Bait Buckets

[yogai]

Is it better to buy a $10 or $15 aerator and put it on a 5 gallon bucket or should you really go with one of those super expensive cool bubbles things. I usually use those frabill things you dangle in the water off the pier, but I want a bucket now. It gets pretty hot on the pier (up to 100F sometimes) and 5 gallons might heat up quickly, so do I need the insulated one?

[reelrebel18]

use the 5 gallon one but take sone 20z soda bottles fillem with water and freeze them put them in your cooler and keep one at a time in the bucket:cool:

[MBsandflea]

A bucket on the pier itself really isn't very practical for keeping bait alive and healthy. If you really want a five gallon bucket, just make one to put in the water like we do for kingfishing. Start drilling larger holes about one inch from the bottom all around the bucket to get good water flow and draining. Run a length of rope through the sides and tie off at the top like a handle and then run a rope long enough to let the bucket hang in the water while tied off to the rail. Make sure to leave enough rope to adjust for high and low tides or your bait will die There's nothing more frustrating than to go for a new bait and seeing a bucket full of dead fish swinging a foot above he water. Make sure you have a lid that will lock securely also as they will come open in the water and the bait will escape. Also, make sure to tie the lid to the bucket so that you don't lose it if it does come off.

The inch at the bottom will allow a little water to stay in the bucket while it's on the pier. This is the method we use for king mackeral baits, it'll hold a good amount of finger mullet, pinfish or blues for almost the entire day. Be careful with menhaden, as a five gallon bucket will only hold five or six for some time before they die.

[rattler]

i always take a drop bucket the has most of my live bait and an insulated bucket for the pier...always use an airator...cheap works as good as the high dollar ones...try to keep your pier bucket in the shade and you can get small "blue ice" that works great...3 $1...or so...hope this helps...

[yogai]

where can I get an insulated bucket that I can slap an aerator on?