Quinte Fishing

Just looking if anyone has any hints,(suggestions) for keeping purchased minnows alive longer? If your like me, buy a few dozen for a weekend and still have some left over and want them to live thru the week till next weekend!! SOL!! I have tried changing the water in the 5 gallon pail daily, and each time, always same result, discover a few DEAD!! Anyone have any suggestions other then buying a pump??

I keep mine in a small coleman water cooler inside fridge

Put table spoon of picking salt in water. Prevents fungus. Air pump helps also.

Are you on Municipal water. The chemicals they treat the water with is not minnow friendly. I'm on well water and ive had minnows last weeks by only changing the water every few days. Don't feed them.

keep them cold. i used to put them in a room in my house that wasnt insulated. it would be just over 0 C in there and the minnows would live for 2 weeks

Best thing you can do is put them in a creek. Preferably one that isn't frozen lol. Keeps them in pristine condition. Let the water flow through the bucket

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Agreed- but I also have an air pump and tend to keep them in the garage so it keeps cold- if you are using city water, make sure you treat it.

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Cheers,



"I would never lie. I willfully participate in a campaign of misinformation"

this is really pretty easy. always fish with a friend. in my case (Al) tell him you didn't have time to pick up minnows so he gives me a couple dozen...... at the end of the day I give him back what I didn't use........ problem solved!! .......... and no. Al is my friend. he is not for sale or barter!

With the price of minnows up there , I'd be half tempted to give them mouth to mouth.

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Pure Fishing Ambassador

I keep mine in a cold garage in and old cooler. I use a cheap aerator with a large stone that stays on the bottom so the air saturates all the water.

I change the water as need, about a couple of times a week. If you use town water you have to let is sit for several days to lessen the chlorine. Make sure the water is the same temperature as the minnows.

I use a net to remove the minnows and put them in a container of fresh water. I dump out the old water and but some fresh water in the cooler. I very gently put the minnows back in the cooler.

I tried feeding my minnows but that was a mistake. The water will turn dirty very fast.

I went to Pet Smart and bought a bottle of water conditioner and slime coat repair.

This stuff will remove chlorine from the water and help the minnows slime coat. It's suppose to minimize fish stress.

Seems to work.

try to use lake water if possible, the benefit is it has all the natural bacteria in it to keep the water clean. if you use tap water the water is going to turn milky and stink as bacteria grows, this will last a couple weeks then it will go away. if you change the water it will happen all over again. Get a cooler or big rubbermaid bin fill it, wait two weeks for it to stink milk up and go clear again. should be good to go after that. just change 10 to 20% of the water every couple weeks after that. if you have to use tap water fill the container and leave it for at least 24 hrs unsealed so the chlorine can dissipate. find some open water in a pond, creek or lake and get a bucket full of the water and mix it in (this will add the bacteria needed), then do the same as above. when changing the water let tap water sit for at least 24hrs (more is better) before mixing it in. also the aerator is pretty much a must, plus cold is good but not 100% necessary. you can drop your minnows in when you get home, scoop em out before you go. i had 40 minnows in an aquarium for a year, lost a few here and there but most survived for the year. you will most likely run into problems with fish diseases ("white spot" - Google it) if you try to keep them too long. if you look at aquarium web sites you can find a lot of info, just treat the bin you have as an aquarium and follow the info out there.

another option is to buy less minnows... if your using just minnow heads, look up northland minnowhead hooks. the same thing can be achieved by replacing the split ring on a lure with a small non swivel clip. the fish cant get it off and you can use the same head over and over until its crushed off.

heres a video on them .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg12tWNo5dI

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I am a very quick learner and try to be the best at what I do.
My friends call it OCD. I call it Passion.

One thing I didn't notice anyone saying was make sure the water temps are the same or you can kill them from thermal shock.

I live in the city and use tap water. But i put a drop or 2 of the stuff you use when changing water in a fish tank that takes the chemicals out. I keep a dozen or 2 at a time in a small fish bowl. The key is use a bubbler to keep the water oxygenated and flowing and dont feed them! If they eat they crap and makes it dirty and kills them. I also change the water every other or every 2 days

I have done this for years after you are finished and have a sump pump hole put them in there.they will stay alive for ever need some go get them.

good luck.

I've kept minnows pretty well all winter in a 10 gallon pail in my garage. If they are mud minnows they last a long time. Shiners not so much. some tips.
Water. I use tap water but NOT fresh out of the tap. Let a pail sit out over night and the chlorine will diffuse out of it. (Have you ever sniffed water fresh out of the tap. You can smell the chlorine. btw if you can smell the chlorine that means that chlorine gas is leaving the water).
Avoid thermal shock. Have the pail out in the garage before you go fishing so it's good and cool.
Don't feed them. The food and minnow poop rot and screw up the water. yep it sounds cruel but you're going to kill them anyway and I believe the fishing regs say you may not release them.
Cold is best but don't let them freeze solid. If they're really icey bring them in to thaw the ice. I have had times when I've brought in the minnow pail that was 50% frozen with the minnows caught in the ice at all sorts of weird angles. When they thawed 80 percent of them were still alive.
Plan ahead. To follow the tips above you need one pail for the minnows and a second pail to pre-chiill/dechlorinate the water.
Tight lines
pdubya