How do you keep bait fresh????

[barehooks_jr]

Tried doing a search on this topic and couldn't find one, so here goes. How do you keep your bait fresh when you know that you aren't going to be back on the ice for a few days? I have a minnow bucket with an aerator and am keeping it out in the garage right now (producing a little bubbly for my shiners), but I know that is not going to last too long...any advice or tips?!?!

[Fowlmouth]

I use an item called the "bottom bucket" Its a floating bait bucket attatched to a weight and adjustable rope to adjust to the depth of the water. You set line so it floats right below the ice. If you have a permanent fish house this is a must! It pays for itself, my bait will last for weeks, even shiners. Try looking on looking the bottom bucket up, worth the money for sure.

[Esox_Magnum]

Waxies/spikes go in the chiller drawer minnows in a foam bucket in the bottom of the fridge. Been on ice since late nov and might still be a stray in the minnow bucket from then yet.

[barehooks_jr]

Do you use an aerator in the fridge?

[deerminator]

I have one of those 5 gallon buckets with the foam seat lid on top and the foam insert inside. The minnows stay in there in the unheated garage. I change the water out once a week or so and they last for weeks. At least 2-3. They're usually gone or used before any longer than that.

[MN BassFisher]

I was wondering the same thing early on this season, I don't have an aerator on my bait bucket. I bought a 48 quart cooler off of Gregslist and then went to my local pet store. Bought a TopFin aerator, tubing, and an airstone. It was like a $20 total investment. I plugged the aerator into the garage wall, punched a small hole in the top of the cooler lid, ran the hose and airstone through and there ya have it. I just have to remove the skim ice after some of the colder nights and I've kept crappie minnows, suckers, and some small shiners for over a month!! Love this setup.

[Esox_Magnum]

Do you use an aerator in the fridge?

Nope just change water on the weekends.

[The_Diesel]

Put the waxies in the fridge (labeled so I don't get yelled at when she opens them) and have a Frabill aerator that I keep the in the unheated garage. The one I have runs both off of batteries or a DC car plug-in, and I got a converter to plug that into the wall. The minnows I've got in there now I bought the day before Christmas and haven't changed the water yet. I know I should, I'm just too lazy. They ain't died yet. When I'm out on the ice for the day I don't bring the aerator with me, but if I were to stay out for a few days I would. They're fine just in the water alone with no bubbles for several hours.

[Far-I]

I have a dorm sized fridge in the basement for bait n beer. Works really well. Minnows, shiners included, stay alive for weeks. I change the water every so often, and the mini aerator that is hooked to the bucket goes on for a few hours every now and then, though I'm not sure thats neccessary. As I write this I still have minnows from the week of X-Mas in the fridge.

[IceHawk]

I have a seperate small bait fridge in my hunting fishing rm in the basement. Minnows waxies and Eurolarvae all go in there.

[Ice Shack Baby]

+1 on keeping the bucket under the ice. I fish up on Mille Lacs in a permanent and it works slicker than .... The nice thing is that I have quite a few buddies around me and they sometimes bring their bait over at the end of the weekend. I generally just have to buy one scoop of fatheads and that is it for the season. One issue with this is that I once hit the rope with my auger once and had to spend about an hour with my camera trying to snag the beast.

[BigRock]

My waxies are stored in my fishing storage room at room temperature. It averages 48-54 degrees in there. A well known metro bait shop told me to keep waxies around that temp.range, and do not store them in the fridge. Refrigerator temps. will kill waxies faster. Eurolarvae, or maggies, on the other hand, have to be put in the fridge (38-42 degrees). Warmer temps than this will cause the the maggots to pupate faster. Minnows go in the garage in a bucket with an air pump. Well water is used for the minnows. Change the water every couple of days to get the ammonia out, and the bait is good to go.