Bait Buckets and Pucks; Ice Fishing Live bait
Key Takeaways
I always use live bait
Not all bait buckets work for all solutions
Aerators are a must to keep minnows alive
Keep the water in, so minnows have water and your gear stays dry.
Bait Pucks
Must Have accessories
Plan ahead for long trips
What if i run out? I always buy to much bait
I always use live bait
In ice fishing there are few never or always statements. This is something i learned from Jason Durham, I was at a presentation a few years ago at an ice show. You can find more information on him here https://go-fish-guides.com/
However for me this live bait is an always situation for me. I always bring live bait when ice fishing and I never hit the ice without it. That is not to say that I don’t also use lures. For example one of my go to rigs is a jigging spoon with a fat head or shiner minnow.
Live Bait and Species
The type of live bait i bring varies by what I am targeting
Minnows & Walleyes
My favorite rig is a spoon with a minnow. Usually this is a fathead minnow. Sometimes we use a whole minnow and other times part of a minnow depending on how aggressive the fish are.
Panfish
When fishing for panfish most of the time i will use a wax worm or eurolarve. I know some other regions use spikes. Most likely a tungsten jig to get the bait down faster.
Northern Pike
Usually i will do tip up fishing for northerns. You will want a bigger minnow like a shiner or a sucker. I put them on a bare hook or maybe a treble hook with a spinner.
Not all bait buckets work for all solutions
Frabill 13 Bait Station
You want to find the right size bait bucket for your style of fishing. I currently use this Frabill 13 bait station.
Its got great thermal to keep you bait alive, but it really is to big for early ice walk out situations. It does have a built in aerator that works ok, but not as good as those new lithium ones they have out now.
Bait UP
The Bait up is something I used quite a bit. Its really small and fits in your pocket and has this cool floating built in minnow scoop. Its great for a few minnows on a short trip. And is super portable.
There are actually two sizes, I would suggest getting the bigger size. A challenge I had this this was at the bait shop it was hard to load when you got minnows as it was so small and the scoop at the bait show was large.
Engle Live Bait Cooler 7.5
This is one of my favorites. This size is great for a day trip. anything bigger for me is not needed for two guys on the ice for the day. Pair it with a lithium bubbler and you will have live bait all day. The non-lithium bubblers are really bad, and eat batteries like crazy and die after a few uses. So make sure you get a lithium one.
Other Tips
Aerators are a must to keep minnows alive. A good bubblercan keep your minnows alive for a long time. Either a day on the ice or up to a weekend. Once I have used and recommend is the ENGEL one. You can find it on amazon here https://amzn.to/4hiBwhH Don’t get a non-lithium one unless you have no other choice. The cheap ones break quickly on the ice and use a ton of batteries.
Keep the water in, so minnows have water and your gear stays dry. Make sure what ever solution you have to get your bait to the lake it keeps the water in. A walk or ride on the ice is usually not smooth and your bait bucket bounces around. If its not waterproof water will splash everywhere. Getting all your gear wet. And then of course its cold outside and your stuff freezes. Making a huge mess.
Must Have accessories
A small cup to scoop water into your bait bucket to keep the water fresh.
A minnow scoop to get the minnows out without getting your hands wet. When its cold its not fun to have wet fingers. Some bait buckets come with built in nets now, so you don’t need a minnow scoop if you have one of these. Luckily Minnow scoops are super cheap, like 3 bucks. https://amzn.to/4o2In1q
Bait Pucks
If you chase panfish through the ice, a bait puck is your best friend. These small, insulated cups are perfect for eurolarvae and waxies. In my experience, none of the common brands truly outperforms the others—they all do the job—so buy what’s available and don’t overthink it.
Solid options: StrikeMaster bait puck or Clam bait puck.
False-bottom style: This StrikeMaster model has a raised tray so you’re not digging for larvae with cold fingers.-
Many shops near me sell waxies in 100-count packs. A larger puck fits the whole batch, which is great if you’re dealing with bait stealers or just don’t want to run out mid-bite.
Heads-up: some larger pucks are not insulated. In real cold, uninsulated cups can freeze your bait.You can use bait pucks for a few minnows for special operations. That way to don’t have to carry the full bait bucket when prospecting different holes.
Bait Puck Tips
Small pucks tuck nicely into an inner jacket pocket, keeping your bait warm, active, and alive. It’s the easiest insurance against freeze-ups on bitter days.
Carry two small pucks instead of one large—one in the pocket, one as backup.
Plan ahead for long trips
For long trips make plans. First I would talk to your local bait shops and see where you can get some bulk bait. Do some math and figure out how much bait you need. Of course I have bait anxiety and am always convinced that we need more bait. I always like to bring bait with rather than try to find it when you get to your destination. Often its hard to understand what the bait situation where you are going. If you plan ahead you can bring your bait saving a lot of time driving around to bait shops, getting you on the ice more.
However once you have all this bait you just keep it alive. Here is how to approach this. Take a big chest cooler with you. Put the bait in there and use a aerator from a fish tank to keep them oxygenated. When you go ice fishing for the day transfer the bait you need from your big cooler to a smaller bait bucket.
What if i run out? I always buy to much bait
I always buy to much bait. But I never really feel bad about it. I would rather have extra than run out when the fish are biting. Even that has never happened to me I will continue to buy to much bait just in case.
