Homemade Minnow Trap

Minnows provide an exciting live bait element to fishing. Anglers for generations have used minnows to catch their favorite types of fish. The live minnow is also used as the model bait fish in the construction of our most popular fishing lures. Creating your own minnow trap will help ensure you spend less time catching bait and more time catching fish. Long-time fishing researcher Dan Eggertsen has come up with a simple yet effective way to create your own minnow trap.

  1. Gather Your supplies

    • You will need these common household items: two 3.0-liter soda bottles, scissors, twine or strong thread, tool to punch holes and long rope. These items will be used in the construction of your trap. If you cannot find these items around your house, pick them up at a local hardware store. The goal here is to keep this project simple and inexpensive.

    Assemble Your Trap

    • Cut off the bottom portion of bottle "A," leaving at least two thirds of the bottle. Remove the cap from bottle "B" and cut off the top about one third of the way down. Discard the top portion of bottle "B." Place bottle "B" into bottle "A." Make sure the tops of the bottles are pointing in the same direction. Make holes in both bottles around the areas where they are cut off. Tie the bottles together---you do not want your bottles to come apart.

      Next, punch a few more holes in bottle "A" to help aid in the water flow through your trap. This will allow oxygen to enter your trap keeping your minnows alive until you empty it. Last, secure your long rope or line to the trap as your "casting line."

    Bait and Set your Trap

    • Put crackers, bread, dog food or any other type of food that will attract minnows
      into bottle "A." Once the trap is baited, make sure to place the top back on to the bottle. Throw your trap into the water and let it sit. This trap is simple; the minnows will swim into the trap through bottle "B." Once inside, they will be trapped in the space between the two bottles. Check the trap often. Do not let the minnows set inside the trap for long periods of time.