Hi all - does anyone have any tips/suggestions regarding keeping minnows alive the whole winter? I hate throwing money down the hole at the end of a fishing trip, and have had decent luck keeping minnows alive in my bucket with frequent water changes (either on the lake or with filtered water). But inevitably they start dying and I am "fishing" 2-3 dead ones out a day.

Does anyone keep them in an aquarium? Or use one of the oxygenators or aerators? If so, do you have good luck? Seems like I could find a cheap aquarium on [YouNeedAuthorization] and keep it out in the garage where it's just above freezing usually, but just not sure how well that would work...

thanks!
dan

I purchased a standard AC outlet aerator that I put in a 5 gallon bucket in the garage. I change the water every other day with the cold temps and it seems to keep them happy. I keep bullheads and suckers over the summer using a few buckets that I keep in the basement.

Cabelas also sells minnow/bait well things on their site. There super over priced but if you dont want to put together an aerator and a bucket or too it might be for you.

I use a couple 110v aerators at home and 12v or D cell battery operated ones in the fish houses. Changing water often helps a lot too. Also don't overcrowd.

I have tried keeping minnows in my 180 gallon fish tank at home.
They simply don't make it.

I think it is the water temp that gets them.
They have plenty of filtration, aeration, and food.

A good 80 to 90 percent don't make it more than a week.

The ones that make it past a week do survive for months though.

Sucker minnows have a much easier time in the tank.

Only about 1 percent of those die out.

my dad used to keep them in the basement and keep them in really cold water. every once in a while he'd drop a pinch of goldfish food in there. they seemed to last a really long time

i did it last year and like merkman said they will last about 1 week or 2 ....it worked ok for me because i fish about ever other day one but you do need to keep them cool the colder the better ..... go to a bat shop and feal there water

Last winter I had a couple dozen minnows that I kept in my fridge in a foam minnow bucket that lasted for over two weeks. I just changed the water every couple days and they seemed fine. If I would have fed them I could have probably kept them alive even longer.

as long as i keep them cold they lasted forever, im gonna try something different this yea, keep a bait bucket in my house in the water and see if they live longer or not

I just built a rig with an old cooler and an aquarium pump. I plan to keep it out in the garage (detached and not heated) and hope the cooler and the bubbles keep it from freezing.

Last year I could keep them alive for a quite a while just keeping them out in the garage in the minnow bucket but come late Jan and Feb the bucket would freeze solid if I left it out there for a couple days.

Temp is a big thing for minnows. Keep them as cold as possible. At our store, we keep them at around 48 degrees. The second thing is something that may be out of your control. Minnows give off ammonia. If the ammonia concentration gets too high, it will basically suffocate them. Keeping the temperature low helps keep their metabolism lower so they don't give off as much ammonia.

Lastly, don't crowd them, especially in warmer water. We get by with crowding them because they generally don't last more than a day in our tanks before they become fish bait.

We have had reports of people keeping their minnows alive for a few weeks in a bucket and either outside or in the beer fridge. (Spouses don't always like live bait next to their food. )

Hope that helps.

Joe

I try to use my minnows up before they ever get a chance to die

I used a small aquarium heater and aerator last winter and it did a pretty good job keeping my minnow cooler from freezing over. I was able to keep decent supply of minnows on hand. Definitely reduced the number of trips to the bait shop.

5 gallon bucket and a good bubbler in the basement. They wont last all winetr but I can keep 4 doz minnows long enough to use them all.

Use the Gulp minnows

ok ok ok I had my fun, but not to be a downer, didnt the DNR pass something this last year that said you couldnt take minnows off a lake, even if you didnt take them from said lake, I think it had something to do with the water that you would add from the lake and the tiny water flea and or the Bass virus and other possible non native species transfer...?

I know it says in the DNR thing that you should toss your crawlers in the garbage can at the landing.

I know that its tossing money out and all, but for the majority out there I think it would be a good rule of thumb, most of them dont know what lake has what non-native species in it. So I guess its Know the lake your on.

Shawn

just found it, semi right, page 60 of the MNDNR Regs, how do you guys read this, and am I just worrying too much?

"It is unlawful to:
• transport aquatic plants, ruffe, round goby, zebra mussels, or other
prohibited invasive species on public roads;
• transport infested water (including in livewells and bait containers)
(pages 62-63);
• launch a watercraft with aquatic plants, zebra mussels, or prohibited
invasive species attached; and
• harvest bait (minnows, frogs, crayfish or other wild animals) from
infested waters (pages 62-63).
Exception: Harvest for personal use is permitted in waters infested solely with
Eurasian watermilfoil. Harvested bait must ONLY be used in the water from which it
is harvested. Bait may only be harvested using a cylindrical minnow trap not exceeding
16 inches in diameter and 32 inches in length (pages 68-69).
Prohibited Invasive Species: bighead carp, Eurasian watermilfoil,
round goby, ruffe, zebra mussel, new zealand mud snail, and spiny
water flea. Additional species can be found at www.dnr.state.
mn.us/invasives or by calling the DNR information line.
Remove visible plants and animals from your boat,
trailer, and other boating equipment before leaving the
water access.
STOP AqUATIC HITCHHIKERS!
Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash. Never release
live bait.
Drain water from your boat, motor, livewell, and
bait containers before leaving the water access. To keep
unused bait at spiny water flea- or zebra mussel-infested
waters, drain and replace with tap or spring water.
Drain water
Spray, rinse, or dry boats and recreational equipment from bait
before transporting to another water body. Spray/rinse buckets.
with high pressure and/or hot tap water (above 120˚F) or
dry at least five days."