Minnow trap baits

[wilburmay]

What baits do you like the best for your minnow traps?

[bhorsley]

in our bait traps we use crab and shrimp or squid

[Voldemars]

canned mackerel works best for us.

but I have seen my kids do really well by using doritos too







V.

[EricF]

I just answered this on another site.

Specked trout heads with the guts still attached!!! Ain't no better....if you got one anyway....if not, crack one hard clam and throw him in. Actually if you put it in a ditch that has about 8 inches of water at low tide....you don't need any bait at all....they'll pack it. My creek comes under the dock through the marsh and dwindles down to about four feet wide (a ditch more or less) and only about five inches deep at low. I'll check it at low and it'll be full w/trout head....at high, it'll have half that amount.....I think they swim in and out of it . Either way though, one trout head will last for days when the water is cool. Key is to have a ditch/creek with minnows in it....they won't magically appear.....and use galvanized trap, none of that plastic coated stuff. Don't know why, but they seem to catch twice the amount.

[bluefish1928thing]

they are constantly looking for shelter

[billy g]

We catch herring in the spring, freeze it and use it in our minnow traps, have used just about everything in them and still catch the minnows. cat,dog food, chicken, mullet, bunker, most all frozen from fishing trips.

[EricF]

Yep, that's right....just about anything will work. Like I said, if you have a shallow ditch/creek at low....just put it out there....you should get some. Speaking of the "seeking shelter" part...that's true...I'm gonna try putting somthing over the top of my trap to see if they naturally go in it more readily when the tides low enough to keep the top at the surface....interesting if it works.