Many fisherman will agree the best, and most fun, way to catch fish is with live bait and minnows are some of the best live baits you can use. There are quite a few varieties of fish that are referred to as minnows, but they all generally work well. What’s the catch?! – sometimes the price of live bait can be costly! No need to fret. Here are some great options for catching you own live minnows. Just remember, whichever method you prefer, an important step in keeping your bait in optimal condition is to pair it up with the perfect live bait pail/bucket and aerator combo.
Note: Many of these same methods can be used to catch shrimp, crabs, and other types of bait fish as well.
Classic Minnow/Killie Trap
This is a tried and true method that requires very little effort. Minnow traps are arguably the most wildly used method of catching live bait in both saltwater and freshwater. It’s simple design, process, and catch yield make it highly desirable to use. Just add a little bait, close the trap, tie a line to the trap to secure it to a piling or tree, and flip it in the water. After a little bit a of time, haul it back and find out how much bait you have to take fishing.
Fish Net Style Trap
These are great options for the same reason as the more classic Minnow Trap. These types of traps generally offer more entry access for bait fish and allow more capacity in terms of the catch. A very similar method is used in adding a little bait, tying it of and watching the clock. This is a fantastic way to catch a lot of bait relatively quickly.
Umbrella Net
This is a fairly common method for catching bait as well. It takes more skill and practice that the previous methods. There is also more manual work involved. With this method anglers need to attract bait fish toward the center of the “umbrella” after submerging it , then quickly, as the bait fish gather in the center to eat the chum or bait, pull the trap to the surface- capturing any minnows or bait fish not quick enough to escape.
Cast Net
Cast nets have been around for ages and are primarily used in saltwater applications and especially is places with large amounts of schooling bait fish. This method is by far the most difficult and takes a lot of practice to master. There are many techniques anglers use to chuck these nets depending on the size, weight, and surface area of the water it’s being cast in. However difficult, this is a great way to catch a whole lot of bait in a very little bit of time!
