How to Make a Poddy Mullet Trap

Poddy mullet are great bait fish. When young, they are no bigger than minnows, and can be caught using the same methods that one would use to catch minnows. Homemade traps can be set in shallow water no more than two feet deep, with at least thirty feet of twine tied to them so that they can be pulled back to shore. By catching live bait, fishermen save money that they would normally spend on live or frozen bait in a bait and tackle shop.

Things You'll Need

• 2-Liter soda bottle
• Duct tape
• Kitchen knife
• Twine, 30 ft
• Sandwich bread

Instructions

1. Use the kitchen knife to cut roughly one inch below where the funnel part of the bottle opening expands out to the same circumference as the rest of the bottle.

2. Push the knife through the "body" of the bottle to make several slits that will allow for water circulation while the trap is holding caught mullet. If the fish are trapped and do not have adequate circulation, they could die from lack of oxygenated water.

3. Tie one end of the twine to the bottle by pushing it through one of the slits that were made by the knife and out through another. Make sure that the twine is knotted well, or it could come undone while pulling the trap in.

4. Flip the top of the bottle upside down and place it inside of the main part of the bottle. It should look like a funnel leading to the interior of the the bottle. This inverted bottle top will allow for the mullet to swim into the bottle but because it is not a smooth line leading out, they will have problems getting free.

5. Attach the two pieces of bottle together using duct tape. Place several pieces around where the funnel shaped, top part of the bottle sits inside the bottle's "body."

6. Tear a piece of bread into small pieces and place the pieces inside the bottle. This is the bait for the mullet.

Tips & Warnings

• Leave the trap in the water for at least thirty minutes to give enough mullet a chance to locate the trap and swim inside.

• Do not disturb the water while waiting; mullet are skittish by nature. Too much disturbance will scare them away from the trap.

References

• Angling Fish: How To Make A Minnow Trap From A Soda Bottle
• Fishing Baits: Can't Go Past Poddy Mullet