Creek Chubs

[JBMasterAngler]

When I was younger I remember catching lot's of creek chubs while I was fishing for trout in the small streams. Now I'm kinda' interested in catching some for bait. Where is a good spot (non designated trout waters of course) where I can get some off the gunflint trail? I used to catch trout in the brule upstream of northern light lake, but I don't believe it's designated waters, that for now seems to be my ideal choice. Any input would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[Catfishunter]

there great bait for cat's and eye's. don't realy know were to get them

[andrew chadwick]

creek chubs are more of a southern minnesota deal.

PS. they are good eating. they are very sweet flavoured.

[Capt.Blaine]

JB if you decide to look in the Duluth area let me know.

[Great Outdoors]

They can be trapped in any small creek or in beaver ponds. Best time is later April/early May, when they have a blood red stripe on their sides, which disappears after the water warms up. Good bait, but seem to need more oxygen than the standard minnow. The size will vary from 3-6+ inches. They are actually a dace, and you may catch some of the horned versions, named after the horns on their noses.

[Wade Joseph]

There is a small stream by me that you can catch them on a hook with a worm. A minnow trap would probably get ytou all you could want for bait.

[andrew chadwick]

3-6 inches.? Ive caught them up to 16 inches in S. mn. most average about 7-10 though for me.

what creeks in duluth have them?

[JBMasterAngler]

I would rather trap or net them, I don't really want to waste too much time fishing for them. But yeah, I'd catch them on #0 mepps spinners or with wax worms. They'd range from 4 to 8 inches. Perfect bait size! And yes, I've caught them in southern minnesota as well, the upper reaches of the zumbro river is LOADED with them! I'd be doing this in the grand marais area in mid june.

[bigyooper]

a small adams on a fly rod at any local beaver pond should yield you all you want.

[Capt.Blaine]

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what creeks in duluth have them?

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There a few no name creeks around here that you can trap in.

[Catfishunter]

heard from old guy that they taste good.

[Great Outdoors]

chadwick,

You won't get them that big in minnow traps unless you enlarge the cone trap throat or use verticle throat such as B's, boxes, or clover leaf traps with a stick to hold them open further. Any small creeks with some current will have them. They are sometimes called leather backs, but they are a form of dace, like a rainbow chub.

[andrew chadwick]

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heard from old guy that they taste good.

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they sure do...

I want to get another mess of them again. I must have been 10 last time i did that.

[JBMasterAngler]

I have plenty of mesh minnow traps, I used to trap crayfish when I was a kid...but what do you use to lure the chubs in?

[Dock Boy]

Throw some pop corn packing material in them you'll catch all you need.

[Catfishunter]

There is a max size you can have the openings on a minnow trap. They are not a dace but in the same family, Cyprinidae(minnows). There are also hornyhead chubs in this area but hard to tell apart.

[Great Outdoors]

They are a member of the dace family, which encompasses many species. Kind of like many cars being Chevrolets, some are Corvettes, Impalas, Corvairs, etc, but they are all Chevys. The horned dace are the same thing as what is commonly called a creek chub, except with horns. Don't know if this is common to males, or spawning, or time of year???

Most bait in a trap works, some used dry dog food, bread,or styro packing peanuts.

[Steve Foss]

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They are a member of the dace family, which encompasses many species. The horned dace are the same thing as what is commonly called a creek chub, except with horns.

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There are many species of dace, and many species of chub. There are species of dace that resemble a creek chub, and no doubt sometimes people just say "creek chub" when they are looking at a dace, particularly since the same streams can produce several different species, and because most people know about chubs but not about dace.

However, Jim, chubs are not in the dace family. Dace and chubs are both in the same family, the very large minnow family, according to my taxonomic fish guides, and as Catfishunter pointed out.

Dace species that occur in Minnesota, also according to my guides, are redside, northern redbelly, southern redbelly, finescale, pearl and blacknose. Chub species in Minnesota include creek, lake, hornytail, gravel, speckled and silver.

[Great Outdoors]

Steve,

There are many species that are referred to as dace, including horned dace, long nosed dace, and numerous others that you failed to mentioned. If you wish to argue technicalities, be my guest. The post was meant to offer info to JBMasterandler and aid him in catching them for bait, not begin a lawyer like discussion. Bottom line, if you leave a tank of them uncovered with any type of agitation in it, (aerator, bubbler, etc) you will have a floor full of them in the morning, as all members of the dace family are "jumpers" Also, if you see any minnows in a tank that float to the top headless, this is indicative of a creek dace (horned or other) in the tank. All of them get a blood red stripe on their sides in the early spring.

[Steve Foss]

No prob, Jim. Just thought it was worth pointing out an inaccuracy, as that is one of my roles here, and did not mean to ruffle feathers. I've made plenty of mistakes myself, you know.

[JBMasterAngler]

Yeah, I just want some minnows. Was humorous seeing you guys get into a debate about what minnow is which though. But thanks for the advice, I think I might give trapping minnows a try this year.