Started trapping shiners this fall found a few good spots. Built more traps over winter and starting to check out new areas. So far I've been just targeting cricks with pinch points directly upstream of lakes I know have shiners. All my traps I built with just one opening, lazy but it's what I went with for now. I figured they would only run upstream this time of year and in the fall I can just flip them and target fish moving down stream. My question is would shiners move downstream in the spring. Is it worth targeting some of the areas down stream. More just doing exploration trapping right now so I know where to find them once I start selling. Yes I have commercial minnow license,

Thanks,

I would explore all your spots of interest. I have found it doesn't make a difference which way your opening/funnel is facing they will find there way in if bait is used. I have found that deep holes don't hold minnows like I thought when and where I trap. I do best in shallow water where traps sometimes is barely covering the trap. In the fall deep holes seem to produce for me though.

Tie two together end to end to make cones facing each way. Around here deep pools on the downstream side of culvert are the ticket.

Target a rear foot catch.

I trapped killies, (salt water minnows) for years commercially, not sure how fresh water minnows act, but in tidal creeks and mosquito ditches, the best sets were with the funnel crosswise with the current, close to the bank, just a few inches off...trap must be covered by water. keep your bait under the funnel to focus their attention, lol

Here, the killies would come with the tide to access very shallow or mostly dry areas. Certain spots would consistently catch, while others just yards away and seemingly identical wouldn't, was challenging...wind direction, sun's location, shady or sunny side of creek mattered at times, you needed to adapt and change with conditions.....

hope some of this might help...

Don't know why but I've found my galvanized traps (ones w/ a cone on each end) out catch my black vinyl coated ones... no clue why, I would think it would be the other way around.

Anyone on here have experiences trapping leeches? I found a slough that has a lot of leeches but all I'm able to catch a real small ones. I thought at first they might be bloodsuckers however I took them to a biologist I know, and he confirmed they were ribbon leeches. Any information would be appreciated.
.

I have the same problem in my pond. All of them are small. I am familiar with leeches and they are ribbon leeches.

I cannot catch shiners or dace
in a trap to save my life.
I assume a different species.
Sure read all the interesting
comments here tho.

If they eat bait, you can get them in a trap, just gotta figure out where and when...

I haven’t done bait, would you use bread or dog food? So far everything is blind set in channels that I would expect to have them traveling. With infested waters regulations make it hard to trap the deeper lakes and bodies of water. But the cricks for whatever reason are fair game, primarily all the same depth not a lot to them other than travel corridors to spawning grounds.

I'd try some cheap canned cat or dog food, if they eat bait.... just poke holes in the can, tight under the funnel, but leave the lid off so they create a chum line as it's eaten.try to find where they group up and set right on top of them...
When I was doing it I used chopped female horseshoe crab, the gold standard, that was best, but other crushed crabs worked to, but this was in salt water.

I got one of these off Amazon at another members recommendation.. Best trap there is. I set it in a hole deer enough to cover it. I caught enuf crick shiners overnight to last the spring and summer

That'll work!, lol

We use miner sacks here.Set on sand bars in slow current about 3 ft deep . One opening the shiners feed upstream. We use yellow corn meal for bait and also I have found peanut butter wiped on the inside of the throat is much more attractive as bait.

If there's turtles in the body of water you put that mesh trap, they will shred it up to get the bait, minnows and crawfish out of it, when they find it.

Keith

X2


I place my minnow traps on the smaller creeks & culverts with deep holes.
Preferred bait is white bread for minnows & sculpins. Canned catfood for crayfish.
Sculpins are great bait for trout

Also not legal to use in many states.

Not bad much luck with shiners as they're extremely spooky. At least the ones we try to catch on the river are.

This has been my experience also. The coated black traps are junk in our part of the world. I use a 20’ seine to get minnows in volume. I run it by myself if no help is available. I find myself using perch more and more. Have a local farm pond that I can get all the perch needed in about 30 mins with a perch trap baited with bread.