Cheap Catfish Bait?

  • CYberg
    Posts: 2
    May 21, 2003 at 1:38 am #1309561

    Hello all!

    I will be fishing the MN river sometime memorial week. I do not have a boat that I would trust on the river, so I do it from the shore. I will be fishing the outlet of Eagle Creek river. My question is, what is some good CHEAP catfish bait? With the price of shiners, and sukers at about 10 bucks a dozen, I pretty much used up all my bait money this year. I need to find a cheap alternative, any ideas. My traps just haven’s been producing this year, and I really would like to haul in a couple cats this year. Thanks in advance for the info.

    CYberg

    vern
    Richfield, MN
    Posts: 316
    May 21, 2003 at 4:45 am #267124

    Try fishing the local creeks for bait with a rod & reel. I usually fish for creek chubs or suckers on Minnehaha Creek in Mpls. before I hit the river. Great livebait for flats or cut-bait for channels. A slip bobber & a small jig tipped with a power nibble or piece of crawler always works for chubs. Just walk the creek & look for fish or some of the deeper 3-4′ holes. There are usually a few chubs under the bridges too. Nine Mile in Bloomington also has good bait as well as a few creeks in the west metro. Good luck, Vern

    CYberg
    Posts: 2
    May 21, 2003 at 9:12 pm #267163

    Thanks for the tip, good idea. Do you fish for them above the falls, or below the falls. I will be going out on thursday to get a bunch.

    Also, I checked DNR site, and could not find any information, but can you put traps on nine mile and Minnehaha?
    Thanks again for the infomation

    tony_apisa
    E. Moline Illinois along the Rock River
    Posts: 1180
    May 22, 2003 at 12:29 am #267172

    Another good way to collect bait is to invest in a casting net. It does take some time to learn to use them. I use a 12ft net and I usually only have to throw it 2 times to get enough bait for the week. If you decide to go this way, you should check to see if they are legal in your area.

    vern
    Richfield, MN
    Posts: 316
    May 22, 2003 at 10:21 pm #267222

    I fish the creek in the Edina/SW Mpls. area. The whole creek is loaded with bait though, from Tonka to the falls. The creek is pretty high right now with this rain, so it’ll be real tough finding bait. You might want to try it when it gets back to normal levels. I’ve put minnow traps in Minnehaha before, but they were well hidden. Since the creek runs right through the heart of the city, there is a lot of recreational use. It might be tough to find a spot where people won’t take it or tamper with it. Good luck, Vern

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