I'm so smart.....

[Fishorhunt]

Or so I thought.... I had been keeping my extra minnows in a big cooler with an areator in my shop. It worked fine but, I got tired of spending money on the chlorine killing stuff every time I changed out the dirty water. So, I had an "AH HA" moment one day while fixing the broken line on the cattles 250 gallon stock tank at our barn. The stock tanks operate off of well water and the cattle drink from it every day and it refills with cold, fresh, clean water several times a day.... I'll just toss my minnows in there.
Heck yeah, it worked out great until the first morning fishing trip that started before day light. There I am in the dark, and I've already had to wade through the mud and muck because it rained and made a mess, holding a flash light in my teeth, trying to scoop out the minnows. And, of course the cattle wanted to know what was going on so here they come to investigate and before you know it I'm covered in cow slobber, cussing them and swatting at them and waking the neighbors up. To heck with that. So, since I had a spare tank I drug it to the hall way of the barn, stuck a hose in it and filled it. Since it had a float switch and drain hole in the bottom I plumbed an inlet line to the float switch and a drain line out into the field with a ball valve and cracked it just so that it would drain very slowly and the minnows would get fresh water daily. Bingo... worked purdy darn good... but, of course I'll revise it just to make the wife fuss and ask "why are you spending more money on something that works fine to begin with".


Now, one I come home with just a couple of crappie and think to myself "self why don't you just toss em crappie in the minnar tank and keep em fresh until you catch some more.... jest clean a bunch instead of a couple". Sounded good to me and in they went. A couple of days go by and I check on the fish and minnows and everyone seems to be getting along just fine. On my way home a few days later I swing by the fishing store and pick up 10 dozen minnows to add to my "collection". When I get to the barn and look into the tank I thought dang I thought I had more minnows than that... oh well must not have... and dump the 10 dozen minnows into the tank and leave. A few days go by and I'm going to go fishing so I go to the barn with minnow bucket in one hand and net in the other, flip on the light switch... all proud of myself since it's so much easier now.... look into the 250 gallon stock tank and there is nothing but, 5 big, fat, happy and full crappie staring back up at me.


They have ate 10-12 dozen minnows in just a couple of days. NICE!!! Those were the most expensive crappie that I've ever ate.

Incase your wondering.... I'll be putting the others in the stock tank that the cattle drink out of from now on.

[canebreaker]

Yep, they will do that for sure.
I worked at a restaurant about 1990 that had a large fish tank. It had bream, crappie, catfish, bass and turtles. Some of the other employees would meet in the morning to go fishing. then in the afternoon stop by and drop off the minnows for the tank. By opening time, they were gone.

[Cray]

That sounds almost like one of my brilliant ideas like Engineering Theory great in thought and paper but don't always work in practice.

[kycreek]

I do the same thing with crappie. I'll keep them in the stock tank until I have a good mess then clean them. The guys I work with call it the Green mile after the movie. When I put them in there they are walking the mile boss.

[big minnow]

A few days go by and I'm going to go fishing so I go to the barn with minnow bucket in one hand and net in the other, flip on the light switch... all proud of myself since it's so much easier now.... look into the 250 gallon stock tank and there is nothing but, 5 big, fat, happy and full crappie staring back up at me.

Now that's funny

[mervin]

I have a 275 gallon rain barrel hook to my gutter downspout. I keep my extra minnows in a minnow bucket in the rain barrel. Then when it rains, they get fresh water/oxygen.

I weighted it down and tied a rope to the handle so it hangs down in the middle of the barrel (actually not a barrel, but a square plastic shipping container for honey with a metal cage around it) so when it gets cold enough to freeze the surface water, the minnows won't freeze. I've kept them in there for a month at a time with very little die off.