Experienced fisherman know the value in keeping baitfish alive and moving. Keeping baitfish fresh and healthy will promote more strikes. Most gamefish will strike a struggling minnow and ignore dead ones. It’s not about the fish being dead. Barely moving minnows are just as unlikely to promote a strike.
How to Keep Baitfish Alive
Baitfish need to be kept in oxygenated water at temperatures ranging from 50 to 65 degrees. To keep them in the best possible shape, you’ll want to take a few extra precautions. Rather than using standard tap water try and get water from a lake. If your catching your own baitfish (which I highly recommend) you should get the water from the actual lake. Buying bait fish from a store will require more planning. Try and get natural water from a lake, stream, pond or even a well. If you must use tap water add de-chlorination drops like you would use in a fish tank. You can also let the water sit overnight which will allow most of the chlorine to evaporate. If you need to keep baitfish longer than a few days make sure you change up the water. Changing up the water will help prevent waste buildup.
Keeping Eels Alive For Fishing
The only baitfish that doesn’t need to be kept in water is the American Eel. Eels are extremely hardy and often crawl overland to get around dams and other obstructions. To keep eels alive put them in the refrigerator over a bed of damp moss. They should stay alive for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Keep Baitfish Alive While Ice Fishing
When ice fishing cold water in a bucket should keep your baitfish alive all day. The issue you’ll have is keeping them alive between fishing trips. The easiest solution is to cut a hole in the ice large enough for a perforated minnow bucket. Attach a rope and sink the bucket just below the ice. Bury the rope in a little bit of slush on top of the ice. When you return chop open the ice and retrieve your minnow bucket.
Different Baitfish Containers
There’s are a few different containers that will properly store minnows. Throughout the years there hasn’t been a lot of advancements in minnow storage. For short trips any old minnow bucket should work well. For extended storage you’ll want some form of aerated container.
- Plastic Trolling Bucket: Plastic trolling buckets allow water to be pulled through while being dragged by your boat. They’re all pretty much the same so go with one of the cheaper models. The water naturally aerates to keep minnows alive all day. Only use a flow through container when the water is cool.
- Stryrofoam Minnow Container: Styrofoam is my go to storage container for long term storage. I like to use the cheap aerated buckets that automatically aerate your water. The containers can go straight from your refrigerator to your truck. You can use cheaper styrofoam containers if you throw in oxygen tablets.
- Aerated Bucket: There are a few buckets that come with built in aerators. I’ve found that most of these options are pretty flimsy. You’re better off buying a five gallon bucket and using a separate aerator.
- Metal Minnow Bucket: Metal Minnow buckets are another option for keeping small groups of minnows. The Frabill galvanized floating bucket is perfect for ice fishing and boat fishing. Keep the metal container off the side of your boat, or throw in a ice cube and aerator. Metal conducts heat better than plastic, so you need to make sure your bucket stays cool.
8 Baitfish Storage Tips
- Store Fish in Coolers: Coolers with Ice will keep baitfish at lower temperatures. For faster cooling you can also add ice directly to the water in the bucket. For short periods store fish in a cool area of the basement adding ice regularly. For extended storage add an aerator.
- Refrigerator Storage: Keep baitfish alive for longer periods of time by storing them in the refrigerator. You don’t need to feed fish when kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Flow Through Containers: Flow through containers keep baitfish lively on the side of your boat. Only use flow through containers when the water’s cool. If the water is too warm move the container into a cooler.
- Barrels: If you want to keep baitfish alive for extended periods of time place them in a 55 gallon barrel. Feed them oatmeal or fish food and avoid over feeding.
- Aerators: Aerators can operate from any mid sized flashlight, lantern or boat battery. You can also power them from a 6 or 12 volt power source. Most modern aerators can run off a car or boats cigarette lighter.
- Oxygen-Packing Bait Fish: On longer trips you’ll want to oxygen pack your bait bag. Some bait shops will push fish in plastic bags filled with water and pure oxygen. Fish stored in oxygenated bags should last a few days before other storage is needed.
- Oxygen Tablets: When driving to your fishing location you might want to throw in a couple oxygen tablets. When an aerator isn’t available oxygen tablets will produce bubbles when dropped into water.
- Avoid Overcrowding: As a general rule 1 gallon of water can suppert 1-2 dozen small baitfish. Overcrowding will quickly suffocate and kill your fish.