Keeping bait – minnows

Not sure I want to go the aquarium route.

What I did over the weekend seemed to work OK for crappie minnows but what about larger minnows?

I used a bait bucket with some tap water I left out for a couple days with some Rejuvenade in there with my bubblier. Used that water in a smaller bait bucket and put it in the fridge overnight with no bubblier. This morning started the bubblier to leave in the pail in the fridge, hoping to come home with them still alive and not tired out.

I would like to get an Engel cooler but other then putting in frozen water bottles how do others keep the water cool?

Get a bait/beer fridge for the garage. If you are on city water put a bucket out to catch rain water from your gutters or neighbors if you don’t have gutters.

x2 for the Engel bait cooler. That thing has saved us hundred on shiners in the early spring. Change the water 1x/day and you won’t have any issues. We don’t even use the bait well in the boat anymore after having one of those.

I use an old cooler to keep my bait. Drilled two holes in the back and ran the plastic tubing through it for the aerator, which runs off a battery. I know some guys who have used old freezers, which sounds like it would work pretty well. In my bait keeper I also use those yellow bait bags so the minnows are easier to transport and it also makes it easier to change water.

mark-bruzek wrote:

Get a bait/beer fridge for the garage. If you are on city water put a bucket out to catch rain water from your gutters or neighbors if you don’t have gutters.

Got the fridge already, just full of beer…

I also thought for city water you could leave it sit out for a day or so and be fine.

Anyone put a timer on their bubblier or you leave it on all the time?