Catching spot tail shinners

[pikergolf]

The thread on frozen minnows got me thinking about catching spot tail shinners in our river systems. When a 30' net was allowed I did well catching them, with the new rules (10' net) it is far more difficult. A few hours of sweeping might net you a tub or two of minnows, and I have never had success using a minnow trap. I have caught them with a small hook and line but it is very tedious and the catch rate is quit low. Anyone have success catching them that would like to share, I am especially interested in minnow traps. Thanks!

[trigger7mm]

It’s tough even finding good numbers of them any more. When I was a kid pretty much any lake in the Lakeland region was full of them.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

As a kid at floatingstone it was simple to catch as many as you needed. Then we would go catch big perch with them. I remember seeing guys fill 5 gallon pails with shiners within 5 minutes easy. Haven’t seen a big school of shiners in years.

[Red Bullets]

A 10 foot diameter casting net would be worth a try for a one guy operation.

[trigger7mm]

As a kid at floatingstone it was simple to catch as many as you needed. Then we would go catch big perch with them. I remember seeing guys fill 5 gallon pails with shiners within 5 minutes easy. Haven’t seen a big school of shiners in years.

Same thing at moose lake when I was a kid. Fill up an ice pail with shiners, walk to the drop off, fish in our cut offs from shore, and catch walleyes and perch all day long. The good old days.

[dodgeboy1979]

minnow trap with cat food kibbles