| If you are an avid fisherman, you probably have | | | | Now, to bait the trap, you will need something to |
| heard the old advice that the best bait you can | | | | entice the minnows into your trap. Items such as |
| get will come from the waters in which you are | | | | bread crumbs work well, and most everyone has |
| fishing. That being good advice, it is always good | | | | that item readily available, so at least to begin |
| to know how to set up minnow traps so that | | | | with, it might be your best bet. Some other items |
| you can catch the minnows right from the waters | | | | you might have available at home are dry dog or |
| in which you intend to cast your hook! | | | | cat food, liver (most people think of chicken liver |
| Well, if you either adhere to that old advice or | | | | when they think of fish bait, but studies seem to |
| you want to test the theory, you can always use | | | | indicate beef liver is the best choice) or |
| a minnow trap. You can make a minnow trap, or | | | | commercial tropical fish food nuggets, or Ivory |
| you can buy one, but after that, you will need to | | | | soap. |
| know how to set up a minnow trap. | | | | If you are using an item such as fish food or dry |
| Purchasing a trap is easy. They are available at | | | | pet foods, you can always enclose it in a zipper |
| retail locations varying from hardware stores to | | | | seal food storage bag into which a few holes |
| sporting goods stores to the sporting goods | | | | have been poked. This will allow it to dissolve and |
| department of local stores and bait shops. Or you | | | | seep out to attract the minnows while keeping |
| can make your own. | | | | the food itself in the bag to reduce the rate of |
| To Make your own minnow trap, you can use a | | | | dissolving and keep it less messy. |
| couple of old soda bottles. Just cut the bottoms | | | | For commercial traps that you can purchase, you |
| off, and discard them. Leave the bottle cap on | | | | can just put which ever bait you choose, into the |
| one, and take the cap off the other. Place it, | | | | trap in the manner in which the instructions state. |
| uncalled end down, inside the other, and trim the | | | | For the home made soda bottle trap, the best |
| two so that they match up. | | | | way to bait it is to push the bait into the opening |
| Use a heated nail or an awl to poke holes about | | | | of the open bottle. You really don't need much, |
| every inch and a half around where they connect, | | | | but it will allow the scent to seep out into the |
| and tie together with individual lengths of twine. | | | | water and attract the minnows. Once the |
| Be sure to tie securely. Then, poke a couple of | | | | minnows swim through the top bottle, which will |
| holes in the bottom bottle. Attach a rope to the | | | | act as a funnel, they will be trapped in the bottom |
| trap, so that it can be secured to a stable object | | | | and unable to swim out. |
| and not float away in the water. | | | | |