Tips for keeping Smelt

[TroutTugger89]

Hey everyone, last night I came home with about 1/2 doz smelt. I put a small aerator (baby bubbles) in my bucket and put my bucket in the basement. This morning they were all floating. Only thing I can think of was maybe the temp change did them in. Anybody have any tips for keeping smelt?

Thank you in advance!

[Fish Wayniac]

Smelt do not fair well without frequent water changes. A air bubbler in your bucket is what you need.
2 weeks ago when we had the zero temps they didn’t live long down the hole. Kind of discouragiing after spending $22.50 .

[fishlessman]

cooler over a bucket, frozen water bottles to keep it cold, dont mix them with other bait fish, a good dealer with fresh bait and a clean tank

[jacksmelt71]

got to keep them below 40f. put in a unheated garage off the floor with a bubbler running, will work over night if not -0f. after that change out half the water every day to keep ammonia down. add as cold water as you can get slowly so you don't shock them when swapping.

[Alex Delarge]

Keep the water as cold as possible without freezing. Frequent water changes, don't use town water. Bigger tanks that hold more water also helps a lot. Smaller pin smelts are much easier to keep alive in captivity, they create less waste.