Minnow Trap question

The longer you let them wait, the more fish enter them.
The longer you let them wait, the more fish escape and learn how to get out.....
Rip slices of bread and throw in it there.. shake it up to make it crumble and make a scent-trail/cloud of minced bread crumbs, and come back in 40 mins. If in a stream.
Buy an engraver tool and mark it. it looks sloppy and hard to read, but legal

Definitely hide it!! There are a lot of people out there that won't think twice about stealing a minnow trap no matter who's name is on it. I like bread and dry cat food.

SRL- For me when it comes to bait traps I use Tuna Fish, give it a try poke 4-5 holes into the top of the can and place in the trap. Usually 1 can does the trick.
 
Usually any stream will have some creek chub and should be visible, stir the water up some to see if they're there. If so put the trap in, Personally I had 2 traps stolen over the past 2 years so I wouldn't leave it any longer then a few hours, catch your bait and get an air-o-rator to keep them alive.
 
 

Snakes love minnow traps. keep that in mind. I use dogfood in mine.

The stream I am eyeing down is about 5 ft wide at the target spot, maybe a couple ft wider. I was planning to use bread... Any reasons not to? Are water snakes out this time of year? Are they poisonous? If you catch one in the trap do you even try to salvage minnows or just say eff that? Pop the trap open or just set it down and let it find its own way out?

No snakes this time of year. They are not dangerous. Unless it's a copper head... If is alive just open the trap and it'll be on it's way.

Don't worry about snakes this time of year. If you ever do catch a snake (water snakes aren't poisonous but they can be aggressive and some people have trouble distinguishing between a water snake and a copperhead [poisonous]) just open the trap and he'll find his way out. Stale bread works better than fresh bread. More crumbs. If there is a big rock or a log in the hole, put the trap beside it. Make sure that the entry holes are inline with the current, not perpendicular to the current. If you want crawfish, use meat (any kind) for bait. Tie off to something sturdy. I recommend using a dog leash snap or a carabiner for the end of your rope. It makes it easy to tie off onto a tree or something. Cover your rope with weeds and brush to hide it. Throw it in right before dark and get it first thing in the morning. If you haven't caught anything by then, time to move on. Right now you want the deepest hole that you can find. A hole right under a culvert is usually awesome. The bad part is that others know this too and your trap might get stolen.
 
As for tags, here are a couple of ideas. You can order tags from a trapping magazine that are already engraved. You can also buy tags made of a tin/lead alloy that you can write on with a pen. The metal is so soft that your pen pushes into it leaving an impression of the writing. To keep it from getting beat up, you roll it up (writing on the inside) and attach it to the inside of the trap. Also, some stores (Walmarts) have engraving machines for making dog tags. They are fairly cheap ($3 or so) and they will make you a very nice tag out of aluminum that you can put on the trap. You just put your money into the machine, type in what you want it to write, and viola! a tag. Keep in mind that the limit on baitfish is 50 in PA unless you buy them. If you buy minnows, keep the receipt. I've been checked for this numerous times. Hope this helps.
 
Oh yeah, make sure that you have a good battery operated aerator to keep them alive.

This past summer when I pulled my trap,there were 3 snakes in it,2 were dead ,& the other one was going nuts when I lifted the trap out. I never thought that the snakes would not be able to get out. I guess they thought that they were getting a free meal with all of those minnows in there. I make my tags out of stainless flashing & a engraver.  sam

If you are trapping in the summer and you know theres alot of crawfish in the hole then only leave it in for a few hours or you may come back to alot of dead chubs and alot of really happy craws! happened to me last year

Rarely. Maybe 1 in 20. But I have about a half dozen options near by and I look for them before I set.

The posts above offer some great info....I usually throw mine out in the morning and will retrive it in the evening... if the water is low find a nice deep pool and you will catch all kinds of minnows, chubs, etc... also throw in a few chunks of bread, the minnows love it but yes dont be suprised if you ever find a few snakes in your trap they too are atracted to the minnows that go in them.   Also I normally put a rock in mine so that it stays at the bottom and make sure it wont be raining much because you can loose it in high water...

Numbers drop substantially in winter in some of my spots and some produce year round. Find a hole bend or structure in the bigger creek and you may do better. Glad you got a few any way!

Most minnows go under the leaves in deeper holes,trapping is always slow. I would rather seine minnows in the winter. I know of a warm water discharge that empties into the Beaver river that will produce a gang of minnows fast,but you have to sort through them,many are 2-3 inch carp,emerals shinners,dace,and creek chubs.

At times, I still see a large number or minnows and chubs in the streams in the late winter. I'm not sure what size stream you are harvesting from but try a smaller stream or brook if possible, keep us posted on how you do. Also, not sure if anyone else has ever experienced this or not but sometimes I see minnows and shiners that die by the 1000s because they get trapped in the shallows and freeze? They also make good bait and can be salted.

I take sandwich ziplock bags, and fill them with rocks and dog food. I then poke holes in the bag with a pair of scissors and then the trap is ready for the water. Chubs and crays both love dog food. When I pull the trap I dump the bags into the creek to fatten up the others for next time :)