How to make a fish/minnow trap.

Here's a neat article I found about making a minnow trap from two or even one plastic bottle. We made these when I was growing up, from plastic mesh sewn together with twine.

article

If you read the Survival Topic on Passive Wilderness Survival Food Acquisition then you understand the value of setting traps. The beauty of traps over actively hunting and fishing is that once your traps are in place they will hunt and fish for you twenty-four hours a day seven days a week; even while you sleep. This savings in time and energy has definite wilderness survival advantages and may lead to fewer days of going hungry than can easily happen when relying completely on hunting and fishing to fill the cooking pot.

One thing that I don't see the article mention, is that bigger fish can also be trapped like this, very reliably. If you were to use a 3 liter or juice bottle (bigger cap), with some bread bait inside, you would get similar results and bigger fish. Make sure your trap is tied to something secure like a rock or a tree, otherwise a larger fish may swim off with your trap.

This is sure worth trying.
On a lucky day its great to dry the fish, as insurance against an unlucky day. Those small fishes dry easily.

reply to post by notsosunny


The idea is sound. We used the same idea to build ours when I was small. The only downside is that if you make the opening bigger, some small minnows may get out. It's common to find a trap full of 7-9inch fish though, depending on how skinny that type of fish is and how large the opening is.

reply to post by Evolutionsend

I have used minnow traps, But never out of a plastic bottle. This maybe worth trying. I have an old minnow seine that I have not used in some years. If it still good, maybe time to start using it again.

reply to post by oldshooter1979


If I had a stream or small river around here that would allow me to try it out, I would give it a try. I can't imagine the park rangers being enthused with me putting what appears to be trash in the river though. Maybe next time I go to my Dad's house.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


I have a wire mesh one I've had for years. You can also take a large institutional can of corn and poke some holes in the bottom and put a larger hole in the top, leaving some corn and juice in the bottom. Fish are attracted to anything with a sweet flavor. Once they swim in they never get out.

I took a year of survival training in 1970 I think it was. Not military but wilderness survival from an expert. You can use the same idea to trap large fish in a creek or small stream. Works great for Brook Trout or Char.

You just make a triangle shape with stakes driven into the bottom of the stream with the wide end facing upstream and a narrow gap in the pointy end. Weave willows around the three sides and once the fish enter it they never try to swim downstream. Then you just wade in and flip them out with your hands.

i've made those traps and put pieces of worms i dug up and they are unreliable. you're better of just digging worms, getting a hook, bobber and some monofilament and catching pan fish.

reply to post by randomname


That's odd, because I fished and trapped in the same river, and the trap provided much faster and larger quantities of fish. Oh wait, you used pieces of worms. I've never tried that, but I'm guessing your bait was the issue.