minnows dying

[3258brian]

New to ice fishing this year. Last few times out I have dead minnows in bait bucket when I get to the spot I chose to fish. Started using a four wheeler when ice conditions were right. Bait bucket is not insulated. Looking for opinion on wether its the cold or the bouncing around. Any help thanks. Does not seem to happen when I walk. Less bouncing and less wind chill though.

[pikemaster1]

try a different bait shop

[prospector]

Are you giving them air with a pump and a good stone?

[fishermantim]

There could be a number of causes:

Too many fish for the bucket, fish use up the O2 quickly, requiring a battery operated aerator
Water could be tainted.
Bucket could have had something in it that kill fish.
Water was warm and it got too cold too quickly from no insulation bucket.

Hopefully you can figure out the cause and fix the problem.

[3258brian]

I have tried three bait shops and same result. Same bait bucket that I have kept minnows in for a week or more. No air pump used. drastic temperature drop a definite. Going to try an insulated bait bucket and see if that helps.

[thomasthepikehunter]

The best I've found is the frabill aerator bucket cover and a battery operated aerator. I use a regular 5 gallon bucket, but if your worried, try the shorter bucket with one of those styrofoam bait buckets. Find one that fits. They sell all that pre-made but the price will kill you. I'm thinking it was about $50 for a 5 gallon bucket, a styrofoam liner, and a cheap aerator. I have no problem keeping bait alive on lakes, its when keeping for weeks that I can't do it. I use big suckers, and maybe thats why. I'm going to build a bait tank this year to try and push their lives to a month.

[fishingeorge]

I went out and bought me an engel bait cooler.  I love it my minnows stay alive forever. They are insulated have air pump and spill proof when not using the air pump. They are a little pricey but in my honest opinion best minnow bucket I have ever invested in. Great for both summer and winter.

[adkRoy]

Do you use a gas auger?  You could have accidently got a couple of drops in the bucket. Try washing the bucket out really good.

[MichiganMan]

Thermal shock, too cold too fast. I use a insulated plastic lunch cooler. Then, once I'm on the lake, add some ice or snow, just a little at a time to acclimate your bait to the cold water that's in the lake. Otherwise they will soon die when they hit the lake water.

[fishyfingers247]

New to ice fishing this year. Last few times out I have dead minnows in bait bucket when I get to the spot I chose to fish. Started using a four wheeler when ice conditions were right. Bait bucket is not insulated. Looking for opinion on wether its the cold or the bouncing around. Any help thanks. Does not seem to happen when I walk. Less bouncing and less wind chill though.

Gotta be shocking them.  I have left minnows out all day and overnight with no air and didnt lose any.  Water temp is big.  I store them outside in cooler on air for WEEKS!  When it starts freezing up I bring cooler inside to thaw out and right back out it goes when its thawed. 

[jopes]

I use a cooler that I added a bubbles aerator to it.  It is square cooler so it is really stabile on the ice and helps keeping the minnows from freezing in really cold temps.

I use the same one in spring to help the minnows stay cool from the warm days.

[Purple Floyd]

If the bait shop is putting their water in the bucket when they add the minnows then I am going with depleted oxygen and would either get a bigger bucket or buy a smaller scoop or add air.If you are using your own water it is possible that there is a big enough difference in PH that they could get shocked but that will only happen going from high PH to low PH and your water would have to be darn acidic to do it. Gill burn from Chlorine could also do it if you have high Chlorine in your water.Lots of minnows in a small container with no added o2 can burn it up pretty rapidly.

[TRAPPER3]

Buy a cheap 2 gallon cooler that seals pretty good.......have one and have kept bait for a week with no aerator and still lively.....if keeping that long i would use a pump but a few days they will keep fine.....2 gallon cooler holds 2 dozen with no problem......

[Steelheadsnot]

If you are buying shiners and going fishing directly from there,try throwing a few pieces of ice or some snow to your shiners. The water temp change from the bucket to the pond water can also kill your bait..a little ice or snow can help get the temp down a little in your bucket  But overall,it does sound like a air issue.

[kpd145]

Buy a cheap 2 gallon cooler that seals pretty good.......have one and have kept bait for a week with no aerator and still lively.....if keeping that long i would use a pump but a few days they will keep fine.....2 gallon cooler holds 2 dozen with no problem......

They work AWESOME !!

Only issue is the lid has to be popped to run air, but I don't run air in the car and onto the ice. Once I am on the ice, I just add water from a hole and have no need for air. My aerator stays in the vehicle, one less thing I have to worry about breaking/forgetting/losing on the ice.

[3258brian]

Thanks everyone for the input going to get an insulated cooler and aerator before next outing and see if that helps. I think it is the temperature more than the air. I was able to keep them up to a week earlier in the season. Thats why I was unsure if it was the bouncing around of the wheeler. As for changing the water I have a small stream behind the house that I use to change the water but the minnows haven't lasted long enough for me to worry about that.

[TRAPPER3]

GONNA SOUND CRAZY......BUT AFTER A DAY OR 2 IF BAIT GETS SLUGGISH PUT     1      BAYER ASPIRIN IN THE COOLER......YOU WILL BE AMAZED WHAT THIS DOES......ITS AN OLD TRICK I LEARNED MANY YEARS AGO....TRY IT

[fishermantim]

If you use your own tap water, treat it with a de-chlorinator. You can get it at any pet/aquarium store.
You can use an aerator before you head out, and bring a battery operated pump to use out on the ice. They are really cheap and can be found in Walmart and similar stores.
Insulated buckets work well, and adding ice to the bucket will chill the fish, decreasing the chance of thermal shock.
(dropping the bait to deep waters quickly will also lessen the chance of shock, as the deeper water will generally be warmer than the surface water.)

Anything you do will help, but you need to keep an eye on your bait to see what is causing the issues so you can counteract it.