Raising minnows for bait

Fishing in your pond is a great way to relax, and a wonderful activity to share with the entire family. To avoid having to make a trip to the bait shop every time you want to cast a line, however, you can raise your own minnows. Since they're at the bottom of the food chain, you'll need a smaller pond free of large fish. Stock your bait pond with minnows such as fatheads or shiners, which you can purchase from a bait dealer or game farm. Stock 300 or so adults per surface acre of water in the spring, and by the end of the year, they should number around 10,000. Then, when you're ready to go fishing, grab the seine or a minnow trap, and get ready to reel in the lunkers!

Radio interview source: Tory Mason, fisheries management biologist, Missouri Department of Conservation

Learn more about raising minnows for bait:

How to produce bait minnows in ponds: The Conservation Commission of Missouri shares useful tips for constructing a bait pond, treating the watershed, choosing a species, fertilizing and harvesting minnows.

Bait minnow production for small farms: Raising bait minnows on your acreage could turn into a money-making business. See whether you and your property are suited to raising baitfish for sale.

Rosy red and fathead minnows: Find everything you ever wanted to know -- and then some -- about these minnows, including care, breeding and photos.