Survival Minnow Trap

May 8, 2017 by brettfriederick 2 Comments

This minnow trap is a great way to gather minnows and crayfish in a survival situation or a low-impact everyday way to gather bait for fishing.  It can also makes use of a plastic bottle which can save some plastic from becoming trash and can be recycled afterwards.  In this method you are less likely to catch animals you did not intend to or tear up plant life as you would by using a net to catch your bait.

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Supplies you will need to make your minnow trap:

An empty 2 liter plastic bottle

A knife or scissors

Tape, wire, zip-ties, or string

A longer piece of string or wire

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Step 1: Cut the upper funnel section off the bottle and insert the opposite way

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Step 2: Tape, zip-tie, wire, or tie the two pieces together

Tape is the simplest method, but you can also poke holes around the edges to use the wire, zip-ties, or string to attach the two pieces to each other.

Wire or string will allow you to take the trap apart to remove captured fish without having to use new tape or zip-ties each time you use the trap.

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Step 3: Add bait, weight, and line

Add some bread, food scraps, or other materials to attract fish into the trap. Make sure to choose something that will not completely fall apart once submerged in water, and something that will be large enough in size or amount that the first few minnows will not consume. Add some rocks into the bottle to weigh it down and keep it from floating to the surface or moving in the water. Tie on your piece of string or wire that will allow you to retrieve your minnow trap from the water. You may also want to poke small holes into the bottle to allow more water to flow through and allow more scent from the bait to release into the water.  Do not make the holes large enough for bait or minnows to pass through.

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Step 4: Place your trap

Find an area in the water where minnows are gathered or will likely hide from larger fish.  Shaded areas are much better than sunny areas, not only will minnows be more likely to be there, placing a trap in a sunny part will cause the minnows to die and spoil if they become to hot while stuck inside the trap.  Your trap should be placed in water about 1-3 feet deep.  An area where water is moving slightly will increase the effectiveness of your trap by allowing for the scent of the bait to travel and attract minnows and crayfish from a farther distance.  Tie the wire or string to a branch or similar object to keep it from being taken away by water currents or larger animals such as raccoons.

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Step 5: The catch

Check your trap every 2-3 hours during the day, or place it at night and check it the next morning.  These traps are quite effective and can fill up quickly so it is important to check them often so that the minnows inside do not die or the trap does not get so full no more can get inside.