Q&A for How to Make a Minnow Trap

I suppose you don't really need two; you could just use the top you cut off from your bottle.

Minnow traps do often trap water snakes. The head of a snake is about as wide as a minnow, so they can't get out either.

Yes, it can.

There is no way really. Minnows just kind of do their own thing. Don't worry about having a giant minnow. The smaller minnows will still act as good bait.

Cut away the duct tape and remove the top. You can reassemble the trap later.

It helps to release water when it's being brought to land, so you don't have to pour it from the funnel, risking the loss of some fish.

Trout have really small mouths, so if the they don't seem to like the bread lure it might be because your bread bait is too big. Try smaller bits, about the size of a pea, to appeal to the fish. If bread still is not working, use a fly lure or salmon eggs.

Many dry pet foods will work fine in this trap. Carbohydrate-heavy pet foods (rather than meat-based pet foods) are best. Crawfish will have a harder time making it through the soda bottle nozzle than minnows will.

Yes, the trap will work in any body of water that has minnows. You can usually tell there are minnows by looking at the shallow parts of the water.

Minnows can find their way into the small hole in the trap, but very rarely are able to find their way back out. There's a chance one or two may occasionally manage to escape, but it won't be a common occurrence.

It might work but it may increase the chances of the minnows escaping.

Some big fish such as walleyes, trout, bass, crappies, and salmon eat minnows, so that's why people use minnows as bait. And, minnows can wiggle around on the hook, so the big fish will see them and might bite them. They are also a lot easier to find than worms.