Thinkin' of starting a MINNOW tank @ home...Any thoughts?

[Togue-hunter]

have a lake house up in alton bay NH....gonna try for the 1st time minnow trappin'.......have a live well...heard many baits from gum - bread- liver-or even dog/cat food......but i hope i can start a small bait supply....sick of going friday nights to grab bait because a derby is on before the bait shops open!


cant wait to get  on the ice!

[northernnyice]

bread and or dog food

[the_mad_iceman]

bread and catfood

[JustOsmo]

have a lake house up in alton bay NH....gonna try for the 1st time minnow trappin'.......have a live well...heard many baits from gum - bread- liver-or even dog/cat food......but i hope i can start a small bait supply....sick of going friday nights to grab bait because a derby is on before the bait shops open!


cant wait to get  on the ice!

All of the above. I would use several typed of bait if i was trapping. cover all your grounds.

[MBrown4]

use dog food for most types of bait.i know we used to use beef liver cut up and we would pull traps full of fathead minnows in it, that was when it was legal to trap and transport here in NY though.

[Sinnian]

I'd read the rule book, not sure if you can trap on Winni, and know you can not bring bait over the border.

[wshnIwsfshn]

I use thomas english muffens and cat food  they will not fall apart as fast as bread I went the other day and got 6dz shiners in 10 min. Have them in the fishtank in the dinning room wife thinks im nuts but come next month im going to put them in the garage in a 30gallon barrell for the winter . good luck with it

[Iceholes]

bread and or dog food

 

[the_mad_iceman]

I use thomas english muffens and cat food  they will not fall apart as fast as bread I went the other day and got 6dz shiners in 10 min. Have them in the fishtank in the dinning room wife thinks im nuts but come next month im going to put them in the garage in a 30gallon barrell for the winter . good luck with it

If she thinks you're nuts.... She would think I'm insane... picking up a 300 gallon tank for my bait...LOL Big bait needs big room...LOL

[Togue-hunter]

GREAT...sounds good.......... thanks.....

think im gonna make a mixed batch of chum/bait for the minnows...6 doz. sounds killer....pretty pumped..

and i also heard abiout the flower pot inside the tank for eggs and newbies....then placing them in another tank till they get bigger....

[MBrown4]

well now your talking about breeding which turns into a whole pain in the a** process of moving fry and eggs between tanks and different foods.....its more trouble than its worth

[petrgill]

How long can you keep them alive in a regular fish tank set up just for them?

[pikeking]

How long can you keep them alive in a regular fish tank set up just for them?

They need lots of care. I have had a tank for a few years now. Water changes almost every week. The more you feed them, the more you will have to change the water. Try to keep the water cold.

[petrgill]

They need lots of care. I have had a tank for a gew years now. Water changes almost every week. The more you feed them, the more you will have to change the water. Try to keep the water cold.

anything special you have to add?

[pikeking]

There are a few different chemicals that you can use. The biggest thing is to have a good filter system that will circulate the water good. One chemical I use is one to feel the ICK away. I was changing the water with river water, but there is to much work involved in it after a while. So I started using tap water and treating it with a chemical to remove the chlorine.
The colder you can keep the water the better. The cold water makes them not have to eat so much, that means less waste from the fish, that means less water changes.
I have a 150 gallon stainless steel tank in my basement that gets pretty cold. it's a pain changing that much water but worth it in the long run. Saves money on bait...

[BogMan]

I took a 55 gallon plastic drum and built a stand so it sits on it's side. Cut a 12x12 hole in the side. Use one of my fish pond pumps to curculate water to the top of the drum thru a sprayer hose. Kept a box of 400 Anderson minnows all winter in there. Change 10 gallons every day or so. Just filled 2 pails with city water and let them sit overnite. Next day drain out 2 and dump the other 2 in.

[JustOsmo]

There are a few different chemicals that you can use. The biggest thing is to have a good filter system that will circulate the water good. One chemical I use is one to feel the ICK away. I was changing the water with river water, but there is to much work involved in it after a while. So I started using tap water and treating it with a chemical to remove the chlorine.
The colder you can keep the water the better. The cold water makes them not have to eat so much, that means less waste from the fish, that means less water changes.
I have a 150 gallon stainless steel tank in my basement that gets pretty cold. it's a pain changing that much water but worth it in the long run. Saves money on bait...

It also means you can go directly out fishing after taking the bait out and not worry about shock :-P

I learned that one the hard way.

[big jim callahan]

Thanks for all the great info Im going to start up a tank and most of the info I needed was here Thanks   

[pikeking]

You are welcome man,,, there will be some pictures going up real soon trust me. I'm just waiting for my new canister filter to come in now. Good luck with the bait tank!!!

[Mainehazmt]

1st and most important   if you have it in the house   (basement included)  have an understanding wife!!!!!    2nd  cat food  dog food or any of the above  put it in a onion sack    stays together better   and you dont have to pick thru the mess retrieving your minnows!

[pikeking]

I made little boxes that hang in the middle of my traps out of chicken wire. Nice and neet, and like Hazzy said no sifting through the mess to get to the bait...

[Team Bud Fish]

JT when did u get a lake house?

[Togue-hunter]

yeah, Mikey......yeah its in the "Family" ....