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Member
Posts: 40
| Hi Everyone!
Just wondering who out there has come up with the best minnow bucket for ice fishing. Particular for a sled being pulled behind a ATV or a snowmobile? I pull a sled that I made behind my snowmobile and and the minnow bucket always gets shaken quite a bit when going over the ice chuncks and heaves, I lose half my water and everything gets wet. I did run across a gentleman out on the ice last year who used a older model coleman water cooler, the one that is about 2-1/2 gallons with a screw lid about 5 inches across, also has a water spout on the bottom. I am sure you know what one I am talking about. He said it worked great for him, the minnows never freeze in it and he just drops one of those tablets in it for aeration. I can not find one of these anywhere. Just wondering who else thinks he has a great minnow bucket out there that is tip over friendly and splashless.
Thanks for your thoughts!!! I still need to get up to Winnebago yet, maybe next Saturday? I will most likely go out of Fishermans and if anyone with a sled or ATV wants to join me to hop, skip and jump along the East shore of the lake to spread out looking for walleye let me know.
Al Kunda (Shadman) | |
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Those small square ones at WalMart are the best... | |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Shadman.
Take this from a man who has had every type and make of minnow transporter know to man. From a man who has pulled the frozen bottoms off more styrofoam pales than any other human. And who's business it is to make sure my guys have good lively bait when fishing all day in the severe winter conditions.
Firstly, make it a point not to get more minnows than your going to use. Three men jigging 2 poles with a pinched off half of a 2 inch blue shiner should only go through about 3 to 4 dozen minnows (maximum) all day, even when the fishing is good. Some bait places like to really load you up when you say 4 dozen, don't let them do it.
I first put my minnows in a well aireated bucket right from the bait shop while transporting them to the ice. They are the very last thing I put in the dog sled or 4 wheeler rear box before I take off to the fishing grounds on the ice. But they are first taken from the well aireated pale/bucket/cooler and put into a 1 to 2 quart coleman/or other, drink cooler with screw on top. This way they can turn over, lay on it's side, get thrown around in the sled, do whatever it wants to, and not spill and ruin your day.
Believe it or not. You will only have to change water maybe 3 times all day, as the severe cold keeps them from using hardly any oxygen in the small cooler.
Edited by walleye express 1/23/2004 1:40 PM
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Member
Posts: 52
| Square cooler/mount a battery operated aerator high on outside.Drill a hole thru into cooler,run tubing thru,caulk around tubing add aerator stone. I'll turn on pump for a minute every hour or so.Haven't lost a single minnow all season.Good for transporting minnows in the summer months also.Maintains water temps longer and you can aerate any time.It helps to keep a spare battery inside your coat ice fishing.(Bitter cold will drain a "D" cell quickly) | |
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Best Minnow Bucket For Ice Fishing?