The Recreational Use of a Minnow Trap

Type: Nontidal and Tidal
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Licensed recreational anglers in Maryland have the privilege of setting an approved minnow trap to catch minnows for bait. Taking the time to catch your own minnows can result in considerable savings, especially in the spring when the yellow perch begin to ascend their spawning rivers. Recreational anglers are allowed to set only one trap which must be checked daily if set on private property. If you are not the owner of the property where the trap is set, you must obtain permission from the property owner. If set on public property, the owner must be always present at all times within 100� of the trap. In all cases the trap may not be set more than 100� from shore. A line must be attached from the trap to a dock, pier, pole with a sign or from an undocked boat. The buoy or end of the line where it is tied to the bank, pole or a dock must be marked with the owners DNR ID#.

The legal definition of a minnow trap is a single baitfish entrapment device with no wings or leads. The mesh cannot be greater than �� square for tidal waters and �� for nontidal waters. The interior entrance hole at the end of the funnel must measure less than 2� for tidal waters and 1� for nontidal waters. No dimension of the trap can measure greater than 24�. Minnow traps are not allowed to be set in any trout management waters.

Minnow traps can be found in most fishing tackle shops and the bright galvanized wire traps tend to catch more minnows than the black vinyl coated traps. It is believed that the brightness attracts the minnows. If your trap starts to show signs of rust, it can be touched up with silver spray paint. When we were kids we used bread for bait and it seemed to work okay but dog or cat food kibbles tend to send out a scent in my opinion. If you can obtain fresh menhaden that works very well also in tidal waters. The narrow sections of draining tidal creeks, grass bed edges or anything where water flow might bring minnows towards the funnels of your trap are good places to set your trap.

Ethical anglers will treat the minnows they catch with a conservation mind. If you are trying to catch small minnows for yellow perch fishing toss the large males and females back so the they can produce more minnows. Any nontarget fish such as sunfish, small eels or other minnow species such as the sheepshead minnow should be released unharmed. If fishing in a freshwater lake or pond, you should not release any unused minnows that you brought from another body of water. The common bull minnow should be your target species in most tidal waters and in freshwater areas perhaps fathead minnows. A tip about sheepshead minnows, yellow perch do not seem to prefer them as much as bull minnows.