Keeping bait at home

[fishon814]

Heres a good response USE Plastics Baby Garland Baby Shads or the larger ones Maki plastics work well also havn bought minnows in years and don't miss all the hassle!!!

[Chute82]

Instead of crayfish buy a lobster at Giant Eagle...bigger bait= bigger fish...good luck

[1moslab]

I don't think subtle very subtle

[1moslab]

what works for me with minnows is keep the water as cold as possible and don't feed them and water changes,the water heaters used for farming work well.one actually heats it up too warm.but one keeps it just above freezing just check.no filtration will take the place of water changes .if its city water make sure it is treated to remove chlorine or chloramine and try to have it about the same temp as the bait water.    subtle I have had crayfish in aquariums many times they usually do fine if they don't get eaten

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Dude, relax.. yes its an actual regulation.. but EVERYONE ignores it.. it's a joke.. nobody cares except the keyboard warriors that think they take the moral high ground. Fish and enjoy your life.. 99% of us got your back.. the finger waggers are just like the zombies in the movies.. come out of nowhere like in a nightmare... there NO POSSIBLE way anyone can tell where, when, who and how u got your minnows when youre just chilling on the ice. No icefisherman will ever come up to you and ask for a reciept.. thats the only people who are spouting their mouth off here... a warden will bust your balls if youre a d ick.. but thats it.. ive have wardens in my hut many times. If youre cool, they are cool. Fish and have fun... dont be OVERLY illegal and youre JUST FINE.. ignore the " finger waggers", "keyboard warriors" " internet tough guys" and the "morally superior" . They are 1: a joke, 2: dispised by most, and 3: typically the WORST offenders..

Not finger waggin. Just trying to enlighten folks. There are legitimate reasons for the "bait rules". We may or may not believe that AIS is a serious problem. The PFBC has determined it is. Why not do our part in conserving the fisheries we have here in PA? I believe up on Erie they will fine one for using baitfish from anywhere other than the LE watershed (thus the receipt requirement). Nor should one use those LE e-shiners anywhere else. People will do as they choose. 

Hopefully, we'll get ice soon, and we can chat about other things.

[subtlehustle76]

Tried to catch crayfish with the whole crayfish cage thing in the dead of winter but nothing.. im sure theres a skill set there too, but too lazy. Would be awesone to see what they can do in a lake with big critters.

Yes eddie, we all read the same digest and know this... I doubt ppl here are THAT irresponsible.. and nobody (I hope) intentioanlly sabatoges fisheries except some lovely asians that put snakeheads and other "delicacies" in ponds...hell, birds drop critters from watershed to watershed for thousands of years. The problem here (on iceshanty) is that we all know and follow the rules the best we can, but you get finger waggers out of the woodwork immediately to be jerks...as u can see the kid that started the thread already broke a few rules but hell, he's a good harmless kid... finger waggers need to keep quiet. Also repect religion and leave it home, no prayer circles on this forum. Please.

[sloughdog]

1moslab nailed it but to be honest i didn’t read all the posts as it went sideways fast. But cold water is the best way to keep baitfish. Cold water holds more oxygen and slows down metabolic rate of the fish. Couple other things:
1. Do not feed the bait...it only creates more waste and more problems. Baitfish can go 6-8 weeks without food.
2.  Not all water is the same. If you pay a water bill, your water has chlorine in it. Chlorine kills and you need a dechlorinator or just let the water sit at least 24 hrs before using and the chlorine will dissipate.

[flyfishbowhunticefish]

Damn, 31 and still a kid???  Awesome!!!  Although this grey hair and bald head say otherwise.... Haha.   Subtle, in all my years of catching crawfish, I've learned that winter is nearly impossible. They dwell into the mud and don't come out until spring. This may be different in streams or rivers, but I doubt it. If I was really hard pressed to try to find some I'd probably try a fast moving deep stream with a dip net flipping rocks over with the net immediately downstream. If anything at least you'll get some helgramites, which are irresistible to anything big enough to eat them.

[flyfishbowhunticefish]

I have city water and have no problems with chlorine with the "better bait" treatment. I actually put the minnows in not 5 minutes after filling without issue. Although, last night after installing my homemade filter I noticed the water clearing quickly and losing its blue colour, so I added more...twice. This morning it appears nearly completely clear. Just the slightest blue tint. The company recommends adding more after partial water changes until the colour comes back. But my lava rock filter seems to be soaking it right up. Even my nitrates are way lower after running all night. All other levels are optimal as well.
before filter


After 8 hrs filter

[subtlehustle76]

Yeah, youre still a kid to me, lol.. and I kinda figured that with the crawfish.. Thats actually why it interests me to try them in the winter on tip-ups. Fish know they are a natural food but they may not see them much in winter and slam them, I mean its just cursory thinking, I'm sure theres other factors to consider, but that's why I asked....

[subtlehustle76]

Have you tried potassium permanganate?

[flyfishbowhunticefish]

I'm sure it would be a sure bet that they would get crushed. I know the little ones, 1in or less, were gold to me as a kid. Crappie just would not pass them by when dangled in a tree top. My dad preferred using those over minnows any day. Big bluegill and redears won't pass em up either.  I kinda thinking now I should go catch some helgramites though...  I'm betting jumbo perch and walleye would eat em up.

[flyfishbowhunticefish]

No, what is that used for?

[subtlehustle76]

Not an expert, but i think its an option to treat water.youd have to research it.

[flyfishbowhunticefish]

I did...  I think I'll stick with "better bait".  By far the best stuff I've ever used. However, the potassium permanganate looks like a cool way to make emergency fire starter kits for hiking and hunting n such.

[subtlehustle76]

Yeah, its a neat chemical, trust me, lol.☺

[subtlehustle76]

Where in PA are you?? We should def get drunk and find some crawfish, err i mean "helgramites" 

[esox_xtm]

Have you tried potassium permanganate?

Careful with that. Potassium permanganate is highly reactive in a number of combinations many of which are not good. It will spontaneously combust (that means burst into flame) when mixed with glycols (think antifreeze, glycerin, humidifying solution or the stuff that you pour into your Ice Stopper bobbers if you've got those) or fine sugar. Contact with some acids yield toxic chlorine gas. Based on one of the last comments, someone's been trusting YouTube too much. I hope you managed to keep safe.

You want color? It'll stain your skin brown and turn water intensely purple. It does have applications in water treatment but on a very large scale and it is an antiseptic/anti-fungal of sorts as well. Pretty crazy stuff. I think there may be better suggestions.

I used to work for the shifty bait shop in town. Instead of real "minnow saver" he'd throw in rock salt (not bad, it holds down fungus and toughens scales) and a couple shots of blue food color. No kidding. He did that because folks expected to see it but I had trouble with the dishonesty of it.

[flyfishbowhunticefish]

I read about the salt. But I'm hesitant since everything is at good levels and the fish are doing fine as is. But I would like to have the added protection against fungus. Tougher scales would be a plus too. They were very soft when I bought them. Is the salt ok to use with fatheads as well as shiners? I have both. I believe I read 1 cup per 20 gallons but would have to double check

[1moslab]

fish like a little salt

[Chute82]

Private lake I fish through the ice the perch are full of small crayfish in the winter, have had luck jigging a small rubber crayfish through the ice..

[subtlehustle76]

Private lake I fish through the ice the perch are full of small crayfish in the winter, have had luck jigging a small rubber crayfish through the ice..

Yeaaaahhhh, I wanna live mofo wriggling on there...

[uncleshorty]

There's a word my Grampa taught me for guys who don't obey the game/fish laws:  Slob.

[clayboy]

Dig the spur

[pheasant tail 2]

Try an area were a water treatment plant discharges in a stream. Great places for winter bait.

PT2

[1MOFISH]

i get crabz in my minnow traps in winter all the time,you need meat or fish to get them.you can buy them at nicklows in the summer not sure in the winter.ive used them in the past before the invasive species laws were passed with no luck.the chinese buffet got them in north hills have to say yummy ill hit them lol
GOD BLESS
mo

[1moslab]

Dropped a trap once ,left overnight,minnows went in ,water snakes went in ate bunch of minnows and got stuck inside and drowned ,2,than 3-4 crayfish were in there were they were trying to tear pieces of the snakes off to eat.                        I didn't get one bite on those snakes

[Icemole]

 We used to keep leftover bait in a "live box" that we kept in a creek that ran through my buddies property. Nothing like finding a waters snake or two at 4AM - improvements were made to keep them out pretty quick LOL.

 Never tried to catch crayfish over the winter, but have caught a few chewing on minnies that I had set close(maybe too close) to the bottom for perch. On another lake that rarely freezes I see them crawling around fairly late fall/winter and again pretty early spring.

 Since my buddy(above) moved I just keep leftover bait in 5gal buckets in my basement. I'm also on "city" water so I keep 2/3 buckets filled so the chlorine dissipates - changing the bait to a different bucket every 2-3 days. I use no "bait saver" or salts. I also don't keep a large amount of minnies, maybe  2-3 dz. Water changes are dependent on the size of the bait and how many I have. 3 dz. fatheads can go a week, but 1dz 6-8" shiners need almost daily water changes(and 2 buckets).

 Since my other buddies have given up on ice fishing I never need more than 50 minnows so I don't need a receipt .... so that takes care of that problem .... LOL

[lm26sk]

I keep fish tanks so as filter i actually use canister filter with spare media from tanks . Instantly cycled water , works;-)

[subtlehustle76]

Try an area were a water treatment plant discharges in a stream. Great places for winter bait.

PT2

Truth to this? Examples?