Minnow Saver Well

[Ron Vroom]

This project has limited use in that you need a dock and 120 volt power to it available. The purpose is to save and preserve minnows you have not used when returning from fishing. I have made a well using a 10" diameter PVC pipe about 3' long which I have lowered into a hole by my dock with 2 1" dowels protruding from each side to prevent the pipe from sinking about 5-8 inches down from the top. On top of the pipe I have a cap into which I have installed a light fixture and a 25 watt bulb. I then suspend a minnow trap with ends plugged in which I will place my unused minnows for keeping. So far, I have not actually put minnows in but the lightbulb is keeping the hole ice free, so I anticpate this should work. 2 days so far and the hole is clear of ice and I reduced the bulb from 50 watts to 25 because the 50 watt bulb was causing the hole to enlarge. Maybe severe cold will require a higher wattage, but right now it is working. The light seems to be attracting minnows, so I've openend one end to see if I catch any.

[Guest]

Ron Welcome to FM. You will find a lot of info and plenty of good friends.
As for the idea? I would like to see if it works through the winter. I made a simular device for my wife's rabbit, that lived outside I made it out of pvc and the water steamed I used a fish tank heater.
I use a large storage container an aquarium air pump and an underground filter.
It may be less costly to run than a light 24x7

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I don't drive fast, I fly low.

[Ron Vroom]

Thanks for the reply and welcome. This is an interesting site with lots of ingenuity out there! With my average electric rate of .068 KWH, a 25 watt bulb will only cost $1.22 a month to run. I could probably reduce the wattage right now, but will hold off til we have some severe cold to see how it goes. No minnows yet in the trap.