This years bait trapping thread

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

Well it came up empty. I was in about 2.5 feet of water. Should I be trying in the shallow or deeper? Can't really suspend it since there's no ice.

[Yachtzy]

I use a stainless fender washer , electric engraver, then wire tie it. Stuff in the garage.

[Bout-Time]

Well it came up empty. I was in about 2.5 feet of water. Should I be trying in the shallow or deeper? Can't really suspend it since there's no ice.

How deep is the pond? Try deeper, if not right off bottom if the pond is only 6-8 feet deep.

Ive suspended my traps with old lobster buoys and milk jugs.

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

It's pretty deep and I'm not sure how deep but gotta be 10+. It's the end of a wetland that kind of ponded up. 

[joefishmore]

Write MINNOW TRAP on the buoy or jug so people will know what they are stealing.

[saltyshores]

Once the ponds ice over it is not uncommon in weedy ponds or even in small springfed ponds to have an oxygen deficiency for a few feet up from bottom. You won't find baitfish near bottom in those situations because there isn't enough oxygen for them to breathe, so you would have to suspend the traps.

[SirCranksalot]

I'm using a small rock wrapped in mesh for an anchor and a piece of pool noodle as a float.

[RoundPonda]

I use half unchlorinated tap water and half pond water from the bait pond.

If you are on a water system with chlorinated water, simply let the water stand in a bucket or container for 24 hours...  The chlorine will disappear, and not hurt the bait (or tropical fish)...

[Bout-Time]

If you are on a water system with chlorinated water, simply let the water stand in a bucket or container for 24 hours...  The chlorine will disappear, and not hurt the bait (or tropical fish)...

My tap water is from a well.

[Seamonkey84]

If you are on a water system with chlorinated water, simply let the water stand in a bucket or container for 24 hours...  The chlorine will disappear, and not hurt the bait (or tropical fish)...

Be careful with that, most municipalities are now using chloramine instead of regular chlorine. Chloramine does not gas out of water like chlorine does so just letting your water "age" overnight does not work anymore. You need use a water conditioner that will neutralize it.

[SirCranksalot]

You need use a water conditioner that will neutralize it.

Or bring some back from wherever they were caught.

[tipman14]

Threw out two traps today check them in am .

[rdhammah]

Mainwodsballer:     i have a galvanized steel trap and found that 2 empty sixteen ounce water bottles will float it to the surface. float it from a 10 oz bank sinker and run a line from shore. i currently am using drop line as my running line. just mak sure that the line is not floating. you can tie the shore end to a rock and leave it submerged in the water. 

[SirCranksalot]

As I see it, there are 2 ways of doing it.  One is to have enough floatation to support the weight of both the trap and the anchor. The other is to have enough to support the trap but not the anchor. I prefer the second way because the float in not on the surface and therefore not as visible to passers-by.

[tipman14]

Well not bad for first time ended up with about 5 dozen shiners .

[SirCranksalot]

I pulled my trap again yesterday after 2 nites soaking in a local creek. Nothing---yet again! The water was about 3-4 ft deep and it runs thru a marshy area. I know someone said that areas with current are no so good but in my area we have lots of creeks but very few ponds apart from golf course water hazards. The 1 pond I tried was quite shallow.

I read on here somewhere to put some bread inside a mesh bag to keep it off the bottom of the trap(or from falling thru?). Maybe that's 1 of the probs---the food is harder for the fish to find inside the bag.I moved it to another creek yesterday and put in a bunch of loose bread. This creek run off a fair sized shallow weedy pond, so I'm still a bit hopeful. Still, this will be the 6th or 7th place I've tried.

Someone said that golf course ponds sometimes have bass. They must have been planted there, I guess. It seems unlikely that they would have minnows.

Comments?

[9huskies]

When trapping in brooks with a current find the biggest eddies and place your trap there. The bait fish use these eddies to get a break from the current.

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

Anyone use the hydro sponge filters? Will those be ok for keeping bait??

[Conley1993]

I pulled my trap again yesterday after 2 nites soaking in a local creek. Nothing---yet again! The water was about 3-4 ft deep and it runs thru a marshy area. I know someone said that areas with current are no so good but in my area we have lots of creeks but very few ponds apart from golf course water hazards. The 1 pond I tried was quite shallow.

I read on here somewhere to put some bread inside a mesh bag to keep it off the bottom of the trap(or from falling thru?). Maybe that's 1 of the probs---the food is harder for the fish to find inside the bag.I moved it to another creek yesterday and put in a bunch of loose bread. This creek run off a fair sized shallow weedy pond, so I'm still a bit hopeful. Still, this will be the 6th or 7th place I've tried.

Someone said that golf course ponds sometimes have bass. They must have been planted there, I guess. It seems unlikely that they would have minnows.

Comments?

Buy a handful of traps, find local ponds on google maps, and start soaking them in different places. Took me a long time before I found a good spot on my own. Even if the pond seems to small to hold bait give it a shot. I use a handful of dogfood per trap but everything you're doing sounds right. Just takes time and some luck.

[tipman14]

I'm catching a bunch of shinners out of a bog. In two days with two traps I kept 13 dozen and threw back a bunch of very small bait. I am using cat food and sitting right on bottom in about 3 feet of water.

[COLD-AS-ICE]

Been a crappy season for me. Only managed about 6 dozen out of a pond I normally trap and get 180 dozen a year from. Only time I managed to get any this year is when there is a little ice cover. Time to find a new place

[tipman14]

Got couple questions as this is my first time baiting . Well not having a problem trapping them I'm actually going to add another trap today And be more selective on size of bait I keep  I'm using a black plastic resin box about same size area if you had a 55 gal barrel laid on its side.I'm running tank filter and two small air raiders . At what point is too much bait for container ? Does it matter having mixed sizes of bait in same tank also is it safe  to add suckers to the tank with shinners? And is it really ok not to feed them for long length of time I have read were people have done it both ways?

[tkmoney_99]

Buy a handful of traps, find local ponds on google maps, and start soaking them in different places. Took me a long time before I found a good spot on my own. Even if the pond seems to small to hold bait give it a shot. I use a handful of dogfood per trap but everything you're doing sounds right. Just takes time and some luck.

Couldn't agree more. I tried streams,and 4 or 5 ponds before I found a spot. Let it set for 24 hours. If you pull up nothing move on.

[s fontinalis]

Got couple questions as this is my first time baiting . Well not having a problem trapping them I'm actually going to add another trap today And be more selective on size of bait I keep  I'm using a black plastic resin box about same size area if you had a 55 gal barrel laid on its side.I'm running tank filter and two small air raiders . At what point is too much bait for container ? Does it matter having mixed sizes of bait in same tank also is it safe  to add suckers to the tank with shinners? And is it really ok not to feed them for long length of time I have read were people have done it both ways?

I my opinion the worst thing you can do is feed bait... as long as the water is cold and you're doing water changes you should be ok

[s fontinalis]

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?

[APJ]

Got couple questions as this is my first time baiting . Well not having a problem trapping them I'm actually going to add another trap today And be more selective on size of bait I keep  I'm using a black plastic resin box about same size area if you had a 55 gal barrel laid on its side.I'm running tank filter and two small air raiders . At what point is too much bait for container ? Does it matter having mixed sizes of bait in same tank also is it safe  to add suckers to the tank with shinners? And is it really ok not to feed them for long length of time I have read were people have done it both ways?

About 600 shiners are good for 55gal tank. Changing half the water every 4 days. proberly the one filter wont be enough but will help. I would say 30 or 40 suckers would not hurt it but hard to say just try it.. I keep 100 suckers and 700 shiners in my 150 gal freezer no problem. Get  a container of better bait off Amazon use that you will have great success

[tipman14]

Awesome thanks for the info guys.

[rdhammah]

Been a crappy season for me. Only managed about 6 dozen out of a pond I normally trap and get 180 dozen a year from.

And you wonder why???

[COLD-AS-ICE]

And you wonder why???

I will add. The only time i have caught any this year out of that pond was when there was some ice covering it. Any time it was open water I only catch newts

[Conley1993]

I will add. The only time i have caught any this year out of that pond was when there was some ice covering it. Any time it was open water I only catch newts

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.