trapping bait

[mainbutter]

I've never trapped bait before, but I think I might give it a shot and get in some more outings fishing before hard water.

I just hoped I could get a couple questions answered about it

1) Are there any retail stores that sell traps? I don't recall ever seeing any at gander mtn, I guess I could try to find some wire mesh that won't rust and try to make my own cylindrical trap, they don't look complicated.

2) will minnow traps also catch crayfish?

3) I could have sworn I read in the regs about having traps labeled with your name and address etc.. but I've been reading through it again and for the life of me can't find anything about needing your trap labeled. Can I just toss an unlabeled trap in a river/lake, have it tied to a tree, and leave it overnight?

4) is baiting a trap necessary? What's good for various minnows and crayfish?

thanks for any tips guys!!

[jigginjim]

mainbutter, you may what to recheck some reg really close. You do need to have your minnow traps marked. Crawfish can only be used in the waters where you caught them.

When I trap minnows, I use them in the same lake I caught them in. Some of like trout fishing, match the hatch.

[chris63]

Make SURE you know the body of water your going to be taking your bait from as it is ILLEAGLE to take bait(and transport it) from an infested body of water.(Exotics seem to popping up all over the place!)c63

[mainbutter]

mainbutter, you may what to recheck some reg really close.

Yeah that's what I thought, I've been scouring it for the past 10 minutes, also why I came here.

found the line stating about needing to be labeled with name and address. Anyone got a good method for a waterproof label??

[mainbutter]

Make SURE you know the body of water your going to be taking your bait from as it is ILLEAGLE to take bait(and transport it) from an infested body of water.(Exotics seem to popping up all over the place!)c63

yup!

[chris63]

Aluminum tag with your info stamped or scratched into/on the tag.c63

[SteveD]

found the line stating about needing to be labeled with name and address. Anyone got a good method for a waterproof label??

I use laminated luggage tags that I bought at Office Max. I made some business type cards with my name and address on them according to the regulation and then just used the luggage tag to laminate the card. I use a cable tie to attach it to the trap. They work fine and are waterproof.

A few words of advice. YOU need to become an expert on the bait regulations before you set out or you may find yourself in trouble. Everything you need to know is in the Minnesota Fishing Regulation booklet - become familiar with the following:

Definition of Minnows - page 3.

Minnows and Leeches - pages 70 - 71.

Invasive Species - pages 14 to 17.

Getting advice from on-line forums could get you in trouble because some of that advice is wrong. Some people offer their opinions or their information is out of date. It is best if you read and understand the regulations on your own and any questions you develop are answered directly by the Minnesota DNR. They are only a telephone call away or an e-mail question away. I wouldn't trust any technical answers you may get from a forum.

[broken_line]

heres my "way of trapping" 1/8" alumunum sheeting off of a semi trailer for a tag engraved with a dremel tool.. you can buy traps at fleet farm for around $10 a piece... find a place that you know has minnows... put the trap in with bread ina ripped zip lok bag for bait.. it you are going fishing on the weekend set it out on wednesday and pick up on the way to the lake.... also with duck hunting open set it where it wont be easily seen by hunters to keep it from getting taken..

[mainbutter]

thanks