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keeping bait alive


Ol' Lund

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Hello-

I would like a way to keep minnows alive without having to run to the bait shop every time i want to fish. It is nearly 60 miles round trip, for me to get to a bait shop. What are some ways i could go about doing this? Could i get a little aquarium, with an aerator or something. What would I have to feed the minnows? What are some other things i could do?

Thanks for the help!

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I put some water in a small bucket and I bought a small bubbler for a couple of bucks at a pet store. Change the water every day and your minnows will last well over a week. Not sure what they eat... you could ask a bait store maybe?

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I bought a cheap bubbler for an aquarium at the local pet store. When I get home I simply drop the bubbler into my minnow bucket and plug it in. Don't worry about feeding them, they will live forever with just a good supply of Oxygen. While I'm out fishing I have a frabil bucket clip bubbler. I rarely have dead bait. Make sure you change the water out once it starts getting murky. One key tip, make sure you don't shock your minnows by draining outside temperature water and then refilling with room temperature tap water...they will all go belly up.

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go to a pet store and get some de-chlorinator, or you can leave tap water sitting out for a few days and let the chlorine evap.

I just use a 5 gallon bucket, and change the water every 2-3 days. I lose some minnows along the way , but always enough left.

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I have cut down a 30 gallon plastic barrel to about 18 inches tall and fill that with an aquarium water bubbler. My biggest tip would be to make sure you don't put it in too warm of a place. If you have a heated garage that stays around 45 or so, that is perfect. I just make sure to bring a liter pop bottle with me fishing once a week and give them about 5 gallons of fresh stuff. I just fill a bucket before I go home from a fishin hole. Kinda a pain in the butt, but it is better than driving all the way to the bait shop every fishing outing! I also got a bucket of pea rock for the bottom to filter out the waste. After season, I just wash them out good on a screen and save them for next year! I buy my bait by the gallon now!

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I have a non-heated/non-insulated garage. I was thinking of just using a 5 gallon bucket and a bubbler. Do you think this would keep them from freezing or would I also need a aquarium heater?

Also another understanding that I have is that you shouldn't keep fatheads along with other minnows. I've heard they're the bullies out of the bunch.

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If your fishing in a perm shack there is a submersible minnow/bait container made, it's yellow plastic with a screw off lid and a place to tie a cord to. it can be found at most bait shops.

auger a hole out side your shack opposite a hole inside. tie a 6-8' pc of twine or cord to the outside of the house and the container and let the container down the hole out side. now when you return to the shack drill your holes as usual inside, grab the cord with a length of heavy wire bent to grab it made by you, keep the container and line in the house with you while your fishing. when done fishing put the minnows back in the container and sink it. they'll be fine till you return again.

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I got a 20 gallon tank off of Craig's List for about $15 bucks that came with a light, filter and bublers. Keeps them alive for a long time. Don't have to change the water very ofte, I do a 20% water change once a week and that pretty much covers it.

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I have a non-heated/non-insulated garage. I was thinking of just using a 5 gallon bucket and a bubbler. Do you think this would keep them from freezing or would I also need a aquarium heater?

Also another understanding that I have is that you shouldn't keep fatheads along with other minnows. I've heard they're the bullies out of the bunch.

I have a very understanding girlfriend who lets me keep em in the foyer...basements work well too. Ohh yeah I have well water, so I don't know about city water. I also use a 5 gallon bucket.

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I have a large Coleman cooler that I put in the garage. The garage is unheated. I use a small bubbler for an air supply.

I kept minnows all winter last year. I change the water every third day. The cooler holds fifteen gallons of water. To solve the problem of water temp difference, I fill the buckets, set them in the garage for half a day, then change the water. Never fed them. Feed in the water just contaminates the water.

My first purchase of minnows was the last week of December of 07. I had one large sucker minnow that lasted until I was done with the bait on the 2nd day of April. Really hated feeding that sucker to the cat.

Harry

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Keeping it simple:

1) keep the water as cold as possible without freezing

2) change the water often (daily)

3) be sure the minnows are not crowded, I have a small bucket I take out on the lake but dump them into a 5 gallon bucket during the week as I usually only get out on the weekends. My current minnows are 2 weeks old and I loose 2-3/day.

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I am using 5 gallon bucket with a cheap bubbler from a thrift store with a stone on the end. The bucket is in my basement and I have it near my basements fresh air intake tube (I think they were put in for radon or something). It keeps it nice and cold. I even get a little bit of ice if it's too close.

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I keep them in a five gallon bucket also. I try to keep them as cold as possible without freezing and keep the water fresh. stayaway from tap water, lake water is the best but I have good luck with hard well water. I don't use a bubbler but it would'nt hurt. I can keep minnows alive from when I buy them till there all used up.

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put them in styrofoam bucket and put that bucket in a 5gal pail to protect the styrofoam.(i don't know where i got it but my styrofoam bucket was made to fit in a 5gal pail) gonna sound strange but the styrofoam seems to breathe,no need for a bubbler they don't add o2 as they claim , unless you use a diffuser to get the bubbles micro size, and enough minnows in your bucket will keep water from freezing anyway. if you think they need o2 put some ice or snow in the bucket, when that melts it will let off oxygen into the water and always keep the water cold and change it at the lake with lake water you'll keep fatheads forever, shiners thats another story they die just looking at'em.

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