What is better for catching minnows ? I have a casting net and i have orderd a minnow trap from Bass pro Shop. I do ok with the net but it for me can be hit or miss . So i am asking the question of what you guys like better the nets or the traps? And not ever having used a trap i will need some ointers once it gets here . Like when using the trap how long do i leave it in the water and do i bait it to catch the chubs/
is casting net league in utah water?
Yea as long as your taking only bait fish. Or at least i hope it is . I got mine from cabelas and another one from sportsmans . There is a really a lot of places to get the chubs. And i have seen a lot of people posting on using them .
I have two cast nets and 3 minnow traps. Sometimes I use only one or the other. Most of the time I use both. They both have their times and places.
As a general rule, the casting net works best when you are trying for minnows you can see, in water shallower than about 5-7 feet…with a clean bottom that is not going to snag your net. If you are after minnows that are swimming over rocks and through stickups, do not put your cast net in danger. They hang up on everything and are extremely difficult to save once they are snagged.
**In some areas, like Electric Lake, you can put out two or three minnow traps along the steeper rocky shorelines, and then find some shallow flats nearby over which schools of minnows can be seen swimming within easy casting distance of the cast net. **
Unless the water is very murky, you will usually be able to see the minnows you are after, so all you have to do is toss out the minnow trap and let it settle in the right zone…where the minnows are hanging out or cruising through. Almost any kind of crumbled up bread will draw minnows into your trap. However, adding a few pellets of dry dog food adds scent that seems to bring in more minnows.
**If you are in a “minnow rich” area, you may not need to leave the trap in the water more than a few minutes to have a bunch. When they are thick, it is better to pull the traps more often, to harvest them before the trap gets too full. They seem to come in better when it is not so full. On other occasions you will need to leave the traps for a half hour or more to make it worthwhile to bring it in. **
If you are not getting minnows, you are either too deep or too shallow…or using a bait that does not appeal to them. If you can see the minnows around your trap, but are not getting any inside, you gotta change your bait. That seldom happens.
Some guys like to wad up a ball of bread or hotdog buns and then squirt on some nightcrawer scent or other fish attractant. It can make a difference.
Once you start collecting your own minnows, you will no longer throw away those last three or four pieces of stale bread at the end of a loaf. Toss them in the freezer and thaw them just before your next minnow trip.
Hope that helps.
Yes sir that will do it . once again you have answered my questions with all the i dotted and the T crossed. Now all i have to do is wait for my trap from bass Pro Shop to get here. thanks again TD.
some times if ya live neer a small stream or even a ditch you can try putting the traps in over night.. i do that a lot on the sandpitch.. i can put the trap out in the evening go back in the morning and have some in the traps.. along with snakes, small browns. crawdads, and dace.. [sly]
some times if you camping neer a lake it pays to bait a trap up and throw it in.. down at powell one year we were getting crawdads at night in the traps we used them for SM bass and just killed them.. [sly]
Besides E-Lake are there other places to get the Red Shiners. I already have a good source of chub but it is really small and only holds chubs as far as i know.And what about the local community ponds can you use your casting nets and traps there?
I doubt that they would look kindly upon you throwing a cast net on the community ponds. Might be okay with a minnow or crawdad trap. Not specifically prohibited but they are not good sources of minnows anyway.
The next best place for redside shiners is Scofield. Lots of them there. Strawberry used to have both chubs and shiners, but the cutts have been chowing down on them.
I remember just a few years ago catching 50 or 60 on every throw witht he casting net. now your lucky to even spot a good sized school. i have seen school at deer creek, never have caught them there though. any ideas what they could be. i thought young bass maybe
Any schools of small fish you see at Deer Creek are likely to be perch. Most of the other species split up and go separate ways as soon as they get larger than a couple of inches. Sometimes you will see small groups of bass together, but not the large schools like the perch form.
As far as I know, there have never been any quantity of chubs in Deer Creek. The predators have always been abundant and the primary “minnow” forage has been small perch.