Best Minnow Traps – Buying Guide

One of the most popular fishing methods is trap fishing. People catch minnows which are used as live baits for larger fish. A minnow is a general term for freshwater and saltwater fish.

Despite the term being used to refer to any type of fish, recently, people use it to mean the specific smaller fish breeds and types. Therefore, minnow traps are designed to catch these types of smaller fish while not using a boat. This is because they usually live near the beach around tree roots, rocks, and other hideouts, which are easy to access.

You can utilize a bait trap in shallow water, and just wait for the minnows to get to the trap. They get attracted by inexpensive baits such as pet food and leftover bread.

When deciding to purchase the minnow traps, there are some features you need to look for. Below are some of the best minnow traps available in the market and what to look for when purchasing them.

Things to consider in minnow traps

Durability

Minnow traps are made up of various materials, making it important to choose the durable ones. The best minnow traps have sturdy metals including steel. The design of the trap will give you an indication that it’s not only sturdy but it’s capable lasting for a long time.

The good thing of having a minnow trap with sturdy construction is that it’s durable, ensuring that the water currents don’t sway it or it doesn’t get carried away.

If you are buying a minnow trap for commercial use, then the importance of durability cannot be emphasized enough, especially when fishing in salty waters. Some of the minnow traps are coated with vinyl and polyethylene.

These materials are known for their durable properties by offering protective coating to withstand salty water. Without such protective coatings, your minnow trap will not last long as a result of rust.

Camouflage

While the minnow trap has to be attractive, it’s also important that it doesn’t scare away the targeted minnows. It should have features that will only attract them rather than the ones that will prevent them from coming near the trap.

It’s for this reason why its design should have a camouflage color. The best and reliable color is black because it will not alarm the minnows.

Easy to use

Another great thing about minnow traps is that they are normally easy to use. Therefore, choose a minnow trap with a cone-shaped entrance so that it allows minnows to get in without any resistance. The ideal one will make sure that minnows get in without realizing that it’s a trap.

Besides, the trap should have a feature to help you place the bait without problems. It’s frustrating to waste a lot of time figuring how to insert a bait while out fishing.

Type of target fish

There various types of fish that you can catch. Therefore, it’s important to know exactly the type of fish you want to go for before purchasing a minnow trap. This will also help you to know the size of the mesh that will be suitable for that type of fish.

If you intend to catch very small fish, then consider going for minnow traps with small meshes. Thankfully, the market has a lot of small mesh minnow traps, which makes it easier for you to purchase one easily. On the other hand, if you intend to catch bigger fish, then size doesn’t matter because you can use any mesh size.

Budget

Minnow traps have different prices, depending on the type of material used in constructing them. This makes it important to consider the budget you have reserved to secure the trap.

You should choose a minnow trap that suits well with your budget to avoid unnecessary financial inconveniences. You have to note that the traps with a higher price are usually made from high-quality materials.

Best minnow trap you can buy

#1. Gees Feets G-40 Minnow Trap

Why we like it: The Gees Feets G-40 Minnow Trap has a galvanized steel construction to give you a chance of using it for a long time.

This minnow trap is constructed in the USA using 1/4-inch galvanized steel to provide you with several times of use. With the steel and wire galvanized, it means that this is a durable trap. It is semi-collapsible to make it easy for you to store it when you are not fishing or easy to carry it with you when going and coming back from fishing.

It is manufactured to set standards by State laws relating to the entrance holes and its dimensions as it’s 16.5-inches long and 7.5 inches in diameter. You can use the Gees Feets G-40 Minnow Trap to catch fish off a boat. It’s a two-piece trap that uses dry bait and is durable because it’s made of steel and wire which are galvanized and nicely reinforced. The trap is easy to operate, ensuring that you spend little time trying to figure out how to operate it.

Pros:

• it’s made from durable materials and is galvanized and reinforced.
• It’s constructed to the set State standards.
• It’s lightweight and is semi-collapsible for easy storage.
• It’s made in the USA and the trap is also easy to operate.

Cons:

• Some people find it difficult to use it at first but once they gain the experience, it becomes an effective minnow trap.

#2. Amiley fishing floats

Why we like it: The Amiley Fishing Floats is another minnow trap designed to catch minnows. It offers maximum performance by catching a variety of fish.

If you are looking for a suitable minnow trap for fishing activities, probably the Amiley Fishing Floats is another great option. The trap’s opening measures 22 x 22 x 53 cm in length and the fishing hole diameter is almost 7.5cm. With the mesh size of 3mm, you can use it to catch minnows, crabs, crawfish, and lobsters. What makes this minnow trap unique is its special zipper design that is easy to catch fish, crabs, lobsters, and many others.

The fishing trap has nylon net and features a circle alloy frame. When you fold it, it becomes small to make it easier for you to carry it. You can use this trap for sea fishing, ice fishing, rock fishing, lake fishing, stream fishing, and angling fishing. All you need to do is to place some bait in the bait bag that is located at the center. Then you have to sink it in the water and put the bait above the net so that you can attract minnows into the trap.

Pros:

• It comes with a small zipper bag for bait and a larger zipper pouch to make it easy for removing fish.
• It has large holes to make it easy to catch large fish.
• It’s lightweight for easy storage and it’s easy to carry it with you when going out for fishing.
• While it’s quite affordable, it also sturdy and effective in catching minnows.

Cons:

• It’s quite effective though the zippers might sometimes jam.

#3. RUNACC Folded Fishing Net Trap

Why we like it: This is a portable fish trap designed to catch shrimp, crayfish, carp, and crabs. It’s made of high-quality material to provide it with the necessary strength.

RUNACC Folded Fishing Net Trap measures 23.6 x 11.8 inches. It’s a solid trap and boosts of having high strength material for durability. Because it’s sturdy in water, you rest assured of catching more fish. It’s also easy to dry and carry. This is an excellent fish trap for outdoor recreational fishing as you can fold it and is easy to carry.

The zipper design is what makes it easy to take out your catch such as fish, crabs, and shrimps. The trap features double openings on both sides to ensure that it grabs more fishes and crabs. You can place the bait in the cage, and then just put the cage in the water. If you wait for a couple of minutes, you will see the fish, crabs, shrimps, and other aquatic creatures swimming through the front and rear openings into the cage. The best thing about this trap is that once they are inside, they can’t come out.

Pros:

• It’s portable and you can fold it to make it easy for storage and easy to carry it with you.
• it comes with two small latches to hold it in place when not in use.
• It’s multipurpose as you can use it to catch various types of water creatures such as fish, shrimps, crabs, and crayfish.
• It has zipper design to enable you to reach in and retrieve your catch.

Cons:

• The net looks weak but users believe it doesn’t affect its strength and durability.

#4. Goture Portable Folded Fishing Net

Why we like it: The Goture Portable Folded Fishing Net is an automatic trap with just the string placed at the top to enable the net open automatically.

Whether you intend to catch fish, minnow, shrimp, crayfish, or crab baits, the Goture Portable Folded Fishing Net is another best option. This trap has portable 6 sides and 12 holes, making it simple for you to catch as many fish as possible. It’s a convenient and simple trap because you don’t need to install to operate it. The trap is made up of high-quality and durable steel wire to give it the necessary support while in the water.

It has a button which you can press if you want to fold the trap. This is a fish trap with 360° design and features a double-decker design. It’s suitable for catching minnows, smelt, lobster, crab baits, crawfish, and shrimp. You don’t have to worry about how to get out the catch because it comes with a special large zipper to make it easy for you. The trap can be folded into a small size, it’s portable, and lightweight, for easy storage and you can carry it with you without being inconvenienced.

Pros:

• It’s effective in catching minnows and you can use simple baits such as bread leftovers.
• It’s portable to make it easy to carry and it’s also easy to open.
• It has a sturdy metal frame and net.
• It has a string at the top to assist the net open automatically.

Cons:

• The material is made of mesh which might not last for long with rigorous use.

#5. Frabill 1271 Black Minnow Trap

Why we like it: The Frabill Black Minnow Trap is a 16.5 inches torpedo design intended to perform in either water with a strong current or calm waters.

For a versatile minnow trap, you can use it to catch minnows in strong currents or calm waters. It has heavy-duty galvanized metal construction to ensure that it’s durable. This is a 2-piece minnow trap with easy baiting and a catch removal mechanism. The trap also comes with a spring clip that comes handy when closing it.

You don’t have to panic about trap collecting debris because it has a diamond mesh pattern that prevents it from happening. There is no doubt that this minnow trap will create great memories for you as it’s made from high-quality materials to help it perform well.

Pros:

• It has a cone shape to prevent the catch from getting out.
• It’s a sturdy fish trap and comes with a vinyl coating.
• It’s easy to use and even young kids can take out to catch minnows.
• You can use it in strong currents or calm waters.

Cons:

• The soldered ring might cause other minnows to escape from the trap.

The verdict

All the best minnow traps reviewed above have the required features to make it easy for you to catch minnows. These traps will catch minnows, crab baits, crawfish, lobsters, and many other water organisms. But, it’s always important to research the type of trap that will meet your needs. This is especially true for people without enough fishing experience so that you can understand the various features, functions, and the specs of each minnow trap.

After knowing what you want in your minnow trap, identify the product which is right for you. Then, ensure that you read what other customers feel about the product. These products are made up of high-quality materials and will help you have a successful outdoor fishing activity.