This Years Bait Trapping Thread

[tip up boss]

i heard that juicy friut gum is a good bait seems like a bunch of nonsense to me anyone else hear this ill give the cheese balls a try

[lobsterman]

i read the same on the gum, tried it but nothing

[LostOne]

Is it possible to get a trap full of small brook trout.  Cause today my trap was loaded with fish but I put them all back they looked like real small brookies to me.

Rusty, when I asked the warden for permission to trap a couple of streams near me, he told me his only concern was that I release any small brookies I caught in my traps...so I would guess that it is possible.

[APJ]

Is it possible to get a trap full of small brook trout.  Cause today my trap was loaded with fish but I put them all back they looked like real small brookies to me.

Yup I get them in my traps as well  I just release them..

[tip up boss]

i got 5 shiners in both my traps this morning one black trap and one galvenized trap i dont think im doing anything wrong i just dont think theirs enough shiners in their to make it worth my while my buddy lent me 2 of his traps i set 1 home made coffee can trap in a new spot havent hauled that and im guna set the 2 my buddy lent me in a spot i know but they do drain it in the winter so the pond can clean out im hopeing they havent drained it yet 

[ice cracker]

i got 5 shiners in both my traps this morning one black trap and one galvenized trap i dont think im doing anything wrong i just dont think theirs enough shiners in their to make it worth my while my buddy lent me 2 of his traps i set 1 home made coffee can trap in a new spot havent hauled that and im guna set the 2 my buddy lent me in a spot i know but they do drain it in the winter so the pond can clean out im hopeing they havent drained it yet 

If they drain it every year there won't be fish

[tip up boss]

If they drain it every year there won't be fish

 i saw em this summer 

[ice cracker]

i saw em this summer 

they must not drain it all the way then

[Sawyerjosh]

Finally gettin into em!  just 15 or 20 yesterday, but about 5 dozen today!

[tip up boss]

they must not drain it all the way then

 i just went their and they didnt drain it all the way but i ran into a problem the ice was to thick to punch through  i need a chissle i was punching the ice with a stick and i wasnt makeing any headway

[tip up boss]

Finally gettin into em!  just 15 or 20 yesterday, but about 5 dozen today!

 your so lucky i wish i could get a dozen a day 

[APJ]

Finally gettin into em!  just 15 or 20 yesterday, but about 5 dozen today!

Shinners?

[StingingLips]

Lost a trap today. Some dink stole it and tied a rock to the end of my line. Its funny though cause the owner of the pond that gave me permission told me the name of the other guy who traps the pond as well. His traps were still there and freshly hauled. I would imagine it was him. Oh well, got permission to trap a beaver pond that the owner said has Golden's in it. We will find out tomorrow

[APJ]

Lost a trap today. Some dink stole it and tied a rock to the end of my line. Its funny though cause the owner of the pond that gave me permission told me the name of the other guy who traps the pond as well. His traps were still there and freshly hauled. I would imagine it was him. Oh well, got permission to trap a beaver pond that the owner said has Golden's in it. We will find out tomorrow

Just take a large treble hook on your jig rod and get it back..

[skybuster20ga]

thats sucks man. thats the biggest reason im not trapping this year. im buying in bulk off a freind of mine up to silver lake. my buddy and i run about 15 traps and after two years of having traps cut, stolen and messed w/ ive had enough. it was nothing for us to trap 100 dozen in three or four days. word got out about where we were trapping and then the trouble sarted so i said screw it this year. i ordered 30 dozen for myself and thats it. good luck to ya.

-Brandon

[fishamusmaximus]

Skybuster

Did you fish that pond near me in NH that has a lot of timber in it ? I  fished 3 or four times last winter and twice was with my bother with our fly rods. We did catch some hatchery brookies in a pond north of Sebago. These new  laws suck as they make all ponds artificial only til Jan 1st. Ask your state rep to show you a (A or B) pond in the law book for southern Maine. Can you imagine the Otter ponds as they are the only game in town now for live bait Dec 1st. Good thing I have a NH license in addition to my Maine one. I think Loon might be good with smelts or Crystal in Eaton until you can use live bait in Maine. I work in the Gulf of Mexico and have to go back to work Jan 1st for 28 days so these new regs. really suck. Sorry about all you guys losing bait traps in Maine but it happens over the border in Nh too. There is no shortage of dickheads nowadays. A guy I know in Conway, NH buys 30 dozen shiners wholesale and keeps them in his above ground pool and traps  them to go fishing.

[mainefisherman4992]

got two soaking as we speak...going to let them soak over night and all day tomorrow...hopefully pull them up after work tomorrow.....post pics if anything....trying to think of a quick bait tank...i cant seem to find a junk chest freezer....

[ice cracker]

i just went their and they didnt drain it all the way but i ran into a problem the ice was to thick to punch through  i need a chissle i was punching the ice with a stick and i wasnt makeing any headway

Did you walk on it?

[skybuster20ga]

got two soaking as we speak...going to let them soak over night and all day tomorrow...hopefully pull them up after work tomorrow.....post pics if anything....trying to think of a quick bait tank...i cant seem to find a junk chest freezer....

how much do you want to spend? and do you want to do it right. years ago i used to mess around w/ different tank ideas then i got tired of it being half azzed and spent the money and did it right. last year was the first year i ever had any trouble w/ some dying but that was due to not having enough knowledge about filtering the water and how benificial bacteria works. this year i built a better filter that should work out all the kinks. i ahve about 200.00 in the whole set up but its worth it and can be used year after year.

-Brandon

[skybuster20ga]

Skybuster

Did you fish that pond near me in NH that has a lot of timber in it ? I  fished 3 or four times last winter and twice was with my bother with our fly rods. We did catch some hatchery brookies in a pond north of Sebago. These new  laws suck as they make all ponds artificial only til Jan 1st. Ask your state rep to show you a (A or B) pond in the law book for southern Maine. Can you imagine the Otter ponds as they are the only game in town now for live bait Dec 1st. Good thing I have a NH license in addition to my Maine one. I think Loon might be good with smelts or Crystal in Eaton until you can use live bait in Maine. I work in the Gulf of Mexico and have to go back to work Jan 1st for 28 days so these new regs. really suck. Sorry about all you guys losing bait traps in Maine but it happens over the border in Nh too. There is no shortage of dickheads nowadays. A guy I know in Conway, NH buys 30 dozen shiners wholesale and keeps them in his above ground pool and traps  them to go fishing.

no sir, i didnt get a chance to get over that way. this winter i AM NOT plowing so that should free up alot of my time as most storms fall on weekends and mess everything up for me. not having 65+ driveways to do should give me more time on the ice during a good low pressure lol
yes, the O's will be a zoo, like always. seems like all the bozos w/ in 50 miles end up there. sometimes its funny to just listen to the conversations between ppl out there. the joys of 5 acre ponds lol

-Brandon

[mainefisherman4992]

how much do you want to spend? and do you want to do it right. years ago i used to mess around w/ different tank ideas then i got tired of it being half azzed and spent the money and did it right. last year was the first year i ever had any trouble w/ some dying but that was due to not having enough knowledge about filtering the water and how benificial bacteria works. this year i built a better filter that should work out all the kinks. i ahve about 200.00 in the whole set up but its worth it and can be used year after year.

-Brandon

well considering im trapping my bait instead of buying it i dont really have alot to dough to play with....

[StingingLips]

Just take a large treble hook on your jig rod and get it back..

I tried to feel for it with my chisel. Couldn't feel it down there. Oh well, the guy will get his.

[The Rusty Crab]

well considering im trapping my bait instead of buying it i dont really have alot to dough to play with....

55 gallon drum, and aerator, and a basic aquarium filter from wally world will work fine has for me for two years.  Its basic and not to $

[The Rusty Crab]

Now I just wish I could get some numbers I'm still struggling   I have 3 different waters one I get a few each day the other I just started trapping 2 days ago but so far just a crap ton of small brookies so I moved it today to hopefully better waters.  I guess I just need to find the sweet spot but I'm going blind looking.  But it looks like I may have till Jan 1 to keep trapping before able to use them so what the heck.

[Sawyerjosh]

Shinners?

Fat head minnows.  Not as big, about 2 1/2" but make great bait.  I knew I could get some of those, so figured I'd catch as many as I could before everything locked up.  Hoping to get about 40-50 dozen by the end of next week.  After that might try for some shiners

[StingingLips]

what are you guys adding to your tanks, if anything, to keep them clean? I was thinking of adding a little bit of aquarium salt that I have left over from my fish tanks in my house but figured I would ask before I did it.

[mainefisherman4992]

checked the two i set yesterday. Pulled about 50 bait fish out...some one else put traps in today cause the holes werent really ice over....but anywho....got about 7 common shiners, some dace and some other type of shiner....it has a pretty visable lateral line kinda of like a dace, has the body of a dace but isnt black on its back and its colored like a common shiner...ill post some pics of them later....off to eat with the wife for supper...

[StingingLips]

well considering im trapping my bait instead of buying it i dont really have alot to dough to play with....

if you have a ice cooler that you won't use all winter give that a try, I have one of the 55 gallon coolers we store ice in for tuna fishing as my bait tank this year along with a 15$ filter and a 10-15$ aerator. just keep it some where that it won't freeze.

[fishamusmaximus]

I figured it was cheaper to buy bait than drive 30 mile round trips to check my bait trap and the next day drive to the lake (where there are bait stores on my way). I buy it on the way home if I'm going within a week. I have a small trickle behind my house to replace the water and an aquarium bubbler in the garage to aerate them. Bait is few and far between up in NH so I understand why people trap dozens of them.

[mainefisherman4992]

here are the pick of the two types of shiners....hope you guys can help me decipher what this other one is....


this is the regular common shiner that most people use....


this is the one that i dont know what it is....


close up

and finally my temp set up till i find a free or really cheap chest freezer....just running a reg areator for now and now filtration ill just change the water once or so over a weeks time....i reset these traps tonight..either going to go back tomorrow or sunday havent made my mind up..this is all from a 24hr soak.