Do u guys catch your own minnows or you buy 'em ?

[wannalearn]

I'm actually going broke spending almost $10 for every trip on minnows. LOL.
Just wondering if you could catch them since I had my under water light on the other night and happened to see lots of minnows gather around it.

[CrappiePappy]

depends on what you're referring to as "minnows". Most store bought minnows are chub, pond, or creek minnows (fatheads, chubs, bluntnose) ... usually referred to as "crappie minnows" or "tuffy minnows". Then there's the Shiners & Rosey Reds. Most of the "minnows" you see, around the lights you have out, are probably Shad (gizzard, threadfin) ... especially if they're in a huge school, circling under the light. The long, lean, pencil-shaped minnows, that dart around near the surface, are probably Brook Silversides.

You can cast net Shad - but, you'd have to find a school of them, that were the size you wanted (about 2-3" long). And you'd have to have a good baitwell or special tank to keep them alive in. And you'd have to have a cast net with a 1/4" mesh.
You can dip net Brook Silversides - but you'd need a wire mesh net (window screen) either in a deep cone or deep square head style (bought or hand-made). You'd have to put a light over the side and cruise the banks, at dark, and dip them as they followed the light ... until you have a sufficient quantity to fish with. That may take you a couple of hours....provided your waters have them in it. (Note - you might be able to use a nylon mesh type net, I don't know .. I've only used a screen mesh type, due to the fact that it has very small diameter "holes" and cuts thru the water faster than a "dip net" type of net)

What price are you paying for your "store bought" minnows ?? At $1/dz that would be 120 minnows ... how many poles are baited & out at one time ? Have you tried using a jig (casting, vertical jigging, "vertical casting") in place of one or more of your minnow poles ?? (can you purchase your minnows by the pound, half pound ?? ... they are usually cheaper that way, and you generally get more for the price)

When I used to fish at night, for Crappie, with my Grandparents - (minnows, Silversides, or Shad) - we never had more than 2-3poles apiece out ... and still managed to catch a nice mess, most times. When we ran out of live Shad or Silversides - we cut the dead ones in half and fished with them ... flicking the line, every now & then, to impart a little action to the bait. That worked, to a degree ... but, dead "minnows" were usually thrown overboard (to feed the "little ones" :rolleyes: ) .......... luck2ya ...cp

[CrappieLips]

I'm actually going broke spending almost $10 for every trip on minnows. LOL.
Just wondering if you could catch them since I had my under water light on the other night and happened to see lots of minnows gather around it.

wannalearn like cp said if you buy them buy the pound its cheaper. If you happen to have a place set up for "minnows'' like a 55 gallon drum sunk about 3/4 in the ground with a areator like me. I'm not sure where your from ( need to typ it in your profile) But here in AL. there are lots of minnow farms where when you buy by the pounds as in 5 to 10 pds you can get them as cheap as $4.00 to $5.00 a pounds normaly you pay $10.00 to $12.00 a pounds at a bait shop. when were fishin hot n heavy ill buy 8 to 10 pounds and put in the drum and within 2 weeks they'll be gone. I also do catch some from time to time when i have the time to go to the creeks and ponds around the neighboors but that's time consuming and you never know how many your going to get. hope that helps good luck in dieciding

[CrappieLips]

Hey crappypappy;;; when we run out of minnows i get in the livewell and squeeze the fish and it makes them regurgate the dead minnows up. Presto instant bait

[scrap]

I have a large cooler with an aerator system set up in my garage. I can keep minnows ( fat heads ) for as long as I like.

[unknown 5]

Chubs and shiners are relatively easy to seine out of small creeks and ditchs around here. They are tougher than store bought minnows. I often buy my minnows though.

[papasage]

Chubs and shiners are relatively easy to seine out of small creeks and ditchs around here. They are tougher than store bought minnows. I often buy my minnows though.

there is a creek running through my yard an see minnows there . i have put my leftover minnows in it to . thought about putting a trap in it to see if i could catch some . . there is a poste by crapster in april on the ga. forum about running out and using a cast net at the boat ramp at smoke bridge . that is all he uses and catch fish

[FalconSmitty]

I always buy 5dz shiners. I try to by them after 3pm when the guy there just scoops em up and fills the bucket. He puts 10-12 dozen at the least. I have noticed the minnows around the ramps and docks. I will try a few of those. Main thing I've noticed is size is key and the size they want changes.

[slabbandit]

Where I live in Arkansas we go by Lonoke to Anderson's minnow farm and we split the cost of the 6 pound minimum which is $21. This is just a little over $3 a pound. My Father-in-law has a 250 gallon tank that we keep them in. They keep just fine in the cooler months but we lose a few each day during the hotter months. A 25 to 30% water change daily really helps lower the ammonia build-up. This seems to really help a lot during the summer.



CATCH A BIG-UN

[Fishnbuddy]

I've done and do both. When I'm in a hurry, I'll stop by the bait shop nearby and buy a few dozen for a buck a dozen, but when I've done my planning--which means I've gotten ready for several days--I'll arrange to stop by a couple creeks on friends' property and set out minnow traps. I find these minnows are tougher and last longer as well as being free.

Sometimes I'll get tadpoles and they are good to use too, especially for catfish.