Bait Bucket to insert into ice hole???

[defiant1]

Do they make a vented/perforated bait bucket I can insert into a 8" hole to keep the bait relatively fresh while fishing?  Basically, I want to drill a separate hole for the bait bucket, tie off/secure the bucket and insert the bucket in the hole. 

Thoughts?

d1

[buuddy]

You may be able to find something but I'm guessing the volume size would be small and it might only hold about a dozen minnows.
My first ice fishing bait keeper was homemade. It consisted of two metal coffee cans (about 6" in diameter) that were separated by a plastic mesh that gardeners use for rose collars. Every thing was secured by pop rivets, and down rigger cable was used to form a handle. It stood about 2' high and could easily hold 3 dozen minnows. The down side of this was the flimsy plastic lid that cracked easily in the cold. If you go down this road expect to go through about two lids per season.
Currently I'm using a store bought bait bucket that is 9" in diameter. I cut that along the perimeter and expanded the volume by using that same plastic mesh. It has a more robust lid that doesn't create any issues.
The bait will keep a long time with this setup as long as they are not over crowded. Emerald shiners are the most sensitive in this regard, the other types, not so much.
Also remember to not put the bait keeper too deep in the water, otherwise the minnows will suffer from depressurization when you bring up the bucket.

[jethro]

I have bought bait that has stayed alive and lively for two weeks in just a small size bait bucket. No aerator or anything. Just keep them cold.

[eriksat1]

Yea don't over think it, minnows will stay alive for weeks in a 5 gallon bucket as long as you don't let it freeze over. The water inside a hole is usually pretty nasty looking water anyway, then dealing with it freezing to the sides, I don't think it is worth it.

[hardwater diehard]

http://todaystackle.com/icewell.html

[Shack man Shoney]

There was a guy on this site last season that said he had a different method for keeping live bait for his permy icehouse that he fished on the weekends. He has some type of cylindrical wire mesh cage (similar to a minnow trap without the entry cone holes) that he would weight down with a line on 1 end and had a line with a float big enough to float the cage, but not the lead weight, on the other. He would then just adjust the weight to keep the float to be a few feet under the bottom of the ice and the cage was just below the float. If I remember right, he did this because it was easier than hauling bait to the icehouse every time he went fishing (must have been remote???). So when he came to fish he would just drill the hole open again and fish the float with the bait attached to it out of the hole again, and remove the bottom weight.  The float would stay in the hole with the cage just below the ice. When he was done, the bottom weight got attached back on the bottom of the cage and he would lower the weight, cage and float back down again. I just remember the basic idea and I can't seem to find the post now. I have never tried it but the idea seems feasible to me if your fishing a permy.

[buuddy]

A short time ago there was a topic about a heated bait bucket, I offered an alternate idea, that reply works well for this topic also so I am doing a copy and paste.

The best way to keep bait from freezing is to keep it underwater, that's how I keep my bait alive in between fishing trips. When I first put out my shack, I drill a hole on the outside that is directly opposed to one of the fishing holes on the inside of the shack. These two holes are only about 4" apart. I then lower my bait bucket, which is slender enough to fit down a 10" hole. This bait bucket has a small rope that I tie off so that the bucket hangs down about 5 or 6 feet underwater. When I want to retrieve the bucket I do it from inside the shack. I have a modified "J" hook that fits down the hole and snags the line. I can then pull up the bucket and start fishing. The nice thing about this setup is that you don't ever have to reopen the original bait bucket hole. You access the bucket from the fishing hole in the shack.
What you have to remember is that you can't fish with the bucket underwater, otherwise the lines will tangle when you have a fish on. Also you have to drop the bucket back after you are done fishing so that the bucket line doesn't freeze into the ice.
This works great and you can save a lot of money on bait, nothing goes to waste.

Also, I've seen one guy who used hardware cloth to make his bait keeper. All he did was make a cylinder shape from the hardware cloth to whatever size he needed and then used two circular pieces for each of the two ends. Everything was stitched together with wire. To retrieve the minnows all he did was undo the wire from one of the end pieces and dump the minnows into a pail.

[rvz]

I made one years ago when I did a lot of tip-up fishing from the hardside in my profile picture.  Made from an 8" diameter x 4' long piece of PVC pipe.  Capped one end, drilled lots of 1/4" holes, installed a piece of 1-1/2" PVC pipe about 16" long through the top by drilling two, 2" holes opposite each other so the 1-1/2" pipe can slide in and out.  Would drill a 10" hole in the ice and drop in the assembly until the 1-1/2" pipe through the top rests on the ice.  Worked great for weekend trips to keep bait fresh.  During real cold weather a little encouragement was needed with the spud to loosen the well in the mornings.  It could also be used as a live well.
I fish out of a portable now so no more 10" power auger and now use one of the Frabill aerated buckets when I fish with live bait on tip-ups.

[aquarium234]

If you want your bait to live longer try using ammonia remover for fish tanks, IT does wonders to help them tuff out the trip. Just be sure to change their water when you get back to home, :-)

[fish/hunt4ever]

The old metal minnow buckets that the center comes out fits nicely in a 9 inch hole, I just drill three 8 inch holes together and chip out the edges a bit and cover with a hole cover that fits over this and keeps minnows lively for ever and then you do not have the chance of it freezing in too hard to not be able to chip it out. 

[OldSailor]

I used a non floating minnow bucket on a chain stringer in my hardside in MN in the old days! Just chip the hole big enough and there was no problem!!

[ice dawg]

Google Baitking bait keeper.

[defiant1]

Google Baitking bait keeper.

I looked at those, but wasn't sure how easy they would be to submerge and/or stay submerged. 

[SnoHam13]

we use to use a glass jar for the perch minnows wile pike spearing.
it was fun watching a pike come in and bite at the minnows in the jar
kept the bait fresh and no temp shock eather
also kept the the younguns entertained too 

SnoHam13

[SirCranksalot]

Why not just use a mesh bag?

[DLB]

A whole lot  of years ago bait buckets were made from metal and came in two parts....the main bucket and an insert that was holed....both had handles.
The main bucket was used to hold a few minnows while the insert was dropped into the water, tied off to the boat or something on shore.  Minnow would stay alive indefinitely.  I'm not sure if they are still made but perhaps they can be found at garage sales or flea markets.

[bowski76]

Plano 2 piece bait buckets are still available:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plano-4700-10-qt-Minnow-Bucket-/201626637474?hash=item2ef1e254a2%3Ag%3A7k0AAOSwVL1WC3En

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Simple get one of these. Use a  Bucket of water to put it in when transporting. Then put the mesh bucket in the hole you drill.

[ice dawg]

I made a bait container years ago out of 6" PVC a couple of caps and an eyebolt. Simple, cheap and it worked.