I'm thinking about souring some grain but I need some five-gallon buckets. Can someone please tell me where I might find some five-gallon buckets with lids, preferably screw-on, for a descent price?

Thanks!

Cat Daddy

Better be careful if you find a 5 gallon bucket with screw on lid. Chum needs some room to belch.

I agree with Obie on this one. Don't even snap the lid down real tight for at least the first few days, or you might wind up with chum stinking up your place.

Cat Daddy, you can by the 5 gallon buckets with snap on lids from Wally World, Home Depot, or Lowe's. The lids they sell are generally easier to get off than those old pickle bucket lids. But, they sun rot much faster, so try not to leave them exposed to the sun for prolonged periods of time.

I have found bunches of these buckets at Trades-Days before for about a dollar apiece also.

When chumming, don't you need to do it for a few days to be effective?

No, you can catch fish within an hour if the grains potent enough.

Thanks for the advice guys. There's a Wally World close by so I guess I'll check there first. I suppose either a screw-on or snap-on lid would both work to keep the chum from spilling on the way to the lake. I'll be sure not to secure the lid until I'm ready to roll

you can buy a bucket with a screw on lid and us the lid, you just have to wait until after the grain is soured. I have found that leaving the lid off actually sours the grain just as fast. Just remember to keep water just covering the grain.

JBird, what you are making reference to is called "baiting"....Chumming is strictly a way to what I call, "fire up the bite." It gets all of the semi-hungry kitties in the immediate area of where you put it out, all cranked up and sniffing around for something to eat.

With channel kitties it is sometimes the only way to get them to grab your bait with any real aggression.

When I bait w/sour grain I seem to attract only little ones. They get my bait before the bigger ones have a chance. Any way around this, or is it just my location?

Post a sign around your grain in the area your chumming titled " NO SMALL KITTIED ALLOWED".
Just kidding, nothing you can do but get happy when you hook a big one.

C to the B, How deep water are you baiting, or chumming?

One thing I do on a typical day is chum 5 to 6 areas at different depths. But, typically never chum an area deeper than 12-15 foot.

Depending on the time of year, often I chum water that is only 3 foot deep. It has been my experience....The dinks will typically hang out a few feet deeper than the larger fish.

But, if you have a dink bite, the only thing I can give you for solid advice....Move!

And, I will typically move shallower. Although I read on here a week or so back where someone said they found the dinks shallower than the large fish. This may be true with fish suspending on give structure, but not typically true if you look at the lake pool as a whole.

Thanks for the info. You might be on to something. I usually chum in about 10ft of water. Next time out I will try a little shallower. Maybe tomorrow if this rain will let up!

Cat Daddy, for buckets, check with your local grocer, if they have a deli, or local restaurants.
They get certain foods in bulk and usually have no use for the buckets. The buckets are usually snap-on types.
If you ask the manager, they will generally be glad to save them for a customer.
I got several buckets last week for a buck an piece at a local Brookshires.

Thanks for the clarification, Mike.

HEY I am new to TFF and wouuld like to know what kind of grain you allare speaking of and where can i get it