Bait tube for shiners?

Hey everyone.

I was just wondering how well shiners will do in a bait tube, and about how many I can drop into a 3-ft, 2" diameter (thin-walled, black) tube? I'd like to be able to bring at least a half dozen, but 12 would be great.

I have one of those frabill (sp?) floating minnow buckets, but I have found it to be incredibly annoying. Maybe mine is just weighted wrong, but it nose dives when I paddle, and creates massive drag. It also rolls upside down in the water and creates even more drag. Pulling it out of the water each time I wanted to move was a pain.

Do any of you use bait tubes for shiners? If so, how many do you shove in there?

I loved my Frabill floating bucket, and didn't have any problems like you described.  But then broke the latch on it and bought another one, and this one has a leak inside the two float sections of the bucket and takes on water, and doesn't balance as well.  Going to try and fix the leak I guess, but I was very pleased with it before this new one.

I think you want a little larger diameter if your going for a bait tube. If you had a 4" diameter ABS around 24" long you could probably fit 10 or so shiners in there. 

I broke my bait tube, but it was made of clear plastic tubes you can find at Tap Plastics for keeping maps and such waterproofed.  It didn't float with water in it, so I added some pool noodle but never really got it to float level.  Liked it though cause you could see everything inside

I use a little larger minnow bucket, Turbo Troll brand, and do as you said pulling it out of the water when I need to make a move. I put my battery operated aerator tube in when I do this. Shiners are pretty fragile and I wouldn't put mine in just any old homemade bait tube. I know there's some that have a proven 'shiner ready' tube but I don't think mine is good enough. Someday I would like to buy a real live well like the one Hobie makes. One of those would be the best way to keep shiners alive and frisky all day long. jim

Sounds like frabill's QC just sucks. I guess that's what you get for a $12 product...

Now that I think of it, I remember my buddy down in SLO using a frabill bucket and being stoked with it. I remember him just paddling along as if it weren't even there.

Maybe I'll just buy another one and slop some GOOP over all the seams... I already built that bait tube from some pipe and fittings I had laying around, so I guess I'll  give it a try in Saturday.

I use the Frabill bucket too but I lift it out and place it in front of me when I pedal a long distance rather than deal with the drag.  It sloshes and some of the water comes out in my lap but I never lose enough water to hurt the shiners. 

If you do, allow several days to cure it, or your bait will die from goop poisioning!  Or at least thats what I think happened with my first bait tube, it took a while for the goop smell to go away but then they stopped dying on me 

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2587.0.html

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2624.msg20500/topicseen.html#msg20500


http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,22916.0.html