MIN-O-LIFE Personal Baitstation by Frabill (4 out of 5 Stars)

[Shack]

Frabill Min-O-Life Personal Baitstation is a a self contained system to keep live minnows "alive" during your time out fishing.

It comes with its own 2 D battery power aerator, hoses and connections and also feature an insulated body to keep the water temps cool. It has a handle and clasp that lock down the sealed lid. Here is a little background on the baitstation:

Quick Overview:

Superior insulation features hard shell cooler design (8 qt. capacity) keeps water and bait cooler

Lift-out net liner eliminates need for a minnow dip net; just lift and select your bait

Equipped with Frabill model 1423 portable aerator (Whisper-Drive quiet operation)

(Note: Aerator requires 2 D-cell batteries, not included)

The number one choice for maintaining minnows in hot summer conditions

8 quart capacity

I have had this minnow bucket going on two seasons now. I purchased the baitstation for around $40, which at the time had a retail of over $50. I figured it was worth the shot because of two key points:

1: It has a sealing and locking lid

2: Small enough, but packed a huge punch when you are limiting the amount of stuff you bring along during ice fishing.

I fish Mille Lacs using shiners often, while pulling around my gear on a snowmobile. I wanted something that did not leak all over, but kept the minnows alive also. It is a pretty sweat set-up when you break it down. On top of the sealed and aerated features, it has a handle net that scoops the entire lot of minnows for easy pickens.

Also the size of the unit is small enough to stow away nicely in your Otter sled, but yet the 8qt capacity is enough to keep a couple scoops of fatheads, half dozen med-large shiners, half scoop of chubs and half dozen med pike/sucker minnows alive all day on the ice.

After the first time I used it I knew it was too good to be true. A minnow bucket that does not leak all over. Sure enough if you are fishing in around 0 deg. temps, the seal around the lead freezes and water just pours out when in the Otter sled being pulled by a snowmobile. Also the inlet port for the aerator hose leaks water and even if you fill it up to that point and just sitting in the garage. The other hassle I noticed right away was the clipping fashion the aerator mounts to the baitstation.

Which I have modified a couple times now and the thing still pills through. It is nice to remove the aerator for use with other bait keeping containers, but riding in an Otter sled behind a snowmobile almost always guarantees hat your aerator will be laying on the floor of the Otter Sled and the hose disconnected. Not good when you have shiners in the baitstation.

Although this Min-O-Life container does not live up to all of its feature advertised, I still am giving it 4 out of 5 stars. The reason for this it has saved my purchased minnows enough now to pay for itself. I am horrible when it comes to remembering to bring in the minnows after a fishing trip. If I am using minnows I tend to get a variety and this can add up easily to $15-$20. Because of this expense I try to keep my minnows as long as I can and bring them out and back home until the are either gone of paper thin. This is if I can remember to bring them inside with me when I get home after a fishing trip.

This weekend I forgot once again to bring the minnows I had even put up in the cab of my SUV. I remembered around 3:00pm the next day and figured they were goners and did not rush to deal with them. Around 9:00pm last night I figured I better deal with mess I still had out in my SUV. Low and behold:

Minnows were still alive. Even with the low water they did not freeze and the aerator kept them alive and even the shiners. Still alive and I will be using them later this week.

MIN-O-LIFE Personal Baitstation by Frabill Pro's and Con's:

Pro's:

* Aertor comes with as well as nice tubing that flexes good when below using in below 0 temps.

* Self contained complete system.

* Locking and sealing lid

* Removable minnow net tray

* Nice and small while being able to hold a good amount of minnows

* Does not tip over easy and has a low profile when using in a porty and heating with a Mr. Heater Sunflower style unit.

* Honestly has paid for itself as of last weekend by keeping forgotten left over minnows alive to be reused for the next time out.

Con's:

* Leaks pretty bad in a couple spots (lid seal when below or around 0 temps and aerator tube inlet).

* The aerator does not stay attached to the baitstation all that well when used with a portable being pulled on the ice.

* Requires D batteries which are bulky.

[Genofish]

Good report Shack. I am going to look into these

[Jim Almquist]

Thanks for the great write up. I know I need to change my system but hate to drop $$ when I am not sure just how good the over all system will work. I have been buying the styrofoam buckets and throwing them into a 5 gallon pail but sooner or later they leak and the bucket floats. At $9.00 a crack I would have paid for this system and then some. The last one leaked from day one

[remington 300]

thanks for the report shack, im thinking of getting one for a LOW trip in a few weeks, and i just noticed a certain farm type retailer that has them for about 30 bucks,

tight lines,

Mike.

[CrappieNight]

I picked one up last spring and after a few sets of batteries, the aerator pump started getting louder.

I haven't used it in months because it drives me nuts. Out in the boat everyone complains about the noise and my buddy said he could hear it from his boat.

I can second the leaking. Mine started leaking as soon as I got it home. The basket gets dirty and is difficult to clean (at least for this guy).

I got it on sale and am glad I didn't pay retail. I'm now using my $4 Frabill bucket instead.

The replacement pumps are too expensive to justify.

Not to sound too negative, but I have a $30 cooler that leaks.

[Shack]

LOL I wont even tell you what I dropped on a cooler about 3 years ago to carry sucker during catfishing. With out league being the basis of course. Nope! $60 cooler leaked worse the $15.00. The difference though is that was a design flaw. This does not have an official design flaw. It does not leak when it is way and the seal is playable. Just when it has been out in the cold, so the rubber seal can freeze solid.

The battery operated bubbler is louder than a 110-115v bubbler. Mine actually has been pretty good, but they have not advanced in the 10 years fro that they had 5 years even prior. Just do not get why a top-o-the line minnow bucket requires D batteries this day & age? Cheaper one ($30 is almost half price) I can see, but the flagship? Obviously cost of operation is a factor, but then again check out a two pack of the big D name-brands on sale. They ain't cheep.

I have literally been buying pre-purchased minnow containers and buckets for a decade plus and for many years it was . Most of which I have used only once because it either leaked too bad or it broke. I am beyond the sealed 5 gal in the portable. Just a hassle. This one does work well, but like I stated it holds above. 3 FlipsideS to this is, This Is It!

[magnum mike]

I have 2 of these because they are that good. Buy the cheapest D batteries you can find on sale. I have not seen any difference in performance between $1.99 and $5.99 batteries.

Set realistic goals for performance. I can’t imagine an aerated system that could take the abuse of a ride in the sled and not leak. These things obviously were not designed for that kind of abuse. Leave your bait in the O2 filled bag from the bait store, put the bag in a protective container and then transfer the bait to the Min-O-Life when on site.

[gman2002]

isn't that metal clip on the bubbler supposed to be bent in half and slipped into the slots on the side ? or is that what didn't work

[Mike Walerak]

Nice write up. I have one of these also as well as both of the bucket ones. Yes they do get louder over time. One is really loud and one is really quiet still. Coolers and areators are necessary when using expensive willowcats in the summer time for walleye fishing on rivers. I like to freeze water bottles and drop them in to keep them cool. I also have aquariam bubblers set up with wall plug ins to keep my bait fresh without having to use batteries. I too have coolers with areators and the leaking is a huge problem. I now only use it them to store the bulk of my creek chubs and willowcats. I love my Frabill bait buckets and have yet to find anything better. Bullheads also love the areators when you give them air and a frozen bottle in a five gallon bucket. It makes them much more active.

mw

[irishwalleye]

Love mine --

one exception, lid can freeze to bottom when really cold.

[Ed Carlson]

A lot of anglers miss that the Frabill Min-O-Life Personal Bait Station has an adjustment on the inside of the station at the point the air hose passes through the side to the aerator unit.

The White Tab on the inside adjusts left to right on the orifice to compress itself upon the silicon air hose to eliminate or greatly lessen the leakage and better seal the enclosure. Upon closer inspection of the Frabill Min-O-Life Personal Bait Station you will see what I mean.

The clip on the aerator was designed for a wide range of containment system applications so it is a bit sloppy on this particular unit. A quick fix is to tape of add a zip-tie onto the bottom of the clip to keep it from popping off when in rough conditions. I use the zip tie method and it proved out well and I can still easily access the batteries as required.

In extreme cold weather, as was also previously pointed out in Shak's very comprehensive review, the lid can stick and freeze. All bait pails experience this from time to time in the -0 weather.

To resolve this, I get out the Chap Stick or a light coating of Vaseline and add a thin coating around the lid seal and the problem works itself out. I avoid leaving the Frabill Min-O-Life Personal Bait Station out in the deep cold overnight. I prefer to bring it in and keep it in a cool area on the porch as to not allow it to freeze up to the point it will damage my bait, or potentially damage my Frabill Min-O-Life Personal Bait Station itself.

The Frabill Min-O-Life Bait Systems as a whole have worked out very well for me. I have a few of them in various sizes and models. They are my bait management systems of choice in the field and at home.

A Big thumbs up from me!

[Shack]

Thank you Ed for the tips. I still love this set-up, but I am hoping your chapstick trick works. I thought about using die-electric but figured it would not work well for the life of the minnows if it mixed in with the water. I know most anything is not tested tough and for the use of being pulled behind a snowmobile for 20+ miles around a lake like Mille Lacs, but gosh darn it! That is what the majority of todays fisherman use to get around.

Yep I had to keep in the bag with the o-2 and then put the bag in a 5 gal. Just have to keep an eye or they will freeze until you get them in the bait-station. It is transporting the minnows during a move and coming in for the evening that was the issue. I want to add there was no claims made by Frabill that this unit would do this with no problem. It was just the best looking unit out of all the units every place had instock from Wal-Mart to Reeds and all points in between.

[BriGuy88]

+1 on the noisy aerator. Mine drove me nuts the first time I used it and I've never used it since.

Now I just swap the water out periodically to add a little O2 for the minnows. Definitely better than a foam buckets but not 100% perfect IMO.

Like the idea of running some chapstick around the lid seal to keep from freezing up. Will give that a shot.

[Swimmer]

Sorry but I don't share the enthusiasm. I used mine four or five times and the noise and leakage was just too annoying. I opted for a 1 gallon clear plastic pretzel jar. It seals tight and after an outing I put it in the basement fridge and unscrew the top. Minnows will last many weeks without an aerator and with a few dead and decaying minnows because the cold water holds so much O2. Change water every couple weeks (Mpls tap water is fine). I fact at the end of last ice season, I forgot about it in the rarely used fridge and two months later with severely stained water there were still a quarter of the minnows alive.

[pureinsanity]

The battery operated bubbler is louder than a 110-115v bubbler. Mine actually has been pretty good, but they have not advanced in the 10 years fro that they had 5 years even prior. Just do not get why a top-o-the line minnow bucket requires D batteries this day & age? Cheaper one ($30 is almost half price) I can see, but the flagship? Obviously cost of operation is a factor, but then again check out a two pack of the big D name-brands on sale. They ain't cheep.

Keep in mind that aerator in the pics is one of the most quiet aerators out there on the market today in my opinion. I have that aerator and love it and in fact a few people have bought it because they heard how quiet it was compared to others