Frogs disapeared

[Tomphot]

I have a huge and a small and who knows if more northern brown water snakes. The one is probably 4 plus feet around 2 inches wide. I am still debating leaving them there or removing. How did you catch them in a minnow trap? IE what bait where did you put it? The big one stays in the smaller pond, the small one stays in the big pond. I don't want to harm them can move them to a farm pond.

I used a small egg as bait. I’ve heard of folks using a frog as bait but I decided to try an egg first.

 

[Jhn]

Never tried an egg but in the river, I grew up on we would bait the trap for minnows, once the minnows came in to the trap, snakes weren’t far behind coming in to get the minnows. Just left it shallow enough so the top of the trap broke water surface so snakes didn’t drown.

 

[addy1]

minnow traps like theses?

Amazon.com : minnow traps for bait fish

 

[Tomphot]

minnow traps like theses?

Amazon.com : minnow traps for bait fish

View attachment 140805

Yes, that’s what I have. I came upon the egg idea when I found a snake in my chickens nest box with an egg in it’s tummy. Easy to do and they don’t rot.

 

[addy1]

I enjoy seeing them, but also love my frogs. The fox , hawks etc could take care of them, but they stay under the antiheron net so they are protected. I have not seen them in about a week. Have not been home for a bit to see if they are around, which I am sure they are.

I need to find one with a decent opening, fatty is possibly 2 inches in width

 

[Tomphot]

I need to find one with a decent opening, fatty is possibly 2 inches in width

Don’t worry about the opening, they squeeze into very small openings. I caught one that was 5’ long and fat!

 

[brokensword]

I have two 100 gallon preform ponds. Every year the dozen of frogs dwindles to just one or two, and I suspect that the Black racer snakes are the culprits, as I saw one catch a frog last year. But this year suddenly all my Green and Leopard frogs vanished, and I don't think it was the snakes, as twice I saw a huge Bullfrog sitting by the pond, once at dusk, once at dawn. Last week I noticed it on the edge of one pond, and I snuck out there with a net. Bullfrog was gone when I got there but I saw the water ripples. After draining my pond I found the sucker hiding in the waterfall box. He/she was larger than a softball! It's been rehomed to a large pond about a mile away. And my remaining frogs are coming out of hiding.

Over the years I stopped buying goldfish for my ponds as every time they disappeared I found a fat Bullfrog. I introduced wild-caught fat head minnows to my ponds three years ago and they've been thriving. But I also discovered when I drained the pond that all the minnows were missing.

I hate Bullfrogs.

fuzzi, tell us how you really feel. Don't hold back!

 

[addy1]

Don’t worry about the opening, they squeeze into very small openings. I caught one that was 5’ long and fat!

Thanks I will order one and then decide if I want to catch them. Will try chicken eggs...............

 

[Tula]

@addy1 I watched this video a few years ago when we had a snake.

 

[addy1]

Thanks, pretty simple. I don't want to catch any except the water snakes. And still debating that. A bit of fish food, a few goldfish wander in maybe snakey will follow.