Frabill min-o-life bait station

[tracksnorth]

anyone out ther tried these at all? They are a hard side insulated bait station with aerator

[Bigassbassman]

I have one and I love it -- great battery-powered air pump.  I keep minnows alive for weeks in it, with regular water changes.

[Van_Cleaver]

Mine was problematic since I don't fish in a shack. It freezes up very easily and is hard to open. In fact the buckle on it is cracked though it still stays shut. You can leave it cracked oped but then you spill the water and lose your insulation qualities. I use it in warmer conditions sometimes.

[tracksnorth]

Thank you for the picture bigassbassman, the one I saw is square just like a lunch cooler.

[Bigassbassman]

Thank you for the picture bigassbassman, the one I saw is square just like a lunch cooler.

No problem -- the one I have is exactly like the one in the picture, so I don't have any experience with the square one.  As Van_Cleaver said, it will start to freeze up in very cold conditions, but so do most other buckets unless you keep them in a shanty.

[tracksnorth]

Ok that's not surprising, we have two permanents and a few portables. Oughta be ok then

[fish8mybait]

I had the one pictured but after knocking it over and having my minnows spill everywhere, I upgraded to the lunchbox style. Great investment...I love it. For one, I don't need to worry about dumping my minnows. Another thing that is nice is the net is inside the whole box so no need for a separate minnow scoop. Only complaint....if you need a lot of bait it is kind of small. Good enough for a couple dozen small fatheads and half dozen large roaches.

I highly recommend it.

[Tipupguy]

I have the frabill aqua life bait station 6 gallon it works great I just had it out on the ice in15 degree weather for 5 hours with no freezing problems

[primepin65]

I had the square one (Personal Baitstation) and I HATED it. The clasp on it broke within the first 5 uses as there is zero give in the plastic. I "fixed" the lid of a $50 bait bucket with a $0.25 bungee cord. the next issue was the aerator. It broke during the second season. As did the net insert thing that the bucket came with. So I bought another Frabill aerator. That one lasted me the following season. I have literally nothing good to say about the bait bucket. The only good thing I got out of it was the bungee cord. I still have that damn thing.

For the record, this is the one I bought.http://frabill.com/bait-care-management/portable-aeration/1404.html

[tracksnorth]

Wow thank you for the link primepin!

[Rebelss]

The original Minnow Magic was far superior to the cheaper Frabill. 

[wyogator]

I have had this same cooler for 10 Years.  Back then, it cost me 38 bucks.  My only complaints are that the lid freezes shut, the lid can get water in it and it can be too small for larger minnows.

[Idahogator]

The original Minnow Magic was far superior to the cheaper Frabill. 

Yup, they were the best.                I was very impressed to see the Originals , Reb and hearing your story from years ago, being the first by 10 or more years.     

[guy]

I've had square one for a few years now , no problem at all. Lid can freeze closed but always was able to open when warmed up in shanty. It is plastic so have to be careful in the cold .like the inner net comes with easy to get bait and fingers stay dry.

[Rebelss]

Yup, they were the best.                I was very impressed to see the Originals , Reb and hearing your story from years ago, being the first by 10 or more years.     

Thanks, 'gator. Lots of those went out all over the country. Frabill never could match the
cooler-bottle in the lid or the lift-out bait divider. Sure love using them Summer and Winter. 

[tracksnorth]

Well I bit the bullet and bought it. I'll see how she does