Keeping minnows more than 1 day

Browneye

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What do most of You do to keep minnows alive multiple days while camping and boat fishing. Its a pain in the ass to keep them alive at camp when the boat is out of the water. When its possible to camp on the shoreline I keep them in a bucket in the water. But its not always possible when your campsite is away from the water. I have tried keeping the minnow bucket tied under the boat ramp dock only to have it get stolen. As far as buying new ones everyday the bait shop isn't always open before you would like to get out on the water. Do those expensive insulated ones at scheels with the aerator work for multiple days use?
 


NDwalleyes

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Go buy a small aquarium bubbler at a pet store. Mine will go a week ....or more of I use the bubbler with minnow bucket in the beer fridge.
 

johnr

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Tied to the gas dock, bubbler, the ProV has a recirculate option that bubbles the bait well periodically. All these options work, however the boat only works when temps are cool.
Min the winter I have left minnows in the bucket in a cool garage for up to 3 weeks with a bubbler running a couple hours a day. Winter bait is like a super hero
 

dukgnfsn

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as stated, some kind of air bubble and some type of ice cooling, I freeze pop bottles of water and toss one in as needed to keep water cool Also a hand full of ice out of cooler can help if no other ice. Key is air bubbler of some kind and keeping cool. I also keep mine in a 5 gal Styrofoam bucket insert, seems to help with the keeping cool part
 


zoops

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I've kept mine for weeks in a fridge or with ice packs inside a cooler...no aerator needed.
 

Allen

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The bottom line for minnow survival is cold water. Cold water has a much greater ability to hold oxygen, or diffuse it in even when minnows are present.

So if you want to keep minnows alive while camping, I suggest an insulated minnow bucket with a battery operated aerator. Or, quite honestly, you can keep minnows just fine (a few dozen) in a 20 some quart cooler so long as you add ice periodically to keep the water around 40 degrees.
 

sweeney

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I bought the cheaper Frabill instead of the engel because it came with the 12volt plug in, before that I used a 5 gallon bucket with a battery bubbler and that was ok. But the Frabill seems to work better, I freeze a couple small ziplocks of lake water and put one in every day and make sure I put new water in at least once every couple days. I have kept minnows for a four day weekend that way in june, except when the little kids decide to take them out and play with the minjas.
 


Ristorapper

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Note...minnows don't like rapid water temp changes. So get it cold and keep it there.

Agree with this; the shock factor. Don't cool them down too quickly and when you get on the water, acclimate them to that temp slowly by mixing the two waters. I absolutely believe in the sealed plastic pop bottles with frozen water; does not have to be lake water. When one is fully melted insert another . Bubbler of course. And ditto for the fish. I'll fill 2 liter pop bottles with water, freeze and toss in the livewell after it is drained if needed to keep the fish cool/cold until we can fillet them. Those pop bottles are cheap and usually readily available.
 

NDSportsman

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The bottom line for minnow survival is cold water. Cold water has a much greater ability to hold oxygen, or diffuse it in even when minnows are present.

So if you want to keep minnows alive while camping, I suggest an insulated minnow bucket with a battery operated aerator. Or, quite honestly, you can keep minnows just fine (a few dozen) in a 20 some quart cooler so long as you add ice periodically to keep the water around 40 degrees.
Yep minnows love cold water. The colder the better. That's one reason I hardly use minnows during the summer months. Too hard to keep them alive.

Tis the season for leeches, crawlers and plastics!
 

MSA

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5 gal bucket with a Walmart bubble box. 2 D cell batteries will run a bubble box for 3-4 days straight. No ice, the temp fluctuations shock them too much. As long a there's bubbles there will be oxygen disolved into the water. But still try to keep them cool, in the shade, etc.
 
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Mgx2400

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I just want to say thanks for all the minnow buckets I've collected from you over the years under all those docks.
 


shorthairsrus

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with this weather -- i would still be taking them in at night --- as the whole bucket will freeze solid

- - - Updated - - -

Seriously looking at the next 3 weeks -- - i dont think you have to do anything but keep them outside in the frigid cold.
 

DirtyMike

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If I don't have a fridge, I throw in a frozen water bottle. Even keeps creek chubs nice and happy. The engel coolers are proving their worth.
 

Lycanthrope

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Key to keeping minnows without electricity is keeping water cool and maximize surface area, 5 gallon bucket has low surface area compared to its volume, thats why you need a bubbler, BUT if you put the minnows in a buss tote or something like that, you will increase the surface area significantly and likely wont need a bubbler. Dont put too much water in it, an inch or so is plenty cuz if the minnows disturb the surface, it will increase o2 absorption also. If its warm out, dig a hole and put the tote in the hole so the top is slightly above the surface of the ground. Cool soil temperature will also help minnows live longer.
 

LBrandt

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I have an old super insulated extream cooler that I put about 3" inches of water and a coupla frozen 20 oz pop bottles and that's good to go.easy for over night unless a hungry racoon finds it, and then its sushy anyone.
 

bigv

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Might be careful as to what type of ice you throw in. Home ice can have chemicals (chlorine etc) added and can kill minnows
 


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