Trouble keeping bait alive?????

How you guys do it? I used a bubbler and it helped but what it kept alive were the midget, small crappie, perch nibbling size minners not the bigger slab catchers I wanted??? I'm thinking bigger bait box is better too so I use an ice chest. Can you put ice packs in the bottom without shocking the minnows once they hit the lake water??? My dad said he's tried that before and it killed them. I'm looking to go out again later this week and it will be same thing all over trying to keep bait alive, only wish they'd hit jigs as well on our local lakes and I wouldn't have to mess with live bait. Seems like clear water lakes want live baits and I gotta figure out how to keep minnows alive.

Engel 30Qt minnow cooler. I can keep 2lbs of minnows alive in mine. Also make sure you use the blue additive something like finner shinner. A good bubbler and the finner shinner I think makes a world of difference.

x-2 on the bait saver stuff,,,,, you know most of the time you buy em and the waters blue they keep em in,,, that's the stuff that makes it blue

I was looking at these last week and think I will pull the trigger now.

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Originally Posted by mdperson

Engel 30Qt minnow cooler. I can keep 2lbs of minnows alive in mine. Also make sure you use the blue additive something like finner shinner. A good bubbler and the finner shinner I think makes a world of difference.

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I use a live well system sold at academy , it's made for ice chests, there's 2 different styles but both work well ,I use them for keeping bait alive and Ive also use them this year fishing the tournaments to keep fish alive for the weigh ins and they work well, used them last summer in 105-110 heat and never lost a minnowAttachment 126432Attachment 126433

I keep my minnows in a insulated 5 gallon bucket and keep my water changed. I put about 3-4 dozen in it and when minners come to the top, I take a few minutes to change the water out and get them some fresh oxygen rich water. I use lake water as it has the minnow accustomed to the water temp and they tend to take on the natural color of the water.
I also employ a floating minnow bucket to drag behind the boat. That's where I can keep another 4-6 dozen.

That's what works for me.

I use a similar rig I got at academy in Jonesboro in a igloo cube cooler,with wheels. Except I put a cigarette light adapter on the power.

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Originally Posted by Semo

I use a similar rig I got at academy in Jonesboro in a igloo cube cooler,with wheels. Except I put a cigarette light adapter on the power.

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I just wired in a toggle switch, works great

I have great success with an ice chest and 12 volt (in the boat) Mr. Bubbles with two air stones or 120 volt Mr. Bubbles in my shop or at camp when on the river. I also get from Wal Mart in the pet dept. I think its called "start right" for aquariums . Keeps my bait healthy and slick and treats the chlorine when I change water.

I use a 60qt cooler with wheels and an adjustable handle, an oxygen diffuser, and a bottle of oxygen with a regulator that measures in 1/64th. I have been keeping minnows for 3-4 days in a row without any abnormal losses. I've used a medium medical bottle of oxygen for at least 20 days, (not in a row tho) and with the regulator set at 1/32, I haven't even used a 1/2 bottle. You can add a little ice in the cooler to keep the water cool in the warmer months. I also don't use the blue stuff. I bought an RV water filter at Wally World, and screw it on my hose and fill up the cooler. It removes the chlorine and most other chemicals. Don't need any water conditioner with it. For keeping bait during a tournament, it's nice and convenient. Can do the same thing on a looooong weekend!!!! I use the cooler with the oxygen to take my catch to the weigh in so my fish are good and alive. I put a milk crate in the cooler so I can lift out my catch and put them in the tourney weigh in basket without having to handle the fish individually.

BTW, the cooler full of water sits on my rear deck without tying it down, and I've traveled down the Interstate at 80mph and it never moves. Been hauling my bait and tourney fish this way for bout a year or so. I do use a champagne minnow bucket up front with lake water in it, and go to the cooler and get more bait when I get low in the minnow bucket. I keep my minnows in a Plano floating bucket inside the cooler too.

I've been thinking about adding Tylenol PM to my minner water. I think it would make them less exciteable which would result in longer life also it would make them easier for the crappie to catch. As it stands now. I like my minners in Styrofoam containers, the longer I need to keep them alive, the larger container I use. The blue stuff is the bomb. I like to add a frozen water bottle if the temps get too warm. You need to trust what I say over every one else. For example, BRM is gonna carry a box of 10lbs of minnows and they will all be eaten by crappie in just a few days. My 3 dozen minners I must keep alive until they die of old age or at least reach retirement age and move to Florida.

My minners act like they're on steroids with that oxygen. Gotta keep the top on the bucket or they'll jump out and attach themselves to a hook!!!! I usually keep two pounds in my cooler, and when I release the 13/4 lbs in the lake after realizing I only needed a dozen or so, it looks like the take off at a B.A.S.S. tourney!!!!

I use a mr bubbles to pump o2 to the minnows but with summer coming I may buy an insulated cooler to keep them in!

FYI for future reference in this application of oxygen only, there is no difference in medical and welding oxygen. The difference is the certification of the bottles and fittings. I used to be a welder/fabricator and am good friends with the Airgas regional manager for ark/mo/tn. He explained to me a while back about the bottles all being filled from one bulk liquid tank. Welding gas is a whole lot cheaper.

Not cheaper if ya got a paramedic buddy!!!!! :)
Plus the medical bottles are lighter to carry around than the welding bottles.

Thanks guys I'm thinking of getting a big foam ice chest bigger and thicker than wally world sells and looking at wally world for an aquarium bubbler to go in it. Then I wanna try the blue stuff if I can find that at wally world also??? I did find out a local convenience store that sells bait opens up at like 4:30 so that's good too for those early morning trips.

You can make the thing CrappieGreg uses, for about 1/s that price, with a bilge pump, piece of water hose, and a livewell aerator. Run it for 5 minutes, then off for 5 or 10. also the amount of water you have the minners in makes a big differance. Most folks don't use enough water.

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Originally Posted by constructskeeter

Thanks guys I'm thinking of getting a big foam ice chest bigger and thicker than wally world sells and looking at wally world for an aquarium bubbler to go in it. Then I wanna try the blue stuff if I can find that at wally world also??? I did find out a local convenience store that sells bait opens up at like 4:30 so that's good too for those early morning trips.

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Wally World has aquarium water conditioner but its clear. It works as well as the blue stuff, and won't strain the carpet in your boat. The RV screw on filter is a better way to go for the long run tho, it'll last for years, and winds up way cheaper to use.

I use a 4 dollar collapsible laundry basket I by at WAl-Mart. I take a water wiener cut it to size and wire tie it in. Put a rope on it and pull it along. I drop it in my live well when I move. I like my minnows to taste like the lake I'm fishing in. I leave on tied to a tree in my home lake and they stay alive for days. Be sure and pull it in when u run your big motor cause it will scale the minnows.

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Originally Posted by blackfish

I use a 4 dollar collapsible laundry basket I by at WAl-Mart. I take a water wiener cut it to size and wire tie it in. Put a rope on it and pull it along. I drop it in my live well when I move. I like my minnows to taste like the lake I'm fishing in. I leave on tied to a tree in my home lake and they stay alive for days. Be sure and pull it in when u run your big motor cause it will scale the minnows.

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I thought you tasted the fish you caught, not the minners!!! :)

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Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

I thought you tasted the fish you caught, not the minners!!! :)

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Some of us have to settle for eating the minners. That's why we love big minners!!!! :biggrin

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Originally Posted by Tony McCall

Some of us have to settle for eating the minners. That's why we love big minners!!!! :biggrin

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Todd and I did try those #24's for lunch, but I ain't much on sushi. ;)

I never have a problem with bait dying these days. Sure keep hands warmer in winter too. Them MEATGETTER jigs and Southern Pro Umbrella tubes have spoiled me. :fish

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Originally Posted by NIMROD

I never have a problem with bait dying these days. Sure keep hands warmer in winter too. Them MEATGETTER jigs and Southern Pro Umbrella tubes have spoiled me. :fish

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Well certain lakes jigs won't work as well and we happen to be near a few of those type lakes, although I do use the Meatgetter jigs and Southern Pro jigs a lot when we go to OK a fishin. I suspect if I was going to Blue Mtn, Dardanelle, Nimrod or Conway I'd dawn the jig as well.
In any case thanks for the Walmart aquarium idea whoever posted that one. $15.22 later I now have a large, bout a 10" stone, 8' of line, and a 20-60 gallon bubbler. I wanted to hit the lake in the morning but thanks to massive amounts of rainfall that won't be happening, lakes came up .30 in the last hour alone! It will be interesting to see just how high it comes up and just how long it will be before they pull her back down now.

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Originally Posted by constructskeeter

Well certain lakes jigs won't work as well and we happen to be near a few of those type lakes, although I do use the Meatgetter jigs and Southern Pro jigs a lot when we go to OK a fishin. I suspect if I was going to Blue Mtn, Dardanelle, Nimrod or Conway I'd dawn the jig as well.
In any case thanks for the Walmart aquarium idea whoever posted that one. $15.22 later I now have a large, bout a 10" stone, 8' of line, and a 20-60 gallon bubbler. I wanted to hit the lake in the morning but thanks to massive amounts of rainfall that won't be happening, lakes came up .30 in the last hour alone! It will be interesting to see just how high it comes up and just how long it will be before they pull her back down now.

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I use minnows on blue mountain and Dardanelle with great success...I have also used jigs with great success...while I'm in this subject I have also single pole jigged on both with success and spider rigged with great success on both...I think its the fact these are two awesome fisheries because I can assure you I am not doing anything special!!! Thank God I live in Arkansas where great emphasis is put on resource management!!! Thanks AGFC, Corps of Engineers, Game wardens, Forestry Service, law abiding citizens and countless other folks I don't know about!!!

Here's a tip. Those submersible pumps will heat up your water in a small bucket. BIL and myself went down to boat house one time and the minnows were goners. The water was warm as bath water from the pump running all night. lesson learned.