Has anyone used a Frabill Flowtroll minnow bucket?

[Ohioguy25]

I was considering getting one to keep my minnows/craws in but even the smaller one is little big and clunky for me to pull behind my kayak. I have this thing that I’ve been keeping my crawdads in, could I possibly just take off the one lid on the protected side of this and let fresh water flow through it or would the fish/craws get traumatized by the moving basket inside? Would it work as well as the Frabill or is it too small and do minnows need more room to swim around to stay lively? This would be much less cumbersome and also would make it much easier to retrieve bait. Thanks!

 

https://www.fieldandstreamshop.com/p/bait-up-35-bait-container-19gpcubtp35zcntnrfac/19gpcubtp35zcntnrfac

 

 

[TnRiver46]

Flow troll is good stuff but it will slow down a canoe/kayak exponentially 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Flow troll is good stuff but it will slow down a canoe/kayak exponentially 

How about what I linked 

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

How about what I linked 

Never tried that one, minnows and craws really only need fresh water every now and then, not necessarily constant. Although constant fresh water keep anything more lively. My buddies uses a bubble box on a perforated bucket with good success 

[FishinBuck07]

You should be fine with that one!  I believe my buddy has one he uses with his kayak.  Haven't heard him complain about it slowing him down.

[gim]

Crawfish will be a lot easier to keep alive than minnows.  It will be highly dependent on the water temperature.  Anything above 50-60 degrees is too warm for minnows because they come from tanks that are generally kept at 50 degrees.  Drop them into 75 or 80 degree water and they're toast no matter what kind of minnow bucket you're using.

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

Crawfish will be a lot easier to keep alive than minnows.  It will be highly dependent on the water temperature.  Anything above 50-60 degrees is too warm for minnows because they come from tanks that are generally kept at 50 degrees.  Drop them into 75 or 80 degree water and they're toast no matter what kind of minnow bucket you're using.

So how about just keeping them in the river trolling on the side of my boat in that bait tube w water flowing through it?

[gim]

3 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

So how about just keeping them in the river trolling on the side of my boat in that bait tube w water flowing through it?

 

I would think that it will work for crayfish as long as you don’t crowd it. As long as the water can flow properly I think it will work.

 

It would work for minnows too but not when the water is this warm.

[Ohioguy25]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

I would think that it will work for crayfish as long as you don’t crowd it. As long as the water can flow properly I think it will work.

 

It would work for minnows too but not when the water is this warm.

Ok cool thanks. Aren’t they swimming in that water temperature anyway? The river stays pretty cool generally.

 

Could the Minnows become traumatized or cluttered and die in that bait tube?

[Bluebasser86]

I use a 28oz Gatorade bottle with holes punched in the top sides and a string tied to it for my bait "live well", when I'm in the kayak. Unscrew the top and pour a bait into my hand. When I want to move I just set it into the bottom of the kayak and go.

[TnRiver46]

12 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

I would think that it will work for crayfish as long as you don’t crowd it. As long as the water can flow properly I think it will work.

 

It would work for minnows too but not when the water is this warm.

If you catch your minnows in the same river you fish, they will stay alive for a few days in a bucket with bubbler . I’ve had my buddy drop off buckets full on my front porch in the summer that I used a day later

[gim]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

If you catch your minnows in the same river you fish, they will stay alive for a few days in a bucket with bubbler . I’ve had my buddy drop off buckets full on my front porch in the summer that I used a day later

Not legal here unless you have a commercial bait license.  You can catch some for your own use, not for other's use without it.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Not legal here unless you have a commercial bait license.  You can catch some for your own use, not for other's use without it.

Add to that, any unused that you don't expect to use before they die have to be trashed - can't even return them to the same water you caught them in.

[TnRiver46]

13 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Not legal here unless you have a commercial bait license.  You can catch some for your own use, not for other's use without it.

 

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Add to that, any unused that you don't expect to use before they die have to be trashed - can't even return them to the same water you caught them in.

Judging by his screen name, I don’t think he’s in Minnesota 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

 

Judging by his screen name, I don’t think he’s in Minnesota 

Maybe not - but no matter where he is, I'd check the local regs before going into capture/release of minnows/crayfish.

[Spankey]

Get the Frabill. It will last forever. Put the right length leash on it and you’ll be set. If my grandsons want to fish shiners that’s what we use. No live bait in my live well. Rope leash is the right length. Makes life real easy. 

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Maybe not - but no matter where he is, I'd check the local regs before going into capture/release of minnows/crayfish.

Always check rules and regs before any fishing anywhere. Ohio he is all good to use up to 100 crawdads or 500 minnows. Or 500 total in combination. And you can’t release live minnows in a watershed they didn’t come from 

[MN Fisher]

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Always check rules and regs before any fishing anywhere. Ohio he is all good to use up to 100 crawdads or 500 minnows. Or 500 total in combination. And you can’t release live minnows in a watershed they didn’t come from 

Ya - different states have laxer regs than we do.

[Ohioguy25]

14 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I use a 28oz Gatorade bottle with holes punched in the top sides and a string tied to it for my bait "live well", when I'm in the kayak. Unscrew the top and pour a bait into my hand. When I want to move I just set it into the bottom of the kayak and go.

Nice, I thought about making my own. Do you feel like it drags your boat or makes it hard to paddle at all? Do you have some kind of floatation device on it or is it better underwater? Does it allow for adequate flow of fresh water through it? How big of holes did you make?  Does water pour out in 10 diff directions out of the holes when you pull it out of the water? Also, what kind of live bait do you use and how do you catch it?

[Spankey]

13 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Nice, I thought about making my own. Do you feel like it drags your boat or makes it hard to paddle at all?

I can’t see how it would make much of a difference. Mine has a weight built into it to keep it a a certain pitch. The whole container does not fill completely with water. It does not sink. In my case I tell one of those grand boys pull in those minnas. Because I can’t imagine what it’s like pulling away let alone Get on plane with a minnow container leashed to one of my cleats. I troll around with it leashed up with no trouble. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

I can’t see how it would make much of a difference. Mine has a weight built into it to keep it a a certain pitch. The whole container does not fill completely with water. It does not sink. In my case I tell one of those grand boys pull in those minnas. Because I can’t imagine what it’s like pulling away let alone Get on plane with a minnow container leashed to one of my cleats. I troll around with it leashed up with no trouble. 

Awesome thanks. So does it sit on top of the water or just slightly submerged? How did you fasten a string to it?

[Bluebasser86]

37 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Nice, I thought about making my own. Do you feel like it drags your boat or makes it hard to paddle at all? Do you have some kind of floatation device on it or is it better underwater? Does it allow for adequate flow of fresh water through it? How big of holes did you make?  Does water pour out in 10 diff directions out of the holes when you pull it out of the water? Also, what kind of live bait do you use and how do you catch it?

It drags slightly if I paddle with it down but I don't so it's not an issue. I just let it sink. Not sure how big the holes are, I used a screwdriver and stabbed a bunch of holes. Water goes all different directions when I left it out. I've put all kinds of small baitfish, whatever is small enough to fit through the top, plus crawdads in it, just don't overcrowd them. I usually catch them as I go so I just get a few and fish until I need more. I tie the cord around the bottle neck.

[Spankey]

My thin nylon rope I have tied to the handle. It set about 1/3 under. Access door is spring loaded and snapsback tight. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

It drags slightly if I paddle with it down but I don't so it's not an issue. I just let it sink. Not sure how big the holes are, I used a screwdriver and stabbed a bunch of holes. Water goes all different directions when I left it out. I've put all kinds of small baitfish, whatever is small enough to fit through the top, plus crawdads in it, just don't overcrowd them. I usually catch them as I go so I just get a few and fish until I need more. I tie the cord around the bottle neck.

Nice, how do you catch your baitfish? And what do you mean paddle with it down?

[Bluebasser86]

3 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Nice, how do you catch your baitfish? And what do you mean paddle with it down?

Throw net usually. I usually set it in the bottom of my kayak when I'm paddling somewhere.