When Buying minnows?

  Will bait shop supply water or do they expect you to bring it in?  Hows that work?

I've never taken water in.  I always let them supply it.  In fact, I always hate changing the water that they give me since it is what the fish have been living in.  It seems that when I change fishy water I always lose a few despite the fact that I always add conditioner and only dump out 80%.

If memory serves me correctly, there was a thread about this not too long ago so you could try looking it up if you don't get many replies.

Michael

Once you get to Mendo, you should blend in some Mendo water so that the bait becomes accustomed to before you start looking for fish.

The one thing I'll say about this topic is if you bring a big bucket, they may not fill it with enough water for a lot of bait.  If so, you may need to add extra depending on how many minnows you get. 

  I have a creek on my property, runs year round I was thinking about maybe bringing a few gallons of that water in used water jugs to add to the travel bucket.  Once at mendo, they'll be put into my trolling bucket and tossed in the lake. 
  I'll see what happens.....

Once you get to Mendo, you should blend in some Mendo water so that the bait becomes accustomed to before you start looking for fish.

Great point Hojoman, I definitely missed pointing that out.

Earlier this year I ended up dropping a few bucks and getting an aerator that plugs into the wall or a car.  Obviously when traveling far distances with minnows (and I consider Mendo a far distance) I plug the thing in to keep the water oxygenated. 

I think I'm going to experiment a little and toss a small amount of ice in on the way up too to slow down their heart rate just a tad and hypothetically they'll use less oxygen.  We'll see how it goes.

Michael

I have a creek on my property, runs year round I was thinking about maybe bringing a few gallons of that water in used water jugs to add to the travel bucket.  Once at mendo, they'll be put into my trolling bucket and tossed in the lake. 
  I'll see what happens.....

As long as it's about the same temp I always use water from the Russian and they do really well, they are pretty tough. I keep them in a cooler with a small filter.

Once you get to Mendo, you should blend in some Mendo water so that the bait becomes accustomed to before you start looking for fish.

I think I'm going to experiment a little and toss a small amount of ice in on the way up too to slow down their heart rate just a tad and hypothetically they'll use less oxygen.  We'll see how it goes.

In case your hypothesis doesn't work out, I suggest you try your experiment on a portion of your bait, or you could end up baitless at Mendo.

Once you get to Mendo, you should blend in some Mendo water so that the bait becomes accustomed to before you start looking for fish.

I think I'm going to experiment a little and toss a small amount of ice in on the way up too to slow down their heart rate just a tad and hypothetically they'll use less oxygen.  We'll see how it goes.

In case your hypothesis doesn't work out, I suggest you try your experiment on a portion of your bait, or you could end up baitless at Mendo.

That thought crossed my mind but I will be conservative with the ice.

Michael

If you want to cool the water either use ice cubes made from natural water, not tap water that's chlorinated, or freeze in a bottle and put that in.

I bought minnows yesterday at Lake Mendo. They fill your bucket with enough water to get you to the lake. Once at the lake I toss the bucket into the water while I unload the boat. Not a one died. They're not jumbo, just medium to small, but they'll do fine. They were fiesty!
The girl said they might have bigger ones by friday.

I bought minnows yesterday at Lake Mendo. They fill your bucket with enough water to get you to the lake. Once at the lake I toss the bucket into the water while I unload the boat. Not a one died. They're not jumbo, just medium to small, but they'll do fine. They were fiesty!
The girl said they might have bigger ones by friday.

NOW that is GOOD NEWS!....and up to the minute, thanks Mako!