You wade out into the lake about knee deep then you bend over and clack two large rocks together between your legs!

The trap above is a classic. I would throw some bread crumbs in there to give the minnows a little extra enticing, but that's just me.

You can get small minnow traps shaped like the bottle above but the bottle trap sounds like a real good improvisation. Put torn up bread crumbs in the trap, drop it in about a foot of water and leave it over night. You should have minnows in the morning. I would note that I seldom use minnows in Canada. Spoons, jigs and crankbaits work just as well with much less hastle.

I haven't fished there for a long while but many years ago I did guide for fish in northern Manitoba. In that area, big pike rule the surface and walleyes are down deep. I have fished lakes where you could catch one or the other nearly with every cast. However, accessible areas are fished out quickly and you have to work for them. The trusty red and white Daredevil is still my favorite lure to have for big pike and a white lead headed grub jig with a pink tail for the walleys. The Johnson's spoon with pork rind is great for casting the grassy areas for northerns. I use big spoons to avoid getting lots of hammer handle (little northern) hits and I have found that the big northerns don't particularly like the little spoons. I once caught a 25 puond northern on the biggest Daredevil they make... He had a four pound walleye sticking out of his mouth when I landed him (I didn't count the walleye in the weight). You can't cast anything too big for those trophy fish. Try to get off the beaten path if you can and you will see more fish. At this point, the northerns will still be in grassy and warmer bays... easiest to get to with a boat or canoe. I also like to hit the white water below water falls for both pike and walleys. Crank baits (like a Rapala) are good too but I remove the front hook from them. They are just too much trouble to remove from big northers who swallow them. I usually take a pliers and bend the barbs down most of the way since most good northern fishing is catch and release due to the fact that you will catch many more than you can take out. If you get a chance, try to fly into a remote lake, it will be an experience and those guys all drive an airplane because the roads are useless most of the year. If you can get a boat, troll the shoreline with a very big musky plug or a big Daredevil to find them. If you find rocky sholes, look down in the water and you might see big northerns tucked in the rocks down to about 30 feet. Northerns like structure like rocks and deadfall trees. Good luck and remember the beauty of the Canadian wilderness will be worth more than all the fish you catch. If you see a big one following your lure, get the lure back in the water quick. I once dropped a Daredevil on one's beak not more than two feet away after a follow. It inhaled the lure and weighed in at 29 pounds 8 ounces after I landed it about 20 minutes later. Good luck and let us know what you find. PS, keep your hands out of the water... those big northers will hit anything that moves :-).