I don't live in Vermont so I don't know if it's legal there or not but here in Pennsylvania you can trap minnows any time of the year. I did it once years ago and I usually got a decent amount over night using bread for the bait. The one thing you have to be careful of is that no one steals your trap and you don't cut the rope or line holding the trap when you chop it out of the ice. I haven't done it in years because I didn't have the time and it's easier to buy bait the day before or on the way to my fishing spot but I'm going to do it this year. If you have the time and it's legal I'd give it a try especially if you have somewhere you can store the minnows. I've been told by a few people that the minnows you catch will hold up better than the minnows you buy but I can't say that's right or wrong.