Catch your own bait

Photo: Bill Lindner

Editor’s note: Regulations for catching and transporting baitfish in Ontario are changing. View them by clicking here

The use of live bait by anglers in Ontario has declined over the past decade, while artificial baits have gained popularity. And, realistic looking, scent-enhanced baits sometimes work better than the real thing, especially if the bite is hot.

But there are other times when you need some real meat to catch fish. Under cold front conditions or in the face of high fishing pressure, live bait will out-fish artificial bait hands down, especially for finicky walleye, panfish, or trout.

The cost of live bait continues to rise, so being able to catch your own can save you a few bucks this summer. Here’s how you do it.

Photo: Bill Lindner

Leeches
Leeches can be found in most small lakes and larger beaver ponds. Catching them requires more work than minnows or nightcrawlers because you will likely set your bait set off the bank, using a canoe.

One proven method is to use folded pieces of sheet metal with a strong-scented meat, like liver, stuffed inside. Traps are usually about 30 centimetres by 30 centimetres with ¼ inch wide openings for leeches to crawl in.

Place the trap in the deeper part of the pond under a float, which can simply be a 30-centimetre piece of swimming noodle.

It’s important to check your traps first thing in the morning, as leeches hide out on the dark lake bottom once daylight hits.

Read the best ways to keep your bait alive here.

Minnows
Most small ponds that don’t freeze solid over the winter will hold minnows that anglers can trap. Simply fill a minnow trap with pieces of bread and throw it away from the bank. Leave it over night and check it the next morning.

The best ponds have some water flowing through them, but it’s all about experimenting to find the spots that will trap enough minnows to fish with.

Suckers and Shiners
In the spring, white suckers and shiners run up any kind of small creek or river they can access to spawn. If the creek is small enough, a dip net is all you need to catch these baitfish.

In northwest Ontario we freeze suckers and use them when ice fishing for lake trout and pike. We freeze the shiners as well and use them for ice fishing walleye.

The spring window to catch these baitfish only lasts a week or two, within a few weeks of the ice going out, so watch for them to start showing up.

Photo: Bill Lindner

Nightcrawlers
Nightcrawlers get their name because they like to show themselves at night. I don’t know what it takes for a grassy lawn to be prime habitat for nightcrawlers, but I do know some are much better than others.

Head out in the evening just after dark, following a rain or even a couple of hours of running a sprinkler. With some luck, you’ll be able to fill a bucket with nightcrawlers.

Take a flashlight and sneak along, quickly grabbing at nightcrawlers that squirm up above the ground. Be warned, they are quick! Grab them as close to the ground as possible so you don’t rip them in half. Walleyes, look out!

Live bait regulations:
Anglers should know that while they are allowed to catch their own bait, there are a few regulations they need to know about.

• Anglers cannot have in their possession more than 120 baitfish, 120 leeches, 36 crayfish or 12 leopard frogs.
• Anglers can only use one leech trap at a time and it cannot be greater than 45 centimetres in any dimension. The trap must be clearly marked with the licence holder’s name.
• Live baitfish cannot be released into any body of water or within 30 metres of any body of water.
• An angler can only use one minnow trap at a time and it cannot be greater than 51 centimetres long or 31 centimetres wide.

For more on regulations visit the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fishing regulations at:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/fishing-live-bait#section-1