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I can't keep the shiners alive more than a half day. I use a bait bucket in my live well and use the auto timer for recirculation. The live well lid I keep closed. I know you die hard jig guys will say don't use shinners, but I use both. One rod with jigs and another with shiners. I just feel more comfortable with shinners on board :o.
Should I put ice in the live well? If so, how much. Thanks for your help. I also heard about putting something in the water - but don't know what it is.
i heard that about ice i going to check out what the guide use to keep them alive we are going on the 8th will let you know good luck, oh ya thanks for the info
Putting ice into your livewell is a no-no. Once ice melts it imparts chlorine and other chemicals that cities put into the water supply. Keeping your water cooler however
does allow water to carry more oxygen and thus prolongs life of your bait. It's better to put frozen bottled water of various sizes, depending upon how large your live well
is into your live well. Just do one or two small bottles at a time so as not to make your water so cold it will freeze your shiners. Another thing to think of is that ammonia
builds up in livewell water after the shiners poop in there and if your livewell could have a constant flow of good water in and bad water out, that would be good.
I recommend one of these buckets. Keeping ice on them is the only way to keep them alive. I've kept 100 shiners alive in this bucket in 100 degree heat. No aerator in the world will keep them alive if the water isn't around 75 degrees. 73 is ideal. I 2nd what gasdad said. Freeze 4 or 5 bottles of tap water and throw them in your ice chest. Keep swapping out the bottles from your shiner bucket after they've melted in the bucket. Also make sure there's plenty of water in there. The amount of water they give you at the store won't keep them alive. This bucket comes with an aerator, takes D cell batteries. I've had mine for about 10 years and it's still working. Academy is the best place to find them.
Overton'sŪ > Frabill Min-O2-Life Magnum Aerated Bucket 4.25-gallon - Boating & Marine > Boat Covers > Custom & Semi Custom Boat Covers : Custom Boat Covers, Semi-Custom Boat Covers, Universal Boat Covers
I didn't think about the chlorine and other chemicals - thanks. I do have a semi-constant flow of water with the timer. My livewell is roughly 15 gals I guess. It pumps water from the below waterline intake, and an overflow in the well itself. So I assumed the oxygen level is okay. 73° best temp? I guess I'll try putting a frozen 16 oz water bottle in there and monitoring it. Got to keep the shiners alive, the crappie never have taken a dead one from me - only live ones.
I may consider the Aerated bucket if all else fails. Just didn't want additional clutter in the boat. I tend to walk around it alot. Thanks for the help. Additional comments appreciated.
Like they said above:
1. You can not keep too many in a small bucket - spread em out, keep multiple buckets
2. Keep the water cool - do NOT put ice directly in the water, put a frozen water bottle or a ziploc of ice in the water, they will be extra frisky
3. Change the water often, and then re-cool the water
There is some science behind the dissolved oxygen and temperature, but don't take my word for it, I remember very little about chemistry, BUT the higher the temp, the less dissolved oxygen, cooler water has more dissolved oxygen. Thats all I can remember about that, but it makes sense. Cold water, more oxygen, hot water, less oxygen. Enough chemistry for this year! Will have some shiners tomorrow fishing with the wife. I may even use one or 20 myself:cool:
I use a big igloo cooler I bought from walmart for 25 bucks. We have well water, so it has no chlorine. I fill it full of water and every day add ice from the fridge and kept a lb of minnows all last week with one of those 8 dollars aerators, running part time. I changed the water a couple times , losing maybe 20 all week. keeping the water cool is the most important part. When fishing, I keep a little bucket up front and only have about 20 in it, so the big cooler stays cold. just dip out what you need.
I have the frabill 6 gallon bucket w built in aerator. Bought 100 shiners the other day fished for 7 hours and with only 2 casualties.
I usually just put 4 or 5 ice cubes from my cooler directly in the bucket when the water starts to warm. Might loose a few that way but I don't want anything bouncing up against the shiners that will kill them quicker then anything else.
If youre pumping lake water into your livewell then youre adding WARM surface water to your minnows. You'd be better off with a minnow bucket and an airator. Adding ice will make your minnows live in the bucket better but if the water is too cool when the minnow hits the lake water they'll curl up from the warm surface water. There's a fine line during the summer on just how cool to have the water in your minnow bucket. Bottom line, it aint easy fishing minnows during the summertime.:rolleyes:
There is thing u put in water I would have to look in boat to find the name u can google it. The tournament fishermen use it to help them keep there fish alive it does work. I use it
Aerator went out this weekend. Fished a good spell both Sunday and Monday without one, just the 4.25 gallon shiner bucket. Kept swapping out the frozen ice bottles and lost 0 shiners.
If you put ice in your live well from your "city water freezer" you are putting chlorine into your live well....Just look at how to keep aquarium fish alive. You have to to put chemicals into the take before you add fish. Get rid of the chlorine. Maybe try distilled water from the grocery store or buy additive at the local Petsmart.Quote:
Originally Posted by gabowman
Thanks placid136, but this thread is over 2 1/2 years old. I have well water here in the country and have learned to keep the water cool during the summer. Welcome to the forum.
Tracker123.... Still trying to figure out all of the "Ins & Outs" here.... Thanks for the replyQuote:
Originally Posted by Tracker123
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...=411331&r=view
I use the Frabill Personal bait station, It is compact and well insulated. It is really nice to use and does not feel like it clutters the boat as much as a bucket. It is best for a half pound of shiners but I have kept a pound of shiners with no problems. I have a battery powered and 12 V aerator , I just hook the line up to whatever one I use. I just throw a few ice cubes when needed in the summer and it does not seem to kill the shiners.
My Tracker has an insulated bait well up front. I really like that feature in the new models. Very convenient. I added a Frabill aerator to it in case I don't want to use the circulation pump, etc. Battery powered and 12V as well.
I have an aerator in my shiner bucket and I also add tablets that I get at Academy to help the water stay healthy....they are by the aerators in the store.....
Just fished with a guide in Toledo Bend and he uses a small compact I think 8 quart Frabill. It's a small compact ice chest with an aerator. Worked great with 100 or more shiners in it for 7 hrs. Very few casualties. Look at Amazon, they sell for $35.00 with free shipping
So where's the report on Toledo bend? Pictures as well please.
Attachment 158012Attachment 158013This is what I use. Small Igloo. I have a 2 plastic grommets to keep the hose hole water tight. I use a picture frame bar hanger to mount the aerator. Just add a frozen water bottle to chill water as needed. I have kept shiners for four days with minimal loss. There is a compartment in the lid for extra hooks weights and corks.
I have an insulated bucket too. I like the ice chest so much the bucket has retired. Ice chest $16, aerator $9, and grommets $.60 . I can't tell you how many times I have knocked a bucket over. Ice chest is stable. When running the boat I bungee it to the trolling motor. The lid seals so no splashing water.
One cap full of Hydrogen Peroxide will remove the chlorine from your city water. OR another option is to put the water in your minnow container or live well the night before you go fishing. Takes around 12 hours for chemicals in tap water to evaporate from the H20, good to go.
Shiners and creek chubs will kill themselves is a container with square corners. I keep them alive in 5 gallon buckets filled about 1/2 full of pond water with an aerator and a 2 liter ice bottle. Rarely do we loose any.
I have a 6x6 fish pen in my pond and put my left overs there for another day of fishing. Luckily, I have a spring fed pond and the fish pen is located right over the spring. I did find the need for an aerator in the pond during the Aug Sept hot dry times. Other than that, they survive year round.
Randy I would get one of those Styrofoam buckets. When go back to the camp we have an old aquarium pump we stick in it. Winter months we leave it outside and summer we bring them in the AC.
Bruce, got it under control now for the summer months. This thread is over 2 1/2 years old. Thanks for your reply though, I appreciate it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beaubayou
Well.....don't leave us hanging....tell us what your fix wasQuote:
Originally Posted by Tracker123
If you change the water a couple times after putting them in a bucket they will last a couple days if you keep them cool the frozen bottle works well but you have to have a small bottle in a bucket so it can float on top and not hit the shiners and not get the water to cold. In a live well hot surface water pumped in tends to kill them quick in my experiences. In the past I always kept them in a bucket but the water needs to be cool not cold are they die when they hit the water just like pumping surface water in the live well.