ok, the crappie are starting to bite here in N.E. Arkansas, i hooked a couple a small ones last friday evening but when it comes to slabs i like minnows the best over any type of bait or lure and i cant find not a nare one place here that has minnows minnows except for one guy like 35 miles down the road and he only sells'em in bulk #'s or basically by the poundand i dont wanna drive 70 miles round trip a couple a times a week for bait, so my question is what kind of rig would i need to keep them in to keep them alive? i know that the water has to stay cool and be very well oxygenated any suggestions here would be really apreciated and im quite a skilled guy and good at building things just dont wanna spend an arm and a leg, thanks .......jay 

may mother nature bless your line with every cast

THERE IS A CREEK THAT RUNS VERY CLOSE TO MY HOUSE, AND I SET OUT A MINNOW TRAP ABOUT 24-36 HOURS BEFORE I LEAVE FOR THE LAKE.  ON MY WAY OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD I'LL PULL THE TRAP AND PUT WHATEVER MINNOWS/CRAWFISH INTO MY FIVE GALLON BUCKET.  IT'S NOT ALWAYS A HUGE MESS OF BAIT BUT IT'S FREE.  USUALLY USE STALE BREAD FOR MINNOWS,  HAM OR BOLOGNA FOR CRAWFISH.   IF YOU WANTED TO YOU COULD GET YOURSELF ANY MEDIUM SIZED FISH TANK WITH AERATOR AND START STOCKING IT.  IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS YOU COULD PROBABLY START SELLING THEM YOURSELF!  SEINS AND CAST NETS WORK WELL TOO.   OF COURSE IF YOU HAVE A PRIVATE LAKE,  YOU CAN BUILD A  BOX  OUT OF OLD WINDOW SCREENS (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT) AND JUST SET IT IN THE WATER BY THE DOCK.  GOOD LUCK HAPPY FISHING

ADAM

i guess i shoulda added that i was trying to avoid catching them myself lol seeing as i go fishing spontaneously and almost everyday if i can i dont usually have enough time to build up a good stock over night i thought about the fish tank and was just wondering about how to keep the water cool enough going that route,thank you for the reply  ,i may be back to the tank idea again lol thanks again

may mother nature bless your line with every cast

If you have a tropical fish retailer in your area that specializes in salt water fish, contact them about a water chiller. Some species of salt water fish must be kept in aquariums with chillers to keep the water cold enough for them. I will tell you that they are not cheap. Happy fishing.

Phoenix Arizona

~N.A.F.C.~B.A.S.S.~BoatU.S.~N.R.A.~A.M.A.~

20 galon rubber maid tote 2 fish tank aerorators and your garage a cool place you might need to run fresh water in it couple times a week. and a water circulator wont hurt as long as the water stays oxigenated and under 75 degrees or so you should not have a issue with them dying. there is a guy that runs around in my area lake to lake that has 4 of these set ups in the bed of his truck, but make sure if you take them with you like this you do not have any shad at all or any thing other then fathead minnows chubs or shiners. anything else could get you ticketed but if your just using what you buy somewhere else you should be safe.
Its easier to Judge then be Judged, Its better to be Judged and Learn from it. Holdrege, Nebraska

and they are finding out that a circler tub is better then one with corners in it.

For shad you are correct bill but for fathead minnows and chubs etc they dont get stuck in corners like shad do shad will go a corner and get their nose stuck cause for some reason their brain doesnt tell them to turn. But yes for shad if thats what your using which is illegal to transport a circle container is better.
Its easier to Judge then be Judged, Its better to be Judged and Learn from it. Holdrege, Nebraska

no shad just shiners and bulls if they gottem here


may mother nature bless your line with every cast

A large Rubbermaid tote and an aquarium air pump will work just fine with 2 additions: a thermometer to monitor the temp and ice to keep the water below 70*.Not to sure about shiners, but fatheads will live a good long while without food, and if push comes to shove, a slice of bread will keep a few dozen going for a while. One 8# bag of ice should keep the temp down even in July for 2 weeks or so. Only add enough ice to keep the temp down and try to avoid big changes in the water temp. Better to keep minnows a bit on the cool side as it slows the metabolism and they require less food and oxygen. Good luck.

Tom

definitelyu go with a circular holding tank. you can use old drums or even water containers, the big jugs. really any kind of round tub that has some space to it can be used, the rubbermaid tub is definitely a good idea. the temp has to be right though too hot and theyre gone too cold and theyre gone. 70 is about what you want. when you add the water try and use local pond water. avoid using tap water if you can it will kill the shiners. you also have to make sure you dont overload the tank too many shiners and they will start dying. if you see some dead ones remove them asap the nitrogen the dead ones release will kill the shiners faster than anything else
PaperChaser1 -always trying for that masters plaque

You can use tap water, but you have to treat it to remove the chlorine and other chemicals used to treat it,you also need to watch the ph. Chemicals are available at pet stores to do this, but I have no idea what ph baitfish require. Pond water is probbably best, bring the bait home in a plastic bag, place it in your holding tank and allow it to stabilize, then dump the bag.

Tom

P.S. Shiners need a LOT more oxygen than fatheads.

thanks everyone for the advice, so i went and bought a 35gallon tote and a double line air pump and 2 air stone bars and set it up and let it run for a couple of days before putting anything in it and now have about 10 dozen or less minnows alive and well in it and ready to grab at any time and the whole rig cost me less than 30 bucks minus the minnows, i thank you all again for the input and i recommend that type of rig to anyone looking to do the same thing ....jay
may mother nature bless your line with every cast

Glad this setup worked for you. I was considering it, but I have enough bait shops near me that I can almost always get bait, and didn't want to deal with the details. Having 2 cats that inhabit my garage, and a dog that is way too inquisitive, all I could see was trouble. Tom
Fishin' fool in NE Illinois