Looking at Engel rechargeable aerator bait coolers, but other ideas welcome. Do you recommend a 7.5 or 13 qt for ice fishing with perch size minnows for one or two people? I hand pull my sled so don’t want to go oversize to keep weight and bulk down, but have enough bait for a day.
I prefer the 13 and the lithium rechargeable is a must. That non lithium is a joke once you get the lithium engle. I have 2 13s and a 7.5 the 7.5 only comes out when early and late and I’m pulling by hand. I gave my fishing buddy a 7.5 a couple years ago and he still uses the hell out of that thing all season. And perch size minnows ? I assume you mean medium and large suckers ?
If by “perch sized minnows” you mean the size of minnow you’d use to fish for perch (fatheads, Rosie’s, rainbows); then the 7.5 qt is the perfect size.
Absolutely get the Engle Pro model with the lithium!
I have the 7.5qt as well as the 13qt. The 7.5qt is nice for setting in my jet sled Jr. and walking out. It covers most day trip needs, but I much prefer the 13qt for weekend fishing, especially if there is any minnows larger than a fathead. As for the Aerators, I keep telling myself that I’d upgrade to the lithium, but the originals won’t quit. Ive used the same batteries for 2 seasons, but I am the type to turn on for 15 minutes then leave it off for a 3-5 hours, and I was rotating between my two those seasons. If I could only have one, I’d do the 13qt just to cover everything, but the 7.5 packs in the sled better.
I have a 13 Engel and it seems like the right size. I have had one of the cheap amazon lithium aerators for a couple years now and it has worked well.
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I have a 13 and its great but it is also big. If you arent using suckers get the 7.5. And yes the aerators powered by the big batteries suck and are noisy as heck. I replaced mine with a cheap rechargeable one from Amazon, but now Engel has one too but it costs a bit more. They are nice coolers and very sturdy.
Flop Box 10 is the way to go. Having gone through 2 Engels in the 19 and 30, their durability is not there, and the Engel aerator I have nothing nice to say about.
Knowing I would only get a season or two out of the Engel, I decided to go the Flop Box route and it has everything the Engel lacked. Still need to give it an open water tour.
Flop Box 10 is the way to go. Having gone through 2 Engels in the 19 and 30, their durability is not there, and the Engel aerator I have nothing nice to say about.
I have never heard of the Flop Box, but other than the aerator the engel is super solid my opinion. I have had my 13 for a decade and no issues, I also use a cheap amazon aerator.
^^^ Same my 13 has been bullet proof. Pumps are annoying for sure. Use my old Frabill one and need to upgrade at some point.
Flop looks sweet but hard pass here at that price point.
Thanks. So far it sounds like most are in favor of the 7.5qt for walk out fishing. I plan to use the cooler mostly for ice fishing for perch with Rosies and fatheads (not for big suckers, etc.) Haven’t used a bucket with an aerator before – how many minnows will keep in a 7.5 or 13qt Engel?
Call me the odd man out but I have the 13 and it kind of drives me nuts . Lid always freezes down , then it ruins your seal , then it leaks water all over . Aerators always banging around or falling off . Honestly thinking about going back to the metal minnow bucket inside the 5 gallon bucket . For big baits though it is nice .
I had that Amazon pump and only downside for me was it’s pretty sensitive to getting wet. A good splash over the side of boat or in the rain and it freaks out and the touch controls don’t work.
Haven’t used a bucket with an aerator before – how many minnows will keep in a 7.5 or 13qt Engel?
Kind of depends on how often you change water. I’ve put 4 dozen in 13qt and kept them alive for length of trip but it gets dirty quickly and aerator needs to run all the time or they’ll start croaking off pretty fast. With 2 dozen it’s much more forgiving.
This is in summer btw, easier in winter when it’s cold.
Both my engles came with the lithium aretor, they are awesome. As for the lid freezing down. I use. Coconut oil on them and don’t have a issue.
I gave up on the livewells that come with aerators now. I have a USB aerator that I connect to a battery bank and can move to any livewell. I have a small cooler that I can take anywhere, a bucket with liner that I can sit on, and a large cooler in the garage. The battery bank lasts about 4 straight days, but you can buy any size. The USB aerator was like 10$.
^^^ Same my 13 has been bullet proof. Pumps are annoying for sure. Use my old Frabill one and need to upgrade at some point.
Flop looks sweet but hard pass here at that price point.
Yeah the original aerator is the only thing lacking on the engel. It bounces around in my sled being pulled behind and atv or snowmobile at 50 mph and never had any issues.
Reef, interesting about the water issue with the pump, I havent had that yet, but I also dont use it much in the summer. I am not sure if we have the same pump or not because there are several I found on Amazon and I just got the cheapest one.
Don’t they make a 9qt also? pretty sure my friend has a 9qt
And yes the aerators powered by the big batteries suck and are noisy as heck.
Spent two nights in an overnight rental last weekend and the constant noise of the batter-powered aerator overnight was annoying haha. We knew we’d be leaving right away in the morning after our second night so for that night I was glad to turn that thing off.
Don’t they make a 9qt also? pretty sure my friend has a 9qt
Pretty sure its 7.5 and then 13. I havent seen a 9.
Both my engles came with the lithium aretor, they are awesome. As for the lid freezing down. I use. Coconut oil on them and don’t have a issue.
Awesome tip. I’ll have to try the coconut oil trick to keep from freezing.
I have a 13 and it’s going on 10 years. Started with the original aerator and it was loud. A couple of years later I bought a quieter aerator off of Amazon and it’s been good. I fished with my neighbor this winter and he bought a new Engle with the lithium aerator. I bit the bullet and upgraded. Very quiet and it holds a charge for a long time.
Whoops! I just went and checked my cooler and its actually a 19 not a 13. 19 is too big. 7.5 would be fine for a day, but the 13 would probably be better especially for longer trips or 3 or 4 guys worth of minnows.
Flop Box 10 is the way to go. Having gone through 2 Engels in the 19 and 30, their durability is not there, and the Engel aerator I have nothing nice to say about.
Knowing I would only get a season or two out of the Engel, I decided to go the Flop Box route and it has everything the Engel lacked. Still need to give it an open water tour.
Those look nice but $225 to hold minnows is just absurd. I can keep them alive other ways than spend that kind of money.
Of all of the gadgets I have, I’m still old school with my minnows 
I have a 5 gallon and 2 gallon Gatorade jug. Screw on tops with some petroleum jelly.
Used to use those loud/clunky D battery aerators, but switched to a rechargeable whisper quiet Amazon one that’s fricken awesome. I don’t use it very often, but do when I have a lot of minnows or going for longer than just a day trip.
The aerator hose slips through the spout on the 2 gallon, and I have a small hole drilled though the top of the 5 gallon.
That said, if I’m just going out for a short trip and don’t anticipate needing a ton of minnows, I throw a couple dozen crappie minnows/fatheads in a 32oz wide-mouth Thermos for the day. Takes up very little room and is super lightweight/convenient.
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Flop Box Yeti 10 is the way to go.
There fixed it for ya!!
The 7.5 Engel is awesome as long as you don’t overfill it with minnows and they deplete the oxygen faster than the pump can replenish it in so little water… I love that it fits inside a Otter Monster bucket holder…
I’ve been using this Coleman cooler for ~15 years. The handle clamps the top on so no spilled water. If it freezes, just pop it open with a screwdriver. Use an aerator I got at Fleet Farm.
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For now I decided to go with the 7.5qt Engel lithium aerator model, but will keep in mind the other options suggested. Thanks for all the information!
Yeah my little cooler is one of those drink type coolers so I can run the tube in and no spills. The upgrade was to a battery bank and a usb aerator from Fleet for like 15$.
7.5 is portable but with medium minnows on up 13 or 19 is a must….look back in the threads on here but I purchased the larger aerator stones and put in all my Engels, only time my lid froze was my fault, minnow bucket sat outside for most of the evening after rolling out of the truck onto the lawn, I brought it in thawed the lid, changed out the water for the minnows and took it back out into negative temps fishing the next day.
A thermos for minnows!? I just might have found a way to use all these dang insulated cups my wife keeps buying that we don’t need. Brilliant bman!
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