Catching Bait

[Mr. Charlie]

Do any of you folks catch your own bait for ice fishing? If so what do you use?
I’m gonna drown some 4-6 inch creek chubs tonight.

[MumbleSEED]

I have heard people use dog food.  If I have any left over pepperoni pizza I catch nice chubs and minnows with the pizza.  Otherwise old bread also works!

[Mr. Charlie]

I used a pole and line with a pinched barb. Problem is that you’ve gotta weed through the pesky trout.

[MumbleSEED]

Drop a minnow trap in a deep hole in the creek with some pepperoni pizza...you will catch enough after one or two drops.

[hard water jim]

I have 2 streams by my house and catch my own bait. I use dog food in mine. I have also found using a black minnow trap verses an unfinished trap you will catch a lot more in the black trap. Don't know why just know it to be a fact.

[RuttNutt]

Makes sense- a black trap would be harder to see.

[Ice Wine]

I have a small pond with golden shiners in it. Along with a small piece of bread I put a crushed saltine cracker in each trap. The cracker crumbs form a cloud around the trap that draws the minnows in like crazy.

[Dpatton2118]

I always used little kite-nets in a deep creek hole- carry a piece of bread or other food you can ball up to make sink, and just toss pieces of bait on top of where the net is sunk on the bottom. You just have to be quick on the pull.

[Mr. Charlie]

I seem to do better with my traps in the warmer months. In the winter I find I catch more in an hour or so with rod and reel. You just have to pinch the barbs and handle them carefully. Sometimes I get big fall fish like these.

[Icemole]

 I bought a black trap a couple of years ago(all Walmart had at the time).... so far the only thing I've got has been some tiny sunnies at a local lake. Was hoping to get the shiners that cruise the shoreline. Also soaked it in a creek a couple of times with no luck. Tried dog food + bread/crackers I was starting to think the black stands out too much 

[Mr. Charlie]

In my black trap I use a piece of tortilla balled up. The lard in the tortilla helps keep it from falling apart. I know it’s not pizza but it works. Winter is tough for traps. If I put mine in a little creek overnight in warmer temps I almost always end up with a nice bucket of red fins and daces. Chubs are usually too big for the small traps.

[rabbitslayer]

I’ve never tried in Winter but I do have a suggestion.   I read years ago that fish detect sugar very well.  I had always just used plain bread but after reading that article in Fur Fish and Game,  I started smearing jelly on the bread.  My catch rate easily tripled with the jelly.  I don’t know how well it will work in winter but it’s worth a try.   Anytime I set a minnow trap, I always put jelly on the bread now.   

[Borealis82]

I always throw a slice of American cheese in with my bread and I feel it has greatly increased my trap numbers. I have no reasoning other than I was out of bread once and that's all I had and ended up with a trap full of bait lol. Note on the black traps from Walmart.....buddy and I have both experienced having all our chubs swim back out of them. Checked it and had a decent amount but left it in longer only to come back and have none. I'm switching back to the old galvanized one.

[Mr. Charlie]

I’m gonna throw a trap tomorrow and see how it goes. The jelly and cheese are both interesting ideas.

[jaeger80]

I let mine soak with saltines and hamburger bun over the whole weekend.  Not a single minnow.  I may get out the fly rod and nymphs to catch some chubs.  Regarding the black vs galvanized discussion.  I've also noted poor catching from the black painted traps.  I actually bought a second trap (a galvanized one)because of this issue. 

[Mr. Charlie]

I had a great time fishing for bait except I keep catching trout, I hate trout lol.

[hard water jim]

Pulled my trap yesterday only had 32 mostly medium and larges. I only use dog food.

[1moslab]

I have used dog food velveta cheese cat food plain white bread works best for me.3-5 hrs of time also produces most numbers.pulled out a trap years ago that I left in all night and there was no minows but a dead water snake and some crayfish muching on the dead snake

[MumbleSEED]

I agree that 3.5 - 4 hours max.  Either they swim out or I dunno but I would agree I left one over night...nothing but crayfish.

[ddgst7]

Cheese cubes, they gorge on it and get little pot bellies and the cheese makes em stinky!

[Kevin m]

Tried putting jelly on my bread and i caight mor chubs than i have all winter.  Unfortunately did not translate into any real fish.  Got skunked yesterday at Arthur through the ice, then got skunked on the allegheny today out of the kayak.

[rabbitslayer]

Awesome!   I’m glad it worked for you. Unfortunately, I don’t have many tricks for catching the actual target fish.   

[jaeger80]

I need to try this jelly thing....

[1MOFISH]

Cheese cubes, they gorge on it and get little pot bellies and the cheese makes em stinky!

its complex?if you use your caught bait today or tomorrow throw all your kitchen scraps in your trap like eggs,cheese dog and cat food etc etc etc youll get em.buttttttttttttttttt t if you got a tank your water gonna be soiled in a day with all the fecal matter no lol, so i use a canocat food crack lid or punch holes in it it smells they go in trap but dont eat it?then i modify holes in trap pinch them closed not all the way but your pinky size they squeeze in but cant swim out?MO JR told me if you dont see bait in deep hole move in creek till you see them thats the hole for you
GOD BLESS
mo

[1moslab]

If I did that all I would catch is catfish

[hard water jim]

One more little secret, last year I took a 5 gallon pale w/lid and drilled a bunch of 3/16" dia holes in sides, top and bottom. I store my bait from one trip to the next in the stream next to my house. Bait stays nice and healthy all winter long. Down side is it can be a PITA to get the bucket out when the stream freezes over. Much better than changing water in tanks airaters and filters though.

[ajv5148]

One more little secret, last year I took a 5 gallon pale w/lid and drilled a bunch of 3/16" dia holes in sides, top and bottom. I store my bait from one trip to the next in the stream next to my house. Bait stays nice and healthy all winter long. Down side is it can be a PITA to get the bucket out when the stream freezes over. Much better than changing water in tanks airaters and filters though.

I do the same. Gotta watch out for high water. Can mess with your bait bucket, get debris in, etc