Re: NANFA--Minnow Trap Advice

John Gleeson (jmg_at_stg.com)
Fri, 26 Jan 2001 14:39:34 -0600

"R. W. Wolff" wrote:
>
> I catch my own feeder fish, but they are very common here. Golden shiner,
> fathead minnows , creek chubs , northern red belly dace, blacknose shiners
> and emerald shiners. I would not feed red finned shiner, redside dace or
> other less common fish. I believe wild fish are healthier than bait minnows
> or feeders from a pet shop. Those fish are contained in little areas which
> increases disease spread. Sure wild fish can harbor problems, but less
> likely. Second, if the fish I kept were still in the wild, they would be
> eating these same fish anyways, and not differentiating between emerald
> shiners and baby paddlefish.

If the fish you keep were still wild, they would be wild and you wouldn't
need to feed them.

> I think anyone is free to do what they feel is
> "morally" right in this regard. I doubt anyone is catching rare species and
> feeding them off to other fish.

Ignorance is bliss. Education is key as has been pointed out by many recently
with respect to the person who requested help on restocking a stream.
The problem with "morally" right decisions is that not all people (myself
included) are educated enough to know what species should (or legally could)
be harvested for feeders. I do not have the expertise to identify all
these fish. If I went and netted a bunch of emerald shiners and baby
paddlefish, I wouldn't know if I should throw either of them back or not.
Maybe it is okay to take the feeders you described above...I don't know. If
someone like me went out to net some feeders, I'd be happy if I had a bunch
of fish, even if they were blue pike. :)

> Another way around this is any fish that
> will eat worms should be fed them instead. I notice more vigor and health in
> sunfish that are fed worms. My small bowfin that are being raised a strict
> night crawler diet are much better looking than my large ones that are
> eating minnows. I did this once before , and the color and health seemed
> much better. Worms are also unlikely to have any aquatic disease problems
> associated with minnows.
> Ray

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