A couple of questions, I am trying to decide between the 13 and 19 qt model. I would like to go smaller, but I don’t want to regret it either. I don’t usually get a lot of bait at once. Anyone here get the 13 and regret it?
Second question, does anyone use the bait cooler as a regular cooler when not hauling live bait? I’m not sure I would do that much, but it would definitely be my nicest cooler.
Thanks,
Dan
I have a 19 quart and I certainly don’t wish I had the smaller one. Cant say that I need the 19 quart, because like you I don’t use a ton of livebait.
Regarding using it as a cooler, IDK, something about putting beverages, food, etc where my smelly bait was keeps me from trying it as a cooler, but it is certainly nice!
Both myself and a good buddy both have the 13 Qt. models and I actually am glad I went with this one instead of the 19 Qt. If you fish in a portable a lot, the 13 fits nicely whereas (in my opinion) the 19 is pretty big. If you’re primarily going to use it in the boat, then go with the 19, but I definitely don’t feel like I have a shortage of space with the 13. You can fit a lot of darn minnows in there…
I have the 13qt and I have no regrets. Does exactly what I was hoping it would do. You can have a ton of minnows in it and keep them alive for weeks if you run your aerator enough. Picked it up last year and its probably getting close to paying for itself with keeping minnows alive a lot longer. IF you have room for 19qt I wouldn’t hesitate on that one either. The 19 would be perfect for me in my Ice Castle as where I put mine I’d have enough room for a bigger one, but the 13qt is the way to go in the portable.
Upgrade the aerator….
I had the 19 and swapped it out for the 13 since it wouldn’t fit well in my Otter Lodge Pro sled. The 13 sits perfectly and out of the way. No complaints with it in the wheelhouse, either. Agreed…upgrade the aerator.
I have the 13 qt and I do not regret the size but I only use it for ice fishing smaller minnows out of a portable. If I had a permanent house and or wanted to keep bigger chubs or what not I’d get the 19 also. I wouldn’t use mine as a regular cooler. Over the years it has developed the minnow smell inside.
Which aerator have you guys upgraded to? So far mine has been fine. This weekend I plan to use it with batteries for the first time. All the other times it was plugged in with the AC plug. No complaints thus far, but that can change. LOL
I have the 19qt and love it. Mine gets used in the boat and feel it is the
right size.
I agree with upgrading the aerator. Not sure if the newer engels use the same aerator or not. Mine was Loud so I replaced it with a Frabill which is a lot more quit. If you do replace the aerator, get one with the 12v adaptor for use in the boat. The one I bought runs on batteries or 12v.
13qt and works great perfect for ice fishing the last 3 years. 19qt my old man has and he wishes he had the 13qt. The both will work great.
I almost bought an Engel but then I decided to try out a regular cooler. Bought an old Coleman cooler on C-list for $5 and couldn’t be happier. it locks for secure splash free transport and I modified it to allow for an aerator tube to go in. Kept shiners it it in the boat in July for 2.5 days straight with a frozen gaterade bottle and didn’t lose a single one. The only reason they died after 2.5 days was because the batteries on my aerator died. Not knocking the Engel I think its great. To answer your question I would go with the 13 QT myself
Depends what you want to use it for. If you want it in your portable for ice fishing the smaller ones will be better. I got the 30 Qt one for Christmas. Used it for the first time on a trip to Devils Lake last week. I just kept it in our hotel room to store all of our minnows until we took them in minnow buckets/smaller coolers fishing for the day. My buddy had the 30 Qt one last fall fishing out of his boat. He uses creek chubs and convinced me to get the bigger one. After one weekend use, I would not want to put beer, pop or other consumables in that cooler. I’m sure I could clean it, but it will still have a minnow stink.
30 qt. I keep a week’s worth of bait alive – change water every few days and keep them cool.
Go big or stay home.
Love all the info! This site is the best. One last question, how do you store it when it’s not in use? Lid open? Lid Closed? Full of clean water?
I USUALLY try to give it a quick rinse with hot water in the utility sink, and then let it sit out with the lid open to dry for a few days. The few times I haven’t done this…well…keeps things interesting.
I store mine lid open til dry then close. I do not leave water in it.
I store mine with the lid open also. When it’s time to clean it, I use warm water and baking soda and let it sit in there for while then use a sponge or cloth to clean up the inside.
Make sure to keep it somewhere warm(er). That lid loves to freeze shut.
I have the 30qt and the 13. We use the 30 as the base camp for the minnows. We do a lot of sleeper trips and the 30 is great for when you’re spending 4 nights on the ice. We then use the 13 when we go mobile from the houses. Throw a couple dozen in a you’re set. It’s nice to know that if you have to get minnows somewhere outside of LOW that they won’t die on you when you reach LOW. I also use the 13 for leeches for open water.
Upgrade the aerator….
X2
Engels work great. I had shiners and suckers the last couple weekends when every bait store was out. Just bought extra half a month ago. Also suggest upgrading aerator. Just don’t tell your wife or buddies you spent $100 on a bait bucket. ????
Bought the 19 and got tired lifting it up into the boat so I got the 13. Luckily I had a lot of Cabela’s points.
I have both use 13 the most. Need to keep warm or they freeze down tight. Upgraded to clam lithium aerator seems to work good and quieter and no more buying batteries.
Someone explain to me the need for an expensive cooler on ice? 5 gallon bucket, 2 gallon bucket, heck I’ve kept minnows alive in the stupid bait bags for weeks during winter.
Assuming there’s a good reason 
Bait bags don’t survive well when bouncing across the lake in a sled. Yeah there are lesser expensive options out there but sometimes the “I wish I didn’t trust the plastic bags” scenario is something that many people want to avoid.
Bait bags don’t survive well when bouncing across the lake in a sled. Yeah there are lesser expensive options out there but sometimes the “I wish I didn’t trust the plastic bags” scenario is something that many people want to avoid.
That and opening up the fish house door after a 5hr run to Red, and find water and minnows froze to the floor. Or like I stated earlier, keeping shiners/suckers live and well for a month when bait gets hard to come by late in the season. A good ol plain cooler and an aerator would work also if you could figure out a gasket system, and latches. Trust me I asked myself several times over standing in Fleet Farm if it was worth it.
Personally, I thought they were overpriced pieces of yuppie bling. Then I got one as a gift and thought it was a waste of good money. After having it for over a year, if I lost it, I would now immediately buy another. They are great bait buckets. I have the 13q and it works well for putting in the otter. The 19 is just too big for that.
I’ve been on the fence buying one of these the past couple seasons. After dealing with spilled foam buckets and whatnot, I think it’s time to splurge.
I see FF has the 13QT on sale if you can find them…
https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/engel-13-qt-live-bait-dry-box-cooler/0000000275703?Ntt=engel%20bait
Otherwise, ebay seems to have the best price right now of about $68 with free shipping and no tax.
Me, I’m going to wait for a Cabela’s coupon (hopefully) and stack that with my $100 for $80 giftcards I bought of ebay a while back.
Icefishingdeals.com has them for $7.05 each through a place called Car Id? They warn on the site that you may not get what you ordeed but Car Id has a return policy. Don’t really need one but for $7.05 what the heck. Sounds like one of those deals that are too good to believe though.
I rolled the dice with the CarID sale. Paid with PayPal. We’ll see what happens. A hair under $35 for three of them shipped. If it works, I just took care of some christmas shopping for next yr….lol.
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