how is the best way to keep minnows alive i got about 6 dozen the other night and half of the had deid befor i got to the lake. i had a bubble maker in the water they was in just wanderin if i could do any more
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how is the best way to keep minnows alive i got about 6 dozen the other night and half of the had deid befor i got to the lake. i had a bubble maker in the water they was in just wanderin if i could do any more
hole, i put my minnow bucket with airbubbles pump in a 54 qt cooler and put ice around the minnow bucket.i then throw my fish in the cooler. minnows will last a long time!
Add "Better Bait" to the water and keep it cool with ice. Keep them out of the sun.
Along with "Better Bait" get a 20 oz bottle, fill it 3/4 full and freeze it. Then take the frozen bottle and keep it in the bucket.
This has been working for me for years. I always take extra bottles of frozen water. Plus as they thaw out and you get thirsty you can drink it.Quote:
Originally Posted by turkeyfootnc
ok so yall are puttin the frozen water bottle in a little plastic minnow buckett or are you usein a 5 gallin bucket.
I use a five gallon bucket and never turn the bubble maker off. I add ice if necessary, but with enough water in the five gallon bucket they seem to survive ok. That is what I do at night, but in the hot days I think that ice is really needed.
When it's really hat or if I need to keep minnows for a few days I put them in a 32 qt. ice chest with a aerator pump. Keep water between 50 and 55 degrees. Change water every 3 days and add a couple cap fulls of hydrogen peroxide.
I have crushed ice in the fish cooler and scoop some over into the minnow bucket. To me, the temperature change seems to kill more minnows than lack of oxygen.
I agree with these guys, temp change kills minnows. Check the water from your bait dealer...it's probably cold. Make him fill your bait container with his water so there's no change. I use a large ice chest for my bait chest, take it right into the store and have them fill it at least half full. Most of time I buy 10-12 dozen. Put the chest in the boat out of the way at the store and start a battery powered bubbler in there right then. When I get to the lake and my spot I grab about a styrofoam minnow bucket, fill it halfway with water, throw a few pieces of ice in there to try and make the lake water about the same temp as the cooler then put only about a dozen minnows in the styrofoam bucket. It stays beside my chair. I usually can use the dozen minnows before they run out of oxygen in the small bucket. The idea of putting a plastic drink bottle previously frozen in my large ice chest is a good idea...will start using that. Trick is too keep them at the same temp and not shock them. Course dropping them on 85 degree water on a hook kinda kicks their butt but at least they're kicking high when they go for the swim.