Does anybody know of a good source of fresh minnows in S.E. Idaho? I have been unsuccessful in use of my minnow trap and understand that store-bought frozen ones don't work nearly as well. I would be interested in places to obtain them and tricks that might improve my success. Also I would lower myself to purchase store-bought fresh ones at a reasonable price.
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I don't know of any places that sell "fresh frozen minnows" unless this criteria fits with what sportsman's sells. 6 minnows for about 3 dollars seems high to me. Anyway, since the fish and game will not plant fish that can reproduce naturally, you are limited on where you can get minnows. I have found the best place is the Snake river from IF down stream. Anywhere there is deep water next to the bank. Put your minnow net there and you should within 1-2 hours have enough to fish with. Remember to kill them prior to taking them anywhere. Good luck
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Not sure what bait you're using but I use dry dog food. Not sure if bait is the problem or no0t, just thought I would let you know. Also remeber you are supposed to have a tag with your name and address on it, I think thats what the reg's say.
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Killperch,
Thanks for the information. I meant to buy fresh minnows rather than fresh frozen (that would defeat the purpose).
Anyway, your tip is appreciated. You used the word net vs. trap. Would a net work better and are they legal?
FR
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I meant a trap. Sorry about the confusion. I use dry dog food aswell. Seems to work well for me. Ya, you do need to afix your name and address on the trap.
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Years ago while fishing near Buhl I met a farmer from Declo who had fresh minnows and he was catching the heck out of the trout in the lake we were fishing. The curious fellow that I am asked him about rigging them, where they came from, etc. He said they came from an irrigation canal near Declo, but I never asked him if he used a net or trap. Are there minnows around in most of the canals there? Acey
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We used to get a lot of nice little sculpin minnows on the blackfoot river, near goshen. There is an area where a few different creeks dump in, and also upstream from there a side channel with some slack water. We did VERY well on with sculpin minnows, especially when we rigged them with the minnow hooks that run through the body.
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I don't know of anywhere that sales fresh minnows. There are a few places that sale frozen minnows. I don't know who has them in stock right now. The gas station (?Bingham Co-op?) in American Falls that sales some fishing equipment and licenses has sold minnows. This winter I've caught fish on the minnows in a jar from Sportsman's Warehouse. I would be surprised if ACE Hardware and some of the other places that sale fishing equipment in the Pocatello don't have frozen minnows on occasion.
I've caught minnows to fish ever since I was a little kid but I've always used my Dad's trap or net. Driving an hour just to borrow his net/trap is not worth it. I bought a minnow trap a few months ago and still haven't used it. I've used bread in traps with good luck. The two biggest tricks I've found with a minnow trap are finding a good place and giving the trap enough time to work. I will leave a trap out over night. I've also used nets to catch minnows. Check page 12 of the regulations before you buy a net. Learning to throw a net will take practice but they are very effective.
IMO, right now will be about the most difficult time of the year to catch minnows in the Pocatello area. The reservoirs are frozen, almost all the canals are empty and Portneuf was running high and muddy a few days ago. If the Portneuf slows down sometime in the next couple weeks I think I will go out and try to catch some minnows. I’ve never caught minnows out of the Portneuf by Pocatello but have a couple places I've seen a fair number of minnows. I don't know any spots on the Portneuf close to Pocatello that have a large number of minnows but I have never really looked for them either. I'll send you a PM if I go out and get some minnows. Normally I can catch more than I will use and you would be welcome to have any extras. If you know of any spots that you've seen a lot of minnows close to town, send me a PM and we could go out there and see if we could catch some minnows.
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I went out to the portneuf the other day to see how the water was. It was still muddy. I put my trap in anyway and didn't end up with any minnows. If I notice the portneuf is clearing up, I will give my trap another try.
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