Was wondering if you used a minnow bucket like an Engel with an aerator if you needed to change water?
I would want to bring it home during trips but wondering if I changed out the water with my well water or tap water if it would kill the minnows.
And should you change out with lake water right before you go home to give the minnows food to eat?
I would change it out with lake water. The aeration takes care of oxygen but not other levels.
Well water will work but I always use lake water when possible.
Change it every couple days
Yes you need change water, lake water is good to use, just dark depending on the lake. Well water is great, if you use tap water let it sit out uncovered for a few hours before you put the minnows in it.
Whether they need it to survive or not the water will get extremely disgusting if you don’t change it occasionally. Well water should be fine. Tap water is might be fine too, depending on how it’s treated, but you probably want to at least let it sit in a bucket for a day to dissolve the chlorine out of it. Minnows should survive at least a couple weeks without food and feeding them will just make the water dirty. Most important thing is having oxygen from the aerator and keeping it cold.
Reef is spot on. Feeding them just makes the water worse. I can leave a bucket of crappie minnows on the garage floor (kept at 45 degrees) and toss a handful of snow in it every few days when I remember and they will keep a couple weeks for sure even without an aerator. If you slap an aerator on for fatheads and crappie minnows when you remember it should be easy to keep them for a few weeks
Curious, but if you take lake water for your minnows and go to another lake, couldn’t you be spreading invasive species? Tried looking on the DNR webpage to see if this even allowed but couldn’t find anything. I thought there were rules on even letting a minnow bucket sit in the water when fishing.
Curious, but if you take lake water for your minnows and go to another lake, couldn’t you be spreading invasive species? Tried looking on the DNR webpage to see if this even allowed but couldn’t find anything. I thought there were rules on even letting a minnow bucket sit in the water when fishing.
By law you have to drain your bait bucket, and replace the water, before transporting it. Don’t think very many are doing it.
Drain water-related equipment (boat, ballast tanks, portable bait container, motor) and drain bilge, livewell and baitwell by removing drain plugs before leaving any water access or shoreland property.
Tried looking on the DNR webpage to see if this even allowed but couldn’t find anything.
Page 9 of the regs. I believe the final statement is relevant here.
Required Actions—It’s the Law!
Most anglers and boaters follow Minnesota’s Clean, Drain, Dispose
laws to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species:
Clean all visible aquatic plants, zebra mussels and other
prohibited invasive species from watercraft, trailers and other
water-related equipment before leaving any water access or
shoreland.
• It is illegal to transport prohibited invasive species—including
zebra mussels—whether dead or alive.
• You can find a complete list of prohibited invasive species by visiting dnr.state.
mn.us/invasives/laws.html#prohibited
Drain water-related equipment (boat, ballast tanks, portable bait container, motor)
and drain bilge, livewell and baitwell by removing drain plugs before leaving any water
access or shoreland property.
• Keep drain plugs out and water-draining devices open while transporting watercraft.
Dispose of unwanted bait, including minnows, leeches and worms, in the trash.
• It is illegal to release bait into a waterbody or release aquatic animals from one
waterbody to another.
• It is illegal to release worms in the state; worms are not native to Minnesota.
• If you want to keep your live bait, you must drain all lake or river water and refill the
bait container with bottled or tap water.
Thanks Reef, that’s what I remembered. In a bind, a couple bottles of Ice Mountain will work just fine as long as you keep them aerated.
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