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Posted

So I'll put it here...

does anyone have any good idea's or products they use that keep minnows alive longer than 10 minutes...besides in a boat.

Every bait bucket I try the fish die by the time I get from the bait shop to the water...just about.

Posted

go 2 a pet&fish store and buy a pump. I think they are only 10-15 dollars. My buddy got one and it keeps his bait alive 4 a long time.

Posted

Aqua Innovations Oxygen pumps are the key. They sell them on this site. 5 Gal rating runs about $50. Easily the best thing around. Beats aeratores by a mile. Look into it.

Good Luck smile.gif
Chev

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

You can see The Oxygenator right here.

They definitely will do the trick for you. These are powerful units that produce pure oxygen nano bubbles, that stay in the water (unlike aerator bubbles) for your minnows health. Very, very low power usage, and rated for 20 years.

Extremely popular units for keeping your minnows alive and for keeping fish alive in your livewell.

You can see them, get more info, or order them by CLICKING HERE or

You can read a story by clicking here.

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 05-31-2003).]

Posted

Thanks for your thoughts...I will look into it.

Posted

most bait shops also will bag them. this really helps with shiners. put the bags in a cooler with some ice in the bottom.
gte

Posted

As far as from the bait store to the lake, if they are dying that quick, I'd change bait stores. Most have the bags that they will oxygenate, and that bait should last all afternoon in the bag as long as they aren't in the sun. Or you may just be getting too many minnows for the available oxygen in your bucket.
For home, I have a 55 gallon plastic drum I got from a friend that works for the railroad. They use them for antifreeze. I keep it in the garage where it stays cool, and bought a pump for a fish aquarium at the pet store for about $12. I throw in some dog food from time to time, and I've kept minnows as long as 3 months with no problems. When we go ice fishing, we throw the minnows in a 5 gallon bucket in the fridge and run the pump lines in and were good to go.

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Takin it easy! & if it’s easy, I’ll take it twice!

Posted

I usually throw a bunch of ice cubes in a ziploc bag and put it in my bucket with the minnows. if you don't have city water, you could put the ice cubes right in with them. I have had real good luck with that.

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

Cooling water does help keep oxygen in the water and your minnows alive while in the cool water. No doubt about it.

The only problem with cooling your water is when you put your minnow into the lake or river. The temperature change puts them into shock and they die very quickly, just when you need them lively the most.

Again, the best way to solve that problem is to have an oxygenator. See link above.

Of course, you can always set your bag in the water at the same temp as the lake and wait for the temp in your bag to gradually equalize with the lake. Even then, you're still going to need a way to keep oxygen in your bait container.

Posted

have the bait store put the minnows in a bag and then have them put in O2. minnows should be fine for at least one hour.

Posted

I had one of those cheap battery operated aerators from Frabill that clips to the bucket, and it died after 2 weeks of every-other-day use (new batteries). I'm gonna pick up an Oxygenator in a month or so. I ran the math, and for what minnows cost (especially if you throw suckers/shiners into the equation) the Oxygenator pays for itself in one season.

------------------
Aquaman
<')}}}}}><{
Peace and Fishes

Posted

I used the Oxygenator in an external bait bucket with Shiners and the Bait DID NOT FAIR WELL? I am wondering, did I do something wrong? The green light was on and it seemed like the unit was running. I am giving a shot again this weekend with some other minnows. Any advice or tips, or is that the way it is with Shiners?

[This message has been edited by vikes40for60 (edited 06-03-2003).]

[Did you use the Mini rated for 1-5 gallons of water? The Magnum should have from 10-32 gallons of water. Anything under that and you will get too much oxygen with the Magnum. If you used the Mini a little more water should do the trick for you, no more than a dozen small/medium shiners per gallon. Try using a 5 gallon bucket. Make sure that you gradually bring the minnows down to lake temperature (Bait shops usually use cooler water). Too fast of a temp change will kill your minnows in any environment.]

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 06-03-2003).]

Posted

i got my Oxygenator this winter and i have to say it worked great. had some of the same fatheads all winter i think. have been using a tooth brush to clean it when needed but it seems not to be working at all now. the green light is on and it is freshly cleaned but i cant see the little bubbles coming out anymore. do i need to clean the inside? could it have broke on me? the unit has taken a few bumps but nothing hard and the light is still on? any thoughts? hurry i have bait waiting for some fresh air as we speak.... gave them fresh water and some ice this morning and put the unit in but i dont think it is doing anything. help.....

Posted

I won this "oxygenator infiltrator" thingy last year in a drawing. They say it was a $70 unit. Probably get better quality and quite a bit cheaper buying the one Rick sells on the site here.

What it was is a bilge pump with the wires reversed so it runs backwards, and a piece of foam on the outlet, with suction cups on the bottom of the pump that you stick in the bottom of your bait bucket, and a clear tube coming out the "intake" and running out the bucket for a draw..

I put 8 scoops of Crappie minnows in a 6 quart pail on a 90 degree sunny day and let them sit in the sun for 8 hours.

Never lost a single minnow. As soon as I unplugged it, it only took a minute and they were ALL floating in the top of the bucket.

Yes sir eeee....these puppies work!

Posted

I should add, when the unit was working properly the water was at what I would title "a medium boil". In other words, it was PUMPING some serious air.

A fish tank pump doesn't have poop on these babies.

How I ever lived without one is beyond me.

Give the site some business, and buy your oxygenator here. You'll save more in bait then what you spend on it, and it will help our site out too.

Good luck.

---------------
Fish On! Fish Off! ::Guzzle:: cool.gif

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    • leech~~
      Goodness. I feel like I'm on some kind of site for the mentally ill sometimes.  🤨 I know he said this but look at the last board printout!  He meant smurfy on April 29th!   8 hours ago, JerkinLips said: Because I temporarily changed the rules, and smurfy was the 2nd person to wager a guess, I changed his prediction to April 25th.   I changed it to just a date numb nuts!  April 25th! DH'O  🤭
    • smurfy
      😖🙃 pretty certain everyone else here isnt guessing Edwards lake...........goofball!!!!!!!🤣
    • Wanderer
      Up until April 24th? 😉
    • leech~~
      April 25th! DH'O
    • smurfy
      🤣 WELL.......LEECH...... since its free where's your name????????🙄
    • leech~~
      Dang, this is like a free meal on Lakestreet in Mpls.  I didn't know this many folks were still on the site until someone said "Free raffle drawing"  🤣 🤣 
    • SkunkedAgain
      Nah, I'm not changing my guess. It's more fun to make early predictions and see how far off I am.   I'll turn on the hair dryer and see if it helps.
    • JerkinLips
      Because I temporarily changed the rules, and smurfy was the 2nd person to wager a guess, I changed his prediction to April 25th.  Also, since SkunkedAgain was the originator of this competition and was the 1st person to guess, I will give him until Friday to change his prediction if he wants to (although he may regret if the ice goes out on April 18th).  After him, no more "changes" will be allowed on my board.   Lots of "good" open dates available for those that have not predicted yet.  Updated board below:  
    • SkunkedAgain
      https://www.timberjay.com/stories/moccasin-point-upgrade-has-longtime-users-concerned,22802   Moccasin Point upgrade has longtime users concerned DNR hopes to get major remake of key access underway later this year Posted Thursday, March 20, 2025 10:36 am   Marshall Helmberger LAKE VERMILION— With funding finally in place, the Department of Natural Resources is planning to move forward with an estimated $2-plus million renovation of the Moccasin Point landing, and users of the site say they’re concerned about the changes. The landing has been heavily used for decades by anglers, Boundary Waters visitors, residents of nearby islands and other remote-access properties on Lake Vermilion and, perhaps most critically, by emergency responders for everything from fire to medical response. Moccasin Point has also been a protected harbor for private barges loading and unloading as they service the many water-access properties in the area. Sarah Schmidt, who spends summers with her husband Jake at their cabin on nearby Pine Island, said there’s a lot at stake for people who depend on the landing. “A lot of people have designed their dream home around having access to that landing,” she said. “People need propane, they need lumber, and if they need to install a septic system, they need lots of gravel,” she said. For the many hundreds of island or other water-access property owners on the lake, all of that material comes by barge. Moccasin Point is particularly well suited for such use, since it is arguably the most protected harbor on Lake Vermilion, with islands and mainland protecting it from wind from just about any direction. It’s also centrally located on the sprawling lake and close to concentrations of island homes and cabins. Scott Kelling, northeast regional manager for DNR Parks and Trails, said the plans for the reconstruction of the landing are still being finalized, but insisted they will take into account the unique mix of recreational and commercial use of the landing, including use by all three of the barging companies that service customers on the lake. According to Kelling, the remake of the landing will include removal of the old pier and the reconstruction of a new one in nearly the same location. “The new pier will serve the same function,” said Kelling, and will include an additional ramp that will be dedicated for barge loading and off-loading. Kelling said an engineer’s inspection of the existing pier determined it was near the end of its useful life, although Schmidt said she thinks that opinion reflects the DNR’s desire to remove the structure rather than its actual condition. Kelling acknowledges that it’s not the only reason for replacing the structure. “With our redesign it’s just not in the right location,” he said. Adequate parking is another major concern of longtime users of Moccasin Point. Tim Logan, whose family has owned island property near the landing since the 1950s, said plans the DNR had shared a few years ago seemed to show less parking than is typically used at the site. Schmidt notes that during high-traffic weekends, the parking area is frequently full and overflow parking can extend for hundreds of feet along Moccasin Point Rd. She said she counted 163 vehicles parked at the landing at one point last Memorial Day weekend and said there are routinely 90-100 vehicles during the summer season. Many of the regular users of the landing, particularly those on island properties, use the site for long-term parking of their vehicles for days, weeks, or months at a time. That’s unusual at public landings, which are typically limited to day use. Kelling said the DNR is making an exception to that rule for Moccasin Point, given the many varied uses of the unique property. “Overnight parking will be allowed,” he said. Kelling said the current plan will allow parking for a bit over 100 vehicles, which is more than some original plans for the site. “We’re doing everything we can to maximize the parking there, at some considerable expense,” he said. Longstanding issues Kelling said the DNR’s plan for reconstruction is motivated by a desire to “manage the site more responsibly on a number of fronts.” The DNR acquired the site in 2008 and had planned to undertake reconstruction of the landing back in 2013 but lacked the funds at the time to accomplish the work. The funding was approved in 2023 and the DNR has been working on design of the project ever since. According to Kelling, the site has operated essentially as a “free-for-all” for years, with uses and resource impacts that aren’t typically permitted at DNR-managed access points. “There are currently a number of transgressions out there,” said Kelling, including long-term storage of personal property and building materials. He said the site, which slopes toward the lake, also contributes large amounts of sediment into Vermilion during heavy rainfall. “We need to better manage the stormwater,” said Kelling. “Currently, a lot of sediment and other things end up in the lake when it rains.” Schmidt questions whether the change will be an improvement, since the DNR’s reconstruction of the site will convert the existing grassy hillside that currently serves as the site’s parking lot into a paved parking area. Kelling said the parking area will be leveled before being paved and that stormwater will be directed into one of two planned stormwater ponds in order to contain sediment. Schmidt claims the ponds will become a mosquito breeding ground. Kelling said he expects the final design will be completed soon and he is expecting to hold an open house in early summer so interested users can see what’s planned for the site. He expects actual construction to begin sometime in October if all goes as planned. That initial work will include blasting of some underlying bedrock in order to level the site. But most of the work will take place in 2026, he said, and during that period, it may be difficult to maintain public use of the site, although he said use of the site by barges should still be possible, with potentially some minor delays. But he said other users of the site may want to explore other access options for that summer. Kelling said he hopes to have more information on that at the open house later this year. “A goal of the open house is to really share the timeline and alternatives for users,” he said. “They might need to park somewhere else in 2026.”
    • smurfy
      i wanna change mine to the 29th of april...........i've been seeing ice reports to much up that way. 🙄
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