Keeping Minnows

Since we have a slip at the marina and a lake house we got tired of buying minnows and letting them go after fishing . This is my home made minnow vat I made out o

f a 33 gallon plastic drum . A Walmart double pump and filter keeps them for weeks with out a problem .

Good job.

That should work.

Nice!

Awesome. But this time of the year minnows keep for a good while. How would it stand up against the Texas Heat this Summer? I really need to know. If you can keep them cool. That is a perfect Live Well.

yep

I have had it about 5 years now and as long as it is kept inside my garage it keeps them pretty well . I make sure to keep a couple of windows open . Once it got just stupid hot last year and I did loose a few , then I froze a 2.5 gallon milk jug with water and put it in the vat .I usually keep around 3 dozen at a time .

Nice job.

I'd recommend that you place a heavy grate over it or you will lose a bunch to herons, ducks and possibly coons! Had a tank on my dock at Ray Roberts,
and would occasionally have a snake in there

very nice setup

I put them in my gold fish pond and scoop them out when I'm ready to fish. You can get a cheap pond pump that plugs in to the wall and will last for ever.

I have a 15 gallon bucket I keep in my sunroom during the spring to keep my minnows. I fish so often this time of year that it makes sense to keep them instead of giving them away. I change the water once a week and they last forever. I use to keep them on the deck until some possums found out how to get to them. I hit the lake by 5 AM so getting them at the bait shop before a trip is a no go.

very nice setup

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^ is how I know you are country as a turnip green. Nice work. Quality engineering.

Just keep it simple and it usually works well LOL . The good part about the barrel is if you use the bottom half it already has a half inch pipe fitting you can use as a drain .

Stupid question but...does the act of water pouring in from a pump oxygenate the water enough vs a bubbler?

That's great idea, but what about the new "keep your minnow receipt" rule? I wonder if showing a game warden pics of your setup would count.

Refresh my memory medic...I thought the purpose of keeping your receipt was to show where you bought them? Surely, They can still keep the receipt from when they bought them and satisfy this record keeping requirement.

I had a fishing buddy years ago, that put minnows, perch, and goldfish in a small galvanized water trough, probably 200 gallon, with an expanded steel grate for a cover. He kept it on the shady side of his storage building, without an oxygenator...never seemed to lose any, except when he left it uncovered(he had some fishing cats and a local wild coon)...and it seems he used rain water to fill it with. Any rate, this above option is a good idea and saves money on minnows...just find a place that gives good deals on minnows by the pound and you are set...thanks for Sharing your setup!

It is kinda hard to see , but it has both . The pump is a double one and the filter also bubbles when it hits the water .As far as the game warden I ask one and he told me not to worry about it if I kept the receipt on when I bought some . I always keep it in my wallet . Also when you change out the water about once a month be sure to put a little of that de chlorination stuff in the new water . What is nice about having one is when we decide to go early before the minnow store in Whitney opens and not have to worry about waiting on them .

Nice

Marschall, tell me a little more about the pump and filter. I think I'll try your idea.

Thanks.
jfe

Both I bought at Walmart just a simple double air pump I think was around $25.00 , the filter is also at walmarts real cheap . And I just feed them walmart fish food about 3 times a week .

good job thank you for the info. do you keep a screen to keep the cat,coons ect . out.

So you have to keep the receipt for the minnows you bought ?

Yes I keep one receipt in my wallet just to be safe , and since it is in my garage there is not a reason for a screen . I did keep one on it when I kept it outside , but learned that it got to hot and the sun would kill the minnows , so I brought it inside the garage .

Note , the last time I had it outside and I had a metal grate on it I noticed my minnows started dying . It was because the grate started rusting and the rust would fall into the water . Also when I buy minnows to restock when low . Keep them in the bag and let it float on top of the water for a while so there is not a shock from the different water temps .

So if you have to keep the receipt what about minnows you may have seined?

I seined my own minnows once i'm at the lake. I like the simple concept you've got there. I wondered if ghost minnows will stay alive in it. I might just build me one and see.