keeping minnows alive

Im sure this has been discussed before but.. what are some good ways to keep em alive? Should i feed them anything? What do they eat? Ive been changing water and bringing them inside at night. They are pretty frisky still but wondering if there are better/more effective ways. Thanks

You’re doing it right if they’re not floating. No need to feed them anything that just makes more poop.

By changing the water every day or every other depending on how many minnows/suckers/fatheads/rainbows etc. you have will help. Adding a bubbler and chlorine killer will give you a few weeks or more. This is all I do and have had minnows for a month or longer. By the end of the season I will have only bought bait two or three times. Usually all my friends give me theirs and I keep them for the majority of the season…sometimes it looks like im running my own bait shop

Try beer and pizza.

Seriously…cool nonchlorinated water and a bubbler will do you good for a while.

Depends on the minnows too some are far more durable than others.

Honest question: Isn’t keeping minnows now illegal thanks to our oh-so-effective AIS laws? I know you can technically change out the water, but in the winter, leaving a gallon of fresh water in your vehicle isn’t really practical.

Fatheads and crappie minnows. I gave up trying to keep shiners alive

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Honest question: Isn’t keeping minnows now illegal thanks to our oh-so-effective AIS laws? I know you can technically change out the water, but in the winter, leaving a gallon of fresh water in your vehicle isn’t really practical.

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… if what im doing is illegal i apollogize and will stop but.. i just bought them a few days ago and drove them straight home. Havent had time to get out fishin yet so instead of wasting them i figured id try and keep em alive. If i am doing something illegal, please tell me.

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Honest question: Isn’t keeping minnows now illegal thanks to our oh-so-effective AIS laws? I know you can technically change out the water, but in the winter, leaving a gallon of fresh water in your vehicle isn’t really practical.

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… if what im doing is illegal i apollogize and will stop but.. i just bought them a few days ago and drove them straight home. Havent had time to get out fishin yet so instead of wasting them i figured id try and keep em alive. If i am doing something illegal, please tell me.

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From what you just described, you are not doing anything illegal.

FDR

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Honest question: Isn’t keeping minnows now illegal thanks to our oh-so-effective AIS laws? I know you can technically change out the water, but in the winter, leaving a gallon of fresh water in your vehicle isn’t really practical.

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That is a good ? I don’t think the law is any different in the winter – Kind of hard to change to fresh water when you get back on land.

Dnr doesn’t want people taking 5 gallons of infected lake or river water to the next body of water and effecting that. As long as its a separate container that doesn’t see water other than spring or faucet you are legal. I have not had much luck either with minnows. I think it’s what kind of water you get. I do the chlorine killer and mineral drops and change water frequently and keep in cool basement and they still die. My buddies dad does same thing but he lives out in Andover and his last forever. I remember my first time though I had a bunch of leftover spring water that I used for a week and had a scoop of flatheads and dozen shiners and not a one died. Funny I contemplate buying water to keep minnows alive but then swear at the rest of the world for buying bottled water fr themselves.

Actually the laws are different during the ice fishing season. You do not have to change the water on your minnows unless you have been fishing on a body of water that has VHS. With cold water the DNR says that zebra mussels being able to travel is very minimal if any during the winter months.

Godfather used to keep em in a big pickle crock back in a dark corner of his basement. Made my aunt dip them out through the spiderwebs and carry the bucket if she wanted ta go along.

My other uncle in the dell, who built his own rental boats, paint can anchors and willow cane poles down by Waterville, kept his minnies and bluegill leeches in the concrete stock watering tank all year. Never forget the way the milk tasted… If you try this, make sure you break the ice every morning so Daisy, Bessie and Bertha don’t come otta the barn thirsty!

Ditto to what has been said,
and

I keep mine in my old refrigerator in my garage, I used water from my Reverse Osmosis system and then let it sit for 2-3 days in an open container to let any other gases or chemicals air out. I change out 1/2 of water at least weekly. In fridge I use a minnow bucket oxygenator.

I have had them last for 5-6 weeks, even from open water to hard water season.

I had 2 scoops of crappie minnows alive in a 5 gallon pail for over 3 weeks. The colder the water, the better off they are. I didnt feed them anything, and changed their water twice a week… at the most.

I’ve had excellent luck just adding a big cup of ice cubes when I get home and change water about every four days.

Also if you do plan to keep them a long time you can always buy a super cheap flake fish food. And BARELY feed them, just a tiny pinch will do every couple of days. And if you decide to keep shiners you better make sure you have a bubbler/aerator because those punks take all of the oxygen!

I have 3 suckers that were medium sized and after a month of feeding them they are getting noticeably bigger. (one bit the dust today on Minnetonka)

where would someone get chlorine killer. my tap water pretty much smoked my minnows not to long ago

Pets Mart fish care aisle. I keep all my minnows in an old aquarium in the garag . The bait stays alive all season long into the spring!

thanks!!!!!!!!!

http://www.wholesalebait.com/product.php?pid=63

This is a commercial water treatment for bait dealers and is WAY cheaper than pet store stuff. It makes the water blue – and is what most bait shops that have city water use. It works great.

Go to petsmart and get seachem prime. It is in a small white bottle with a red label. It is the most concentrated of them all and will last you 20 years of minnow keeping.

As for keeping minnows alive, well you could build yourself a holding tank. A large hard tupperware container (not the cheap ones), or a 55 gal drum cut lengthwise. Make yourself a bio filter and you are good to go forever. I’ve held minnows for months with no problems.

If you are just keeping a few for a couple days then you can leave them in a 5 gal bucket of cold de-chlorinated water as close to freezing point as you can keep it. Throw an air pump on it and you are good to go. Change the water every 2 days.

If you are just keeping a handful for tipping spoons or whatever, throw them in a coffee can and put it in the fridge. They will last a surprisingly long time in the fridge.