Whether it’s worms and minnows in fresh water or shrimp and pin fish out on the salt, the chance to let live bait do the work can be the key to filling limits and freezers, but keeping live bait alive can sometimes be a challenge. That’s where knowledge from the live bait providers themselves can help.
To keep baitfish alive, make sure their water is as cool as possible and is circulated regularly. A boat’s live well is ideal for this, but if that’s not available, artificial bubblers can keep oxygen in the solution, as long as the water doesn’t get too hot.
“Hot water won’t hold oxygen very well, so on hot days the water needs to be changed out frequently,” Kay Moore, with Half Hitch Tackle in Destin, Fla., said.
Fresh water bait buckets can also be helped out by dumping a handful of ice in from time to time, but beware of doing this with salt water bait.
“Ice thrown into a salt water tank will mess up the saline levels and kill the fish,” Moore said, “but you can use sealed ice packs in those cases and that helps a lot.”
In the case of wells of baitfish for both salt and fresh water application, take extra care about dipping sunscreen-coated hands into the water. A dose of sunscreen will dispatch a day’s worth of live minnows in a hurry.
Minnow dippers are handy, but for those who fish live bait regularly, a good quality aquarium dip net can be a real time saver for netting speedy bait when the fishing is fast. Most nets sold for use with live minnows are flimsy. A good quality aquarium net can make a difficult job much easier.
For bait of the worm and cricket varieties, keeping them housed somewhere that’s as cool as possible and out of the direct sunlight should be perfect. They can also be stored overnight in your kitchen refrigerator.
“It’s more natural for the fish to react to live bait,” John McDonald, of Harbor Docks Bait & Tackle, in Destin, Fla., said. “It’s just like their natural food, except there’s a hook in ours.”
Here’s a fairly comprehensive list of general directions for handling live bait with the best of care:
General principles
• Don’t overcrowd the container. Overcrowding causes oxygen depeletion and ammonia buildup quickly.
• Never mix bait straight from a bag of ice or extremely cold water with warm water. Sudden temperature swings shock and kill bait. Make the temperature moves gradually.
• Chlorinated tap water is a killer. Always use lake, pond or well water.
• Ammonia buildup from the bait’s waist is often the real killer. That’s part of why regularly-timed partial water changes make a big difference.
• Aeration beats ice alone. A battery-powered aerator will keep bait alive far longer than just cooling water.
• For bank fishing, a battery-powered aerator bubbler in a bucket is one of the best, cheap upgrades you can possibly make.
• Always keep bait buckets in the shade, never in direct sunlight.
Minnows
• Use an insulated, aerated bait bucket. The double-walled floating kind works well from a boat.
• Keep water temperatures between 50 and 65 degrees. Add ice in a sealed bag, not directly to the water. That will also keep from killing saltwater bait with fresh water, if that’s what you’re using.
• Avoid direct sunlight on the container.
• Net them gently. Rough handling removes their protective slime and leads to a quick expiration.
• If a few die, remove them immediately. Decomposing bait fouls the water for the rest.
Nightcrawlers
• Store in shredded newspaper, peat moss or coco fiber kept just barely damp, not really wet.
• Refrigerate at around 40 to 50 degrees. Household fridges are fine on the short term.
• Add a few coffee grounds occasionally.
• Don’t let the bedding dry out or get soggy. Either one will kill the worms.
• Keep them out of the light. Worms are photosensitive and will try to escape a lit container.
Crickets
• Ventilate their container with egg cartons or crumpled paper for them to climb on. This reduces stress and keeps them perky.
• Provide a water source like a damp sponge, not an open container of water.
Crawfish
• Keep cool and moist. A wet burlap sack or damp, shredded newspaper works well for transport. They are a great cross-species option.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
