Keeping minnows alive

[fishhuntwork]

I was wondering if there is a trick that I don't know about keeping minnows alive. I replace the water every other day and also have a airator in the bucket. But they still seem to die, any help would be appriecaited.

[EBass]

Shiner minnows? They are just a weak minnow, but man do they catch pike.

I just have an aerator and they die on me to, but it takes several days. I keep mine in the garage so ice does form, then I bring it in overnight and back to garage in the AM if it gets real iced up.

Fatheads and crappie minnows will last over a week with just an aerator.

[eyebjim]

I replace the water with cold tap water daily and then add some snow or ice and keep in a cold place and the fatheads and shiners will usually last for a week or more. I know some places I get bait have healthier minnows than others so that could be part of your problem.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

I have my Crappie minnows last for an entire month and just started to lose a few.

Cycle them in and out of the garage to keep them just above freezing in an insulated minnow bucket. I use well water and change it out every 2-3 days.

[CrappieNut]

I have my Crappie minnows last for an entire month and just started to lose a few.

Same here, i just picked my oldest cooler and drilled a hole in the top.

then bought a little aquarium pump for $6. they will last for a long time and they wont freeze because the cooler keeps them at the same temp. just replace the water every/every other day or else they start to stink

[Dan Brelje]

I keep them in the garage so they stay cold and switch water every two days. Giving them lake water seems to be best if you can.

[FasterThanYou23]

Go to walmart or a pet store and get a little bottle of the drops that take chlorine out of the water.Put 5 or 6 drops in everytime you change the water,I change it about every 2-3 days.And keep em cold.The chlorine kills em though.

[Sandmannd]

Go to walmart or a pet store and get a little bottle of the drops that take chlorine out of the water.Put 5 or 6 drops in everytime you change the water,I change it about every 2-3 days.And keep em cold.The chlorine kills em though.

Exactly

[charlie1959]

we have bottled water 5 gal jugs for drinking i use for all minnows with aireator running and change everyother day they live very well also leave on porch cool but not freezing

[chuckwagon]

Yeah i agree ... Cities have different levels and types of chemical in water depending on where you live. So most tap water will probably be really foreign to the minnows.

[wanger29]

During winter months I catch all my own bait and just switch out with the exact same water from the creeks they come from. I have a fridge down in the basement that holds two-5 gallon buckets. I keep a clean one, absent of fish but full of water, at all times then switch and get more when needed. I do have a aerator system but hardly need to use it. With the fridge temps I've had pretty great success, (usually set at 4 of 1 being coolest). Have at times had minnows, & even shiners, last in upwards to a month. Finding spring water's pretty helpful too.

Having the extra bucket at home works well too cos' when I go fish I generally leave up to 1/2 of my bait behind in the house bucket. I pour out half my water, to lighten my load. Switch out water from the lake when needed.

[2springers]

Ive too have had crappie minnows last for over a month. Its easiest to keep em alive in the winter. I just use an insulated bucket and I also use Better Bait. An additive. I have very good luck with it.

Just tonight, I used my last shiner that I bought 3 weeks ago, and my crappie minnows that I bought at the same time are swimming strong. Too bad the Crappies are so finicky lately, I can only get em to bite on larvae.

[stifler51]

dang, i must have some [PoorWordUsage] good bait, all i do is bring them inside. no air no additive no water change unless u call throwing some snow in when on the ice to cool them off closer to water temp and my minnows have been alive for over 4 weeks

[hunter101]

yup ice cubes in the fridge, just drain off the water as needed. I give em some fish food too lasts for a long time

[PTocko]

Not trying to push this product - but I picked up something called the bottom bucket - basically you anchor it from the bottom under the ice. Great for a perm shack or if you live on a lake. I don't have a perm but I live on Prior so I just anchor it off my dock in about 8 ft of water. When I go fishing I open the hole, use a gaff and retrieve the bucket, take what I might use for the day, put it back back down and away I go. No hassle (other than having to retrieve the bucket) and minnows that are already "used" to the water I'm going to be fishing in. It will be 3 weeks on Friday for this "batch" of minnows and as of last night, shiners, fatheads and crappies all still lively. So far this product works as advertised with no complaints. Paul

[PiedmontAngler]

Last year was a slow fishing year for me, I bought 2 scoops of minnows early in the ice season. I kept them in an insulated minnow bucket with a bubbler inside of a foam cooler. On exceptionally cold nights (my garage is not insulated) I covered the cooler partially and placed a desk lamp with a fish tank bulb inside for heat. I had a thermometer inside and regulated the temperature by increasing or decreasing the opening of the lid of the cooler. I usually changed the water out every 5 or so days with melted clean snow from the back yard (I filtered the water through a cloth filter before putting it in the bucket). If I did go fishing, I brought home a bucket of lake water. I kept most of them alive all winter from Dec to end of Feb. I also like the tank filters that pull out water from the fish tank and send it through a charcoal filtration basket before returning it to the bucket. They keep the water fresher for a while longer. I might try that this year as I have an extra one from an old tank.

[elkrivermn]

I have found the key is to keep the water cold. No longer do I add the air pump to the water. Changing the water once or twice a week also helps. Maybe the fact that I use well water help also?

[BartmanMN]

I've been changing the water every few days with filtered water from the fridge. I have them in a cooler in the insulated garage. I also have been sticking a hose in there from time to time to blow air into the water. Not sure if that does anything or not, but I feel like it may.

[croixflats]

Ive got one of those micro bublers, pure oxygen bait keeper. Works great. Keep the minnows in the 1 gallon cooler in the basement. Change water every 3 days

Last night I forgot the minners outside remembered around midnight brought em in half water was gone and half that was left was frozen minners all belly. Took ice out added warm water and bubler and all came back to life.

I think cold water has the best effect, more so than a bubbler