Whats the best bait for a perch trap I have heard dog food, cornmeal, soured milo...I wanted to hear from the experts though...If anyone does use dog food do you use wet or dry food. Thanks in advance

i use either dry dog food, or super cheap white bread. The bread works better some days, dog food others

Range cubes work every time i put one out . Checked it last night had a hole mess of them in there.

Bacon. it’s strong, lasts long and if your trap is on the bottom you will get crawfish.

I use no "real" bait, only little pieces of styrofoam. I put the trap in the creek every other week or so and leave it out for about 12 hours, and end up with about 20-25 perch EVERY time. No food bait at all. Specifically I used a tore up foam cup. The pieces are too big to go through the holes and can be reused a million times....

Rooster99: Wow thats orginal I will defineltly have to try that...What do you think atracts them?

Range cubes in a plastic coke bottle that had a bunch of holes in the bottle.

I guess it's just a visual thing, they see the white and are curious and probably think it's something to eat. My dad told me to do that, and he catches tons of perch in his traps for his jugs in the river back in NE Oklahoma. Sure enough, a crushed up styrofoam cup and those silly things get trapped everytime. I pull the trap, take my perch and put them in the bucket of water, then I just rinse off the entire trap, foam and all and hang it back in the garage. No messy baits to mess with.

I looked briefly, and this isn't an original idea. There apparently are lots of people who use the foam. Google "perch traps styrofoam" and see what you find. Food baits might yield a few more numbers, but I'm getting between 15 and 25 from sunset to sunrise with foam.

does academy sell perch traps? how big are they?

I get my bait from stock tanks with a cast net.
Quick and easy.

Yes, academy sells them. I think they are from 20-40 depending on size. I made my own out of rabbit wire and zip ties. Took me about two hours but works like a champ, and it's pretty big (18"x24").

The absolute best that I have found is a shiny beer can (Coors Light or Busch Light). I have not used anything else in many years. I tell the wife that I dont really like drinking beer but I need the cans for bait.

I have been thinking about making my own perch trap but then I visited the TPW web site and read this:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/fish/legal_devices/

Perch Traps:
For use in SALT WATER only.
May be used to take NONGAME fish only.
May not exceed 18 cubic feet.
Must be marked with a floating visible orange buoy not less than 6 inches in height and 6 inches in width. The buoy must have a GEAR TAG valid only for 30 days attached.
Must either have the main lid tie-down strap closed with untreated jute twine, or be equipped with a degradable panel (3" x 6") in the sidewall of the trap sewn or tied with untreated jute twine or untreated steel wire less than 20 ga.
Buoys or floats may not be made of plastic bottle(s) of any color or size.
It is unlawful to place any type of trap within the area in Cedar Bayou between a department sign erected where Mesquite Bay flows into Cedar Bayou and the department sign erected near the point where the pass empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

Are perch traps illegal to use in fresh water or am I misunderstanding this?

here ya go ... yer freshwater perch trap must follow these specs


Minnow Trap:
May be used to take NONGAME fish only.
Trap may not exceed 24 inches in length. The opening may not exceed 1 inch by 3 inches.

Ah, so my 18"x24" minnow trap that catches perch is good to go, because freshwater perch are NOT gamefish. See below:

**********
Game Fish (includes hybrids or subspecies of fish on this list):

Bass: Guadalupe, largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, striped, white, yellow
Catfish: blue, channel, flathead
Cobia
Crappie: black, white
Mackerel: king, Spanish
Marlin: blue, white
Pickerel
Red drum
Sailfish
Sauger
Seatrout, spotted
Sharks
Snook
Spearfish, longbill
Swordfish, broadbill
Tarpon
Tripletail
Trout: brown, rainbow
Wahoo
Walleye