dustink Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 What is the best / easiest way to keep minnows alive? We're going to be picking some up on our way to Fushimi next month, and we'll need them to last about 4 days. Any suggestions? We camp out on an island, so it's all pretty primitive...so I'm hoping the best solution will be as well. Thanks! Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Try a battery operated aerator that may do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douG Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 If you dump em in the lake when you arrive, they should stay fresh indefinitely. Just whistle to call them back to the dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whopper Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 This time of year the ticket is to keep them cool and aerated. If storing in a minnow bucket in the water keep them in the shade all day. Whopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustink Posted July 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 If you dump em in the lake when you arrive, they should stay fresh indefinitely. Just whistle to call them back to the dock. Thanks, DouG! I was worried I'd have to spend a bunch of time training them! Curious though....are we going to hear about this method in your report that's coming? dk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Bender Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Most bait shops will fill you bag with O2 when you buy minnows. Trick here is to not open them until you absolutely need them. Keep the minnows cold as well. Then when you think you going to need them, toss the unopened bag into the lake for about 10 mins in order to bring the minnow up or down to lake temp slowly. This should help you tons. I've tried those battery op aerators without success. Was on a 4 day trip in about 30 C weather. By day 4 I was using fuzzy minnow like critters. Kinda gross but the fish thought they were dinner so no biggie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 If you dump em in the lake when you arrive, they should stay fresh indefinitely. Just whistle to call them back to the dock. I would think that if you take 2 or 3 minnow pails and split them up. Keep what you are not using in the minnow pails in the lake and what you are using refresh the water every hour or so you should be fine...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustink Posted July 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 The one boat will have a livewell, so I'm thinking we should just be able to fill it when we get there....throw them in (using the method Wes said), and keep them in there for the duration, and scoop them to the other boat as needed. I think we can charge a battery at the camp, and my buddy has two, so we can swap batteries to keep the livewell water moving a good portion of each day. Don't really know...as I've always had great luck killing the minnows within a day or two.... dk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addict Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 use a minnow bucket with holes in it tie a rope to it and toss it in the drink simple.can buy one at crappy tire or save your time and money and skip the live bait and go artificial.i only use live bait under tip-ups for ice fishing,other than that i dont find it nessecary artificials almost always out perform live bait unless your fishing for pan-fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bly Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 We managed to keep some minnows alive for a week by using a battery operated aerator, keeping them cool and changing the water daily. Good luck!! bly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seansmith_smith Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 get your minnow bags filled with O2, and keep them in the crisper of the fridge if you have one....works well for me. Smitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishnfiend Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Keep in mind that this is just my opinion... Buy a couple dozen minnows and a minnow trap. As the others said, make sure that the bait shop fills the bags with O2. Also, buy a couple bags of Gulp artificial minnows. On day 1 and/or 2 use your real minnows to locate the fish. Put your minnow trap in the water and try to catch some minnows out of the body of water that you are fishing. The shiny metal traps work better than the plastic ones. If it is ridiculously hot, you can keep your minnows in your trap, deep in the water where it's cool. If/when you run out of live/real minnows, use the Gulp ones. Remember not to get any water on them until you are using them - this includes wet fingers reaching in the bag as they will start to break down. When done fishing for the day, take any of them off your hooks or they will be on there forever as they dry out and become rock hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosebunk Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I had dace last 6 weeks in the fridge and they were still going strong when I used them. Put 3 dozen in one of the bags most baitshops use, they were packed on O2, and only 1 in 12 dozen went belly up. Again, keep on O2 and keep cold. Otherwise, in a cooler with cold water and add some fresh water from the lake daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustink Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Thanks for all the help......much appreciated! dk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now