keeping minnows alive

[PikeTipper]

I haven't seen a scoop of crappie minnows selling for $1 for quite a few years now. Where do you buy your bait?

[Guest]

Thanks for all the great ideas. The reason for keeping alot for me is that its sometimes hard to get bait at 5am when I have decided to go fishing. Great to have on hand and not drive 20 miles round trip. Again thanks to all

[Blaine]

Quote:

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Pike bait is $8-9 a dozen around here

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Closer to $12 down here, the big suckers can go as much as $2 each

All the more reason to have a nice tank at home. I've re-used my suckers 3 or 4 times before they have finally been eaten. Cold, clean water keeps mulitple puncture wounds from getting infected.

[The Grebe]

I think we are talking about average fisherman here, are'nt we? I can see a guiding service using 100 to 120 dozen large sucker minnows, but an average guy? Better hope there is'nt a power outage and the aerator goes kaput!

The average dude better be one hell of a fishing machine to go through that kind of bait!

I would have to think that quanity users have to operate under a different set of rules then the average fisherman?

My one nephew used to trap minnows and leeches and he had all kinds of stainless tanks and containers for watering livestock, aerators, all kinds of stuff...me , I just want to know how to keep a dozen fatty's from going belly up!

Ever think of maybe using something a little less expensive, like maybe frozen Smelt? You must have been there and done that?

[efgh]

For years I have used blue 20 gallon plastic square tubs, buy two, set one inside the other, fill the inside one with water, this cuts down on the lite and keeps the minnows darker, I keep the tubs in a heated shop, put a small areator out side the building, you can buy extra plastic tubing to extend the line to where you want the tub of minnows, I have had good luck keeping minnows this way. I usally just set the cover on top of the tub.

[PikeTipper]

LittleRanger,

Sounds like a nice system. How do you hook the rope when you have over a foor of ice? Do you have to stick your hand down the hole?

[LocalGuide]

MasterGophHunter, Keep the minnows in your own car if you could. Maybe get a portable aerator or something and keep them alive like that. Otherwise it isnt that big of deal if your minnows stay in a dorm room. I will prolly do it next year when I go to college in bemidji. Just make sure when you take them to the lake put some slush or snow in them to cool them down and even keep them outside also. They wont be in shock them if you do that.

Now I keep my minnows at home out in the garage. I put them in a old 36 gallon plastic salt tank. I bought one of them new frabill 110v aerators and put that in there and walla fresh minnows. I change the water on weekly basis and that depends on how good the water looks. I have a pH tester so that helps also (my mom gets them at work).

I also trap minnows at a local creek. I mainly get nice creek chubs and some shinners and suckers mixed in. So now im pretty much down there all the time getting bait for this winter.

I have a 5 gallon bucket with a lid on it and I drilled a hole in the top (near the center) to insert a aerator too. I use that to keep other minnows alive that I dont want mixed in with different minnows. And I take that with when I go to the creek to transport my minnows back and fourth.

[MasterGophHunter]

LocalGuide, you are going to go to school in Bemidji? Thats where I am right now! What a coinicidence! I was thinking of possibly putting them in my car but batteries in an aerator don't last all that long, especially in the cold. I think I might just end up putting them in a cooler in my room and addin some snow like you suggested. Maybe we'll get to know eachother up here next year!

-MGH-

[LocalGuide]

Yeah no kidding! Im sure Im going to meet a few fishing buddies while im up there.

Going with the snow/slush thing should be fine. See ya up there next fall!

[MasterGophHunter]

LG, do you have an intended major? I'm assuming you have taken a tour, so what dorm are you planning on living in? Hopefully I'll be able to find some nice fish this winter and maybe share some secrets with you next year. Good luck on the rest of your senior, and have fun!

-MGH-

[psegriz]

MGH

Get a normal aquarium bubbler or if you have a fridge keep em in thier.

Someone mentioned the shock facter. What is ideal but sometimes difficult while fishing is no more than 5 degree temp change an hr. Minnows can withstand more but it will afect thier lifespan.

[iffwalleyes]

I have a question for all of you. Those of you that change the water daily or every couple days do any of you live in town? The reason I ask is that I have tried that in the past the problem I have had is that with the additives that are put in at the water treatment plant it actually has speed the process of killing my bait up. I tried this once the next morning all my bait was dead. So what does one do? When I am in my permanet fishhouse I sink my bait in the house like mentioned above in a piece of pvc pipe. That has help allot but when I am in my portable I don't have that option.

[Bob_D]

I use to have "city" water. To fix that problem I used a product called "Aquasafe". You can get it at Walmart in the pet section. I used 3-4 bottles a season, but I also used a LOT of water. Now I have well water and I'll have to see how it goes.

[Bob_D]

The Grebe,

I'm not a guide, but I do fish a lot. What I do can be easily scaled down for the "average" fisherman. A large cooler with an air pump and stones will work fine. Most people have a cooler lying around and for $15-20 you can get the air stones and pump at Wally World. The keys are, keep the water clean, cold, and oxygenated.

[LocalGuide]

MasterGophHunter, I dont have a major picked out yet, not sure what I want to do yet. But yeah I took a tour of the campus and everything. I will prolly be staying in Maple 3A or 4A my first year. Going to go into the FYRE program and I'll see how that turns out, so thats all located in Maple. We'll have to get together sometime next year and go fishing.

Thanks

[MasterGophHunter]

LG, good choice on the housing. I'm in tamarack and I spend quite a bit of time in Maple 2A. 2A is co-ed and is fun to get to know both guys and girls. I wish I would have gotten into Maple. Its a good environment because you know everybody and you have fun. Also, there are a lot of ice fishermen and hunters in there too.

-MGH-

[huskiesplayer15]

I will be beaver next year if I get in hopefully, I will be there for Criminal Justice/Forensics.

Best Fishes

Chris

[Bob_D]

Ok....I finally got my bait tanks setup (new house) to the point that I could use them if needed. I have a little more work to do on them but here is a pic of the setup. These are 2 100 gallon tanks. They should hold 15-20 dozen pike bait, plus some smaller bait without any problems. I took the pic before I put the front of the box and covers on so it can be seen better. I know this is a little extreme, but it works for what I need.