Catching your own minnows and crayfish aka crawdads

[NRG]

I decided to go over to falling water creek to catch some of the big shiners Ive seen in there .. used a homemade minnow trap .. put cat food in a panty hose , tied it to trap.. thru it in .. came back in couple hours .. had 4 dozen shiners some pretty good sized .. and a doz big crawdads .. Im gonna take these down to river to see what happens this eve .. any one here catch their own bait , besides shad here ?

 

[MooseKnuckle]

Yeah, we catch steelback minnows in a creek down from my house. The bass and rockfish love thememoCool

 

[finbully]

Man live crawdads are fun to fish with! I need to do that too.

 

[Kingfish]

I know all of you have a fishing license but did you know that If you take, or attempt to take fish (including crayfish) by any method etc. you must have a valid fishing license. Page 9 Tenn. Fishing Guide. I didn't know that until last year. I'm slow but trainable.emoSmile

 

[electrofisher]

I would love to learn how to catch live shiners around chickamaga and the damn. Is a cast net the best bet?? How did you make the home made minnow trap?

 

[electrofisher]

I would love to learn how to catch live shiners around chickamaga and the damn. Is a cast net the best bet?? How did you make the home made minnow trap?

 

[UTCAngler]

My buddy used to snag em w/a huge treble below the chick dam.Not sure if its legal or not but we would give em to some of the catfisherman???

 

[NRG]

electrofisher - 3/30/2008 5:48 PM

I would love to learn how to catch live shiners around chickamaga and the damn. Is a cast net the best bet?? How did you make the home made minnow trap?

I doubt that catching them below the dam would do you much good .. you would loose the trap .. creeks are about the only way you would be able to do it..
chickamauga creek , north or south, lookout creek etc .. the trap is easy to make you can even make one from a 2 liter bottle , but you can but a wire mesh trap for less than 20 bucks, I do believe that Sportsman's Warehouse has them maybe Wal-Mart too

I made mine from basically window screen , and 4 wire hoops and 1" hoop minnows go in, but dont come out .. I made it just to see if I could , already had all the stuff.. you can buy one already made cheaper than you could buy the stuff to make it generally.

here is a link for coke bottle trap
http://www.boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/69/make-your-own-minnow-trap/comment-page-1/

http://www.shortypen.com/projects/pond/minnow/index.htm

minnow or shad net
http://www.2020site.org/campequipment/minnownet.html

heres history of traps that were commercially made
http://www.minnowtraps.com/

 

[polo-dog]

Thanks for all the great info NRG! The links are nice.

 

[cagoodwn]

Yea I've made a couple of those traps before. Definently work best in small creeks. I love fishing with live crawfish below the dam...smallies and drum love them. I usually just wade in creeks and catch them with a wire net. Just lift up rocks wait for the silt to clear up and place the net behind them and scare them into it. Leave the ones with eggs though emoGeezer

 

[SpurHunter]

cagoodwn - 3/31/2008 3:28 PM Yea I've made a couple of those traps before. Definently work best in small creeks. I love fishing with live crawfish below the dam...smallies and drum love them. I usually just wade in creeks and catch them with a wire net. Just lift up rocks wait for the silt to clear up and place the net behind them and scare them into it. Leave the ones with eggs though emoGeezer

</p>

I have always caught them the same way! Greeeeeat bait for anything that swims!</p>

 

[SpurHunter]

electrofisher - 3/30/2008 5:48 PM I would love to learn how to catch live shiners around chickamaga and the damn. Is a cast net the best bet?? How did you make the home made minnow trap?

</p>

A casting net while great in some setings, is VERY hard to use below chick dam, or ANYWHERE there is lots of struchure on the bottom. Imagine dragging cotton along barbed wired... not a pretty sight.

  Throwing off a pier, bridge, or boat is ideal, and the less current the better. </p>

I know of at least three poeple having very bad luck below chick with them in just the last week or so, and I aint saying any names. </p>

What you want is a: Ed Cumings Metal Smelt & Shad Net 6'Aluminum Sh186 http://www.boatersworld.com/product/477600092.htm</p>

You can go below Chick, or Nick dams when there are any shad running, and catch all you want most times along the walls and rocks. I would extened the handle though, as the longer it is the better. With this rig you can catch anything from large gizzard shad(2lb) to the large shiners your after. </p>

 

[electrofisher]

Thanks spurhunter i like the link!! il give that a try!emoCool

 

[foodsaver]

Im with spurhunter on the net. That wire basket is what you need to get gizzard shad. I have seen people use them for threadfins also below the dams. Lets you keep it close to the bank and scrape bottom without screwing anything up.