't notice any difference when fishing.

[LostOne]

The color of the bait tank seems to make  difference in the color of the bait. What really matters is if it makes the bait less effective. I haven't notice any difference when fishing.

I agree.

[GasBlaster]

I think the darker bait fish are more natural looking .I'm not sure if the lighter ones are less effective . I do know they don't take long to darken back up if they came out of a white tank or bucket . I have seen when fishing out of a white bait bucket they all look the same shade in the morning . At the end of a trip picking traps up and putting still lively bait that have been in the lake on a hook back in the bait bucket. They are darker then all they others that have been in the bucket all day .

[JustForTheHalibut]

Hey guys, so Ive read through this topic and had a question. I built a tank from a chest freezer, have a pump running up to a pvc tubbing that is full of the blue fish filter material. I drilled holes in it and let it filter/ pump air into it. I found my shinners are dying pretty quickly. like within 2-3 days. Foam seems to be generating. Ive been catching the bait and dumping it into the freezer with the pond water, am I doing something wrong? Maybe I need a different filter? Thanks guys!

[APJ]

Hey guys, so Ive read through this topic and had a question. I built a tank from a chest freezer, have a pump running up to a pvc tubbing that is full of the blue fish filter material. I drilled holes in it and let it filter/ pump air into it. I found my shinners are dying pretty quickly. like within 2-3 days. Foam seems to be generating. Ive been catching the bait and dumping it into the freezer with the pond water, am I doing something wrong? Maybe I need a different filter? Thanks guys!

Either too much bait in tank or not enough water changes.. But if you add the chemical better bait and a drop or two of defoamer for bait you will have no more issues. Or use a carbon filter but that is exspensive. I keep 700 in a 14cubic ft freezer using this method. Change half the water once per week.

[thedirtydirtyfisherman]

when you put newly trapped fishing into a tank environment a couple things happen, they will usually puke and poop due to the shock from moving from one environment to the other... this is why bio filtering is important, but during these periods small frequent water changes should help with a focus on the new water being as close temp wise with the old water.  After a few days they should stop puking and pooping and the water quality should stabilize.

[gola yona]

Would like to get some shiners but all I can catch nearby is fatheads and chub.