Frozen Minnows For Sale? All Answers

Why sell minnows?

Prices are based on information obtained from bait dealers in the Brainerd, Minnesota area in July 2006. When calculating these forecasts, use prices and information from your region. W used crappie minnows as an example.

A gallon (or 8 pounds) of crappie minnows contains 120 dozen/1440 minnows. (A very conservative estimate.) The average cost of a gallon of crappie minnows is $25.00. Crappie minnows are usually sold in the scoop, which contains about 24 minnows. This ball of minnows normally sells for $3.00 per ball. At 24 minnows per scoop, that makes 60 scoops per gallon.

Example:

60 X $3.00 = $180.00

Cost per gallon = $25.00

​

Profit = $155.00

That’s 600% profit!

Sell ​​3 liters per week:

3 gallons x $155.00 = $465.00 profit

In 4 weeks, the profit made would be $1860.00

Food for thought:

60 scoops per gallon, 3 gallons per week equals 180 customers. In 4 weeks that will be 720 customers. These customers will look around and will certainly find other items to buy.

How much would you spend?

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Barry W Smith | Originally published in GameKeepers: Farming for Wildlife Magazine. To subscribe click here.

Fathead minnows are usually olive in color and rarely grow to more than three inches in length.

Fatheads are common bait minnows found in the United States and are often referred to as “tuffies” or “tuffie minnows”. They are cultivated in ponds, primarily in Arkansas, for the bait industry and are also wild-harvested in many Midwestern reservoirs. Their original distribution ranged from central Canada to Mexico, but due to decades of bait use, they are now found in most parts of the United States.

These minnows are olive in color and rarely exceed 3 inches in length. They are particularly beneficial for new pond stockings as they are the first fish to spawn in spring and provide plenty of food for 2 inch bass fingerlings which are usually introduced to new ponds in June. “Bass fish are extremely predatory, even at sizes under 2 inches,” says Don Keller, co-founder of American Sport Fish Hatchery, Montgomery, Alabama. “When fatheads are not occupied by the bluegill juveniles, the perch juveniles are forced to compete with the bluegill for zooplankton and small insects until the initially occupied bluegill begin to spawn, which is often as late as late June or even July. Having small minnows for the bass fishlings to eat once they are stocked increases their growth rate and survival. We often see bass fish feeding on the fathead minnow reproduction within a minute of being introduced into new ponds!” says Keller.

Spawn

Fathead minnows are “upside down spawners” that lay eggs on the bottom of this waxed cardboard box. They also lay eggs under stones, boards or logs.

Fatheads typically live less than two years and have some unique spawning characteristics. Though they can sweep out a small 3-inch round bed, they prefer to spawn upside down, laying their sticky eggs on the underside of rocks, logs, or even vegetation. In newly stocked Bass Bluegill ponds we often add waxed cardboard, typically from meat boxes, to the surface of the pond. These swim around the pond or are semi-floating for most of the spawning season, providing plenty of surface area for minnow eggs to attach. In summer the cardboard will biodegrade and does not need to be removed.

Spawning usually begins in spring when water temperatures are in the low to mid 60s. Mature females can lay eggs weekly, laying 200 to 500 eggs per spawn. The males usually guard the eggs. Spawning can continue until temperatures reach 85F. As the bluegill reach sizes of 3 to 4 inches, they also feed on the small minnow reproduction, boosting their growth and egg production. Fatheads are a valuable addition to new pond stockings.

storage prices

Fathead minnows are used throughout the US as baitfish for small predatory fish such as crappie and walleye. When these minnows are added to a new bass bluegill lake during initial stocking, they can reproduce and provide an abundance of small minnows to spur bass fingerling growth. Preferred stocking rates are 1,000 to 3,000 per acre or 10 to 20 pounds of minnows per acre.

Fatheads can be stocked at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 per acre, or 10 pounds or more per acre. If the minnows are stored in the fall or early winter, they may be small minnows as they grow and become sexually mature before the spring spawning season. If the pond fills up in January or later, larger, more mature minnows should be introduced so they are ready to spawn when spring water temperatures stabilize in the low 60s. We usually recommend adding Fatheads when storing young Bluegill.

Older lakes or ponds

As previously mentioned, new pond stocking animals can benefit from stocking fathead minnows, but established ponds or lakes benefit very little from stocking these minnows. In new ponds, the original minnows have no predators and are able to grow to sexual maturity and produce food for the young bass and sunfish. In established or older ponds, the minnows have little chance of becoming sexually mature and serve directly as food for the established perch population. Since it takes about 10 pounds of minnows to convert one pound of bass, this is a very expensive way to try to improve bass growth or condition. As biologists, we rarely recommend stocking forage fish that do not produce food. In established lakes, Bluegill, Golden Shiners or Threadfin Shad would probably be better choices. Consult a fisheries biologist before making this decision.

If you’re stocking a new lake or pond, a small investment in Bighead Minnows will yield a big reward!

Minnows are the number one choice when it comes to live bait. What you may not know is how to keep minnows alive without an aerator.

In this article, I’ll give you 7 tips and tricks on how to keep your minnows alive and fishing longer!

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Insulate and prepare the tank

The main reason minnows die without an aerator is that they overheat. To prevent this, always keep your minnows shaded with a lid. Add a small bag of ice cubes to keep the temperature cool (between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and change the water regularly.

This sounds simple and it is, but this is really the most basic step to follow to avoid the untimely death of your minnows.

Minnows can die within a day if not stored properly and in this case that means keeping their storage space nice and cool which in turn means insulation.

Foam insulated coolers are a mainstay among fishermen and help ensure your minnows don’t struggle in rapidly heating water.

Avoid using metal buckets which can easily overheat. Styrofoam or insulated buckets are best.

Try ice cream

Of course, using foam insulation to keep your minnow tank cool means you have to cool it down in the first place. The typical role of aerators in tanks is twofold: to ensure there is enough oxygen and to keep the water cool. In the absence of an aerator, both of these roles can be at least partially fulfilled by the addition of ice.

How much you need depends on the size of your aquarium, how many minnows you have in it, and how warm the environment is. Minnows will fight in temperatures near and above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so you’ll want to make sure the temperature is well below that.

Additionally, ice can potentially help oxygenate your water, since water often loses more oxygen when it’s hot than when it’s cold. Better oxygenated water can also help keep the water in good condition to keep your minnows alive.

To use ice with your minnows, place them in a bag. You shouldn’t just throw them in, as this can suddenly and drastically drop the water temperature, shocking and potentially killing the minnows.

Hang the bag in the water and gradually let the freezing cold diffuse into the tank until the temperature is at a level below 60 degrees that you find suitable.

Avoid tap water

Always use distilled water, or better yet, the natural water the minnows were caught in or purchased from.

Tap water is often filled with additives like fluoride and chlorine. It may be good for our teeth, but it’s not good for minnows and baitfish!

Don’t overcrowd your minnows

We can say that people and things that are squeezed too tightly “pack together like sardines,” but you want to avoid that being the case with your minnows.

They would not survive long in such cramped conditions that they have literally little to no room to move around and neither can fish. The heat, waste, and lack of oxygen resulting from such conditions are unbearable, causing the minnows to die quickly.

As well as making sure your minnows have enough space, you should make sure your minnows are not being disturbed by constant bright light. Instead, you should keep them in a dark, air-conditioned area such as a closet or basement.

Add some hydrogen peroxide

As another last minute oxygenation measure, consider adding some 3% hydrogen peroxide (those are the brown household bottles).

Do not exaggerate! Use only about one ounce of a 3% oxygen solution for every three gallons of water.

Avoid standing water

Consider for a moment how minnows live in the wild. Do they live in areas where the water stands and stinks? Of course not. They populate areas where the water flows, or at least circulates enough to provide them with fresh oxygen and nutrients.

If you want your minnows to live longer, you’ll want to make sure you do the same with your water supply, which means mixing things up a bit.

Froth the water and spray with your hand. Add extra water to stir things up and prevent sediment from building up on the bottom or surface.

Acclimate your minnows while fishing

You don’t want to have done all that to keep your minnows alive only to falter and watch them die when you come to the lake to fish.

One of the most common mistakes anglers and anglers make in this regard is thinking that they don’t have to worry as much about their bait bucket. Too often people act as if their job is done while the fish is in the bucket.

However, to keep your minnows fresh for as long as possible when you’re fishing, so you have the best chance of landing a larger fish with live bait, you want to carefully dip the bait bucket into the creek, stream, or lake you’re fishing in.

See Also: Catching Minnows for Sport – Have you tried Microfishing before?

It only takes 15-20 minutes for the water temperature inside to equalize to the outside temperature.

This rule applies whenever you buy bait. Instead of throwing your store-bought minnows into a bucket of seawater, keep them in a bag or smaller container and place them in the large container of water.

The outside and minnow water should stabilize, preventing “shock stress” from a sudden change in temperature.

Long term minnow storage

If you are interested in growing minnows long-term, either for bait, feed, or for other aquarium-related purposes, you should consider a long-term storage tank and a full aeration system.

This method can be very effective but requires the use of things like biofilters and temperature regulation.

Click here for a great article on rearing bait minnows in small aquariums long term.

frequently asked Questions

How long can minnows survive in a bucket without an aerator?

Can minnows live in tap water?

Tap water is not a good long-term water source for minnows. Tap water contains chemicals and additives like fluoride that kill minnows. Use distilled water or natural water (from the source) instead.

Do minnows need an air pump?

Minnows and other small baitfish need oxygen-rich water to survive. Although they can live without an air pump for a short time, it is best to keep the water cool and adequately aerated with a pump or water circulation system.

Can you keep minnows in the fridge?

Yes, the fridge is a great place to store minnows. The cold and dark environment of a refrigerator is perfect for keeping those minnows cool and calm until your next fishing trip.

Do minnows eat breadcrumbs?

Yes, minnows will eat breadcrumbs, but a better food source is commercial fish food like flakes, shrimp, or worms.

How long can minnows survive without food?

Wild-caught minnows can go weeks without food if kept in a clean and properly oxygenated tank. Commercial or store-bought minnows should be fed every 3-4 days.

What can you feed minnows to keep them alive?

Commercial fish food is an easy and inexpensive way to feed minnows. Any tropical fish flakes, dried bloodworms, or even oatmeal will work. But do not overfeed them, minnows kept for fishing only need to be fed every 3-4 days.

Consider buying an aerator

The tips outlined in this article will work and keep your minnows alive longer than normal. But if you fish regularly with minnows, you should definitely think about an aerator system.

The Frabill Portable Bait System is what I recommend. This isolated and portable Livewell system has an easy-to-carry handle and built-in pumps ready to be connected to a battery. Move it from the truck to the boat, off the dock, or back to the house with ease.

There’s no denying that live minnows are one of the best baits for freshwater fishing. Tons of popular game fish species eat minnows including crappie, yellow bass, bluegill, warmouth, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye and even catfish.

And there’s nothing more frustrating than investing time or money to get live bait only to have it die.

Live, healthy baits will catch fish. PERIOD. Watch your bait and you will catch more fish. Good luck and thanks for reading!

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By Bob Lusk

Of course I put it in a bucket half full of creek water and took it home to see if Dad knew what it was.

I remember fishing as a kid in a shallow nearby stream with a big red wiggler on a bream hook about 18 inches below a big red and white float. It was easy to tell when a hand-sized green sunfish accepted this gift. The bobber would stand upright and then disappear. Sometimes, however, it flapped as if slapping about beneath these fertile waters. But, it seems, the sensitive thumbs couldn’t catch this tinsel here.

Eventually, when the moon was right and I was just distracted enough to wait for the fish to actually swallow the bait into its small mouth, I caught my first gold glimmer. Had no idea what that thing was. It was about seven inches long, had light gold fins and shiny silver with gold highlights on the sides.

Of course I put it in a bucket half full of creek water and took it home to see if Dad knew what it was.

“That’s a gem, my son.” Dad explained that it was a bait fish and that was as big as it gets. In fact, he said he had never seen one bigger than this one.

I thought I caught a baby. I had actually caught a beast.

Golden shiners are members of the Cyprinidae family, true minnows.

Some fifty years later I’m advising people on how to use them beyond the obvious bait bucket.

It’s common to get a call from someone asking for advice on keeping goldshimmer forage fish in your fishing lake.

My favorite part of the question usually revolves around this question: “Is gold shimmer good or bad for my pond?”

Here’s your first takeaway point. Learn as much as you can about each species you plan to introduce. Compare that to your pond and goals, and if it fits, do it. If not, don’t.

In order to heed this advice, one needs knowledge. So here is the Golden Shiner, probably the most sold species by bait dealers across the country (except Maine).

If you stop by a bait shop to buy some minnows, particularly in the South and along the East Coast and Midwest areas, you’ll likely walk away with an oxygen-rich bag or bucket with a few dozen gold shimmers. Chances are even higher that when you get those gold Shiners, they were raised in Arkansas. Arkansas farms more than 60% of the state’s baitfish, and goldshimmers top that list.

With a tiny mouth, gold shimmers seem to fit your pond pretty well. You eat like a teenager; Scientists use the word omnivore. They prefer meat and cannot eat large morsels with a small mouth. So they graze on vegetables when they have to.

They spawn in spring and lay eggs once. But they can lay up to 200,000 eggs at a time. I will always remember my hikes to the big hatcheries in Arkansas back in the 1980’s during the breeding season. Hatchery workers had small trailers loaded with equipment that reminded me of swamp chillers—metal fences pinching what appeared to be straw. In fact, they used flat, dehusked Spanish moss mats held together between three-foot squares of thin wire that looked like slabs of cattle.

Workers place these mats at the edge of breeding ponds and then check them each day during spawning season. When covered with eggs, hatchery workers would collect the mats, keep them moist, and rush them to breeding ponds where the baby minnows could hatch and grow large enough to serve as bait.

The behavior of golden shiners was interesting to me, especially when trying to figure out if they are good or bad for a pond fish population.

They travel in schools of fish of the same size. They’re fast, can evade predators, and that’s why we often see them grow to seven inches. While a seven inch golden sheen is huge, they actually get bigger than that. Over the years I’ve seen a few that were 9-10 inches long, but these are rare.

I remember asking a hatchery owner back in the 80’s why they moved the eggs from the hatchery pond to breeding ponds. His explanation made sense. There were three main reasons. First, they would have more of a uniform sized crop to sell early. Second, they wanted the young to hatch in very fertile water so survival rates could be high. Third, they did not want the adult fry to eat many of the juveniles shortly after hatching.

The boys are eating?

Do you remember the word omnivore?

Golden Shiners are predators limited by the size of their mouths. This is another important point in your decision making.

Another interesting fact about goldshimmers is their spawning habits. They prefer to lay their sticky eggs on grassy ground at the edge of a pond and then move away without any parental care. However, they have also been reportedly known to raid nests of other species, particularly sunfish, to lay some eggs and skedaddle, the marine life’s grackle.

There are several facts about gold shimmer that make me choosy about using it in fishing lakes. The Nest Raider situation is the first. If they are predators and plunder nests, it makes sense to me that they would eat some baby fish. If they reproduce more than they eat, then that might be a good balance — or maybe not. Fact two, they effectively escape predators. These are small underwater rockets that run in schools. They tend to frequent the same waters as Bluegill and Redear Sunfish, so schools of shiners tend to compete for space and food. With a fish feeder and high-quality fish food, you can influence this somewhat. But to date I have never seen a population of golden shimmers overtake a pond – never, zero times.

That could be due in part to Factoid Three. There’s this tiny little ovarian parasite that’s rocking the world of gold shimmers and the people who produce them. Ovipleistophora ovariae is a parasite of the class Microsporea. When it infects the ovaries of golden shiners, which usually happens after the fish first spawn, the fertility rate drops, and usually by more than 40%. By the second year, most female goldshiners are functionally sterile. If the fish live much longer, they will take up space without offering much in return, such as e.g. B. a contribution to the food chain.

So I tend to be picky when it comes to recommending them.

A former mentor and I often argued about using gold shiners. He used them without reservation in sport fishing ponds. He believed they contributed to the diversity of biomass to breed giant perch. This man got a huge bass.

I wasn’t convinced that Shiners were relevant to this quest.

He used them primarily in ponds and lakes that tend to subside, which is typical of arid parts of the nation and where he lived in near west Texas.

It was starting to make sense to me. In ponds that are sinking, goldshimmers can spawn once and have many eggs each spring when water levels are at their highest. Then, when the pond level drops, their resilience is great enough to survive. Bluegill do not breed well in falling water as their beds are soon exposed as dry land. Shiners are survivors. Fall rains come, then spring rains, the pond fills up again, shiners do what shiners do, and the cycle went on.

So if you want a fish that spawns a lot (once a year) it depends on the annual survival of its young to maintain the species, a fish that runs in schools that will tempt your game fish, a fish that tends to to survive the highs and rain-no-rain lows and someone who likes to eat meat but can make a living from the garden, then gold shimmers can be a great choice. You are certainly diversifying the fishery and filling a niche that overlaps with your bluegill.

Oh, the comment about no shiners in Maine? This is a weird condition, Maine. Bluegills are against the law — and they’re legally keeping Shiners away because of this little ovarian parasite.

The gold shimmer (Notemigonus crysoleucas) is one of the largest minnow species in North America. Its original range extends from southern Canada to the Florida Everglades and as far west as Wyoming. It was introduced to areas west of the Rocky Mountains and can be found throughout most of the United States. The adults have greenish to golden scales and reddish fins and can reach sizes of up to 11 inches. Being a relatively long and narrow fish with soft fin rays, they are an ideal forage fish for perch.

Golden shiners are one of the two most commonly farmed baitfish (along with fathead minnows) and have been farmed in ponds for more than half a century. Because they have been genetically selected for bait production for many years, many biologists believe their behavior in recreational perch ponds is different than that of wild shiners. They are both the same species but differ in their ability to adapt to wild populations of game fish.

Golden Shiners begin their spawning season in April in the Southeast and continue to spawn through August and September, laying their eggs 4 to 5 times per season. Shiners produce Sticky Eggs that stick to aquatic plants, gravel, and sand. Shiners have been documented to lay their eggs in sunfish nests, leaving the male sunfish to tend to their eggs. In many areas, shiners reach sexual maturity at one year of age, although the offspring of early spawned shiners may spawn in late summer or early fall. Mature females, 6 to 8 inches long, can produce up to 200,000 eggs. It typically takes 5 to 7 days for the eggs to hatch, and the tiny fry are eaten by predatory zooplankton, insects, and sunfish of almost any size in a wild fish population.

Golden shiners are omnivores and can feed on phytoplankton, small zooplankton, insects, and other materials. They are not filter feeders like the thread fin and eat individual organisms. Shiners do not rely on phytoplankton blooms for their growth and survival. Although considered a competitive species in a bass bluegill lake, shiners adapt well to small floating fish feeders and it is common to breed both shiners and large bluegill in this scenario.

In the early 1950s, many state game and fish boards recommended that shimmer should not be stored in bass bluegill ponds or used as bait, fearing that escaped bait would later build up a shimmer population. During this period, many of the population problems in bass bluegill lakes were due to overharvesting of largemouth bass, leaving too few bass to control shiner reproduction. Over the last three decades, largemouth bass underharvesting has contributed to 80 percent of problems in ponds and lakes, leaving an abundance of smallmouth bass to control shiners.

Auburn University’s School of Fisheries has long been recognized as a pioneer in recreational pond management in the Southeast. Under the direction of the late Dr. H. S. Swingle, stocking techniques developed in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s are still used by many government agencies today. dr Wayne Shell, professor emeritus and former head of the fisheries department, said Swingle had not researched the role of saltwater fish in bass bluegill ponds.

“Swingle developed a stocking ratio for a simple perch-bluegill population and analyzed population dynamic models for this pure perch-bluegill game fish population. Although large perch were inadvertently produced in some ponds and lakes, his goal was a self-sustaining fish population that could provide a food source for poor landowners. Within a few years his research moved to forms of aquaculture such as “It’s a shame we haven’t pursued research into creating wild fish populations and that there seems to be little or no interest in this type of research in Auburn today.”

stocking cleaner:

Establishing a shiner population in an existing bass bluegill lake is not always easy. The most common source and size of gold shimmer is the 3- to 4-inch bait mink. For best results, these fish should be stocked in spring just prior to spawning, March to mid-April in the Southeast. This reduces the amount of time the shiners are exposed to bass predators before they spawn.

American Sport Fish co-owner Robby Mays claims, “The stocking rate for existing bass ponds is about 2,000 shiners per acre (about 20 pounds per acre for a 4-inch shiner).”

Another alternative that seems appealing to many pond owners is keeping shiner fry, which are available from several Arkansas minnow farms. These can be shipped to your home or office in sealed plastic bags in a box. The numbers in each bag (over 100,000) seem tempting to pond owners. The mortality rate of these tiny fry is high from predatory zooplankton, insects and small sunfish. While it can sometimes work, chances of stockingspawn producing a sustained population of goldshimmer in your perch pond are slim.

Stocking 5- to 6-inch wild shiners seems to be the most effective way to create a population of gold shiners in your bass pond. Freddy Langford of Langford Aquatics (863-644-0702) in Lakeland, Fla. fills his customers’ lakes with 50 to 100 pounds or more of wild Florida spinners.

“We have been successful in establishing shiner populations in bass lakes throughout the Southeast by stocking these large wild shiners,” Langford claims. “All of the lakes we manage for trophy bass have good shiner populations. Their shape and size make them the perfect feed for trophy bass. We also feed all of these ponds a small floating protein-rich pellet. Large schools of shiners gather in front of the feeders and the big bass regularly crash through these schools. For the pond owner and angler it is exciting to see these giant bass pummel through a school of swimmers at the surface. Fishing with a big float is a surefire way, even for a beginner, to catch a real trophy.”

Golden shiners can be established in new lakes by storing 1,000 4-inch shiners per acre in the same period that Fingerling Bluegill are stored.

Shawn McNulty, co-owner of American Sport Fish says, “We recommend Golden Shiners for any new pond stocked for trophy bass management. There are a number of advantages to using Shiners along with Bluegill and Threadfin Shad, so Shiners are temperature tolerant with no winter dieback. They feed on a wide variety of foods and are not entirely dependent on a heavy phytoplankton bloom. Shiners thrive in herbaceous ponds and feed well on supplemental fish food from an automatic fish feeder. Better to have a variety of feeder fish utilizes the pond’s food supply and boosts food production well beyond Bluegill’s.”

dr Wayne Shell explains: “Very little management is required in the first two years to create good fishing in a bass bluegill lake. However, long-term success requires a variety of feeds and more intensive management, especially for large perch. ..Golden Shiners are an excellent option!”

It’s hard to say how the bite will be, where you’ll be fishing and how long you’ll be out there. 2-3 dozen should be enough to get you started. If you have extras and can keep them very cold but don’t freeze them (like a fridge) they will last for a while, even weeks if you change the water every few days to a week. (Remember though…don’t just use water straight from the tap without letting it sit to allow chemicals to dissolve…and also make sure the water is the same temperature or close to the same temperature like the water with the minnows.you will shock them if there is a big temp.homage..hope this helps

Depends on the bait house. I bought them by the spoonful or half spoonful, usually it’s somewhere between 20 and 60, I bought them by the “dozen” and came home with the same 20 to 60, but I also bought by the dozen and they count them out, 12 exactly. I don’t usually go back to these bait houses! Use big dead minnows for catfish sometimes and I go to a guy who freezes them daily from his “mucking out” from his stock everyday. he wraps them up and sells them, 30-40 a bag, $0.50. I can use them for 2-3 weeks before needing more. (They work very well in spring, right after the ice erupts!!!)

Bait shops and pet stores across the country sell minnows for fishing bait, feed, aquaculture, and other uses.

And depending on where you buy your minnows, they can be sold by the pound, gallon, or even shovel.

This can make it difficult to determine how many minnows you’re getting, so in this article I’ve done the math to provide estimates for each type of minnow commonly sold.

Note: Minnows often vary in size and weight depending on the species. These tables are my best estimates based on the information available to me and my personal experience.

How many minnows are in a pound?

Smaller species of minnows like the common minnow, mosquito fish, fathead, and blunthead minnows average between 130 and 360 minnows per pound, while larger minnows like Shiner’s average between 40 and 72.

Size 1″ 2″ 3″ 4″ 5″ 6″ Estimated Number 360 minnows per pound 180 minnows per pound 88 minnows per pound 72 minnows per pound 56 minnows per pound 40 minnows per pound Type of minnow Common minnows Large mosquitofish

Average fatheads

Small snub nose Large snub nose Minor common snout Common snout

Golden Shiner Big mean shiner

Large golden shiner

How many minnows are in a gallon?

The largest shiners can hold as little as 24 per gallon, while the smallest mosquitofish can have over 2,800.

Size 1 in 2 in 3 in 4 in 5 in 6 in Estimated Number 2,880 minnows per gallon 1,440 minnows per gallon 560 minnows per gallon 48 minnows per gallon 36 minnows per gallon 24 minnows per gallon Type of minnow Common minnow Large mosquitofish

Average fatheads

Small snub nose Large snub nose Minor common snout Common snout

Golden Shiner Big mean shiner

Large golden shiner

Source: https://andersonminnows.com/species3.php

How many minnows are in a shovel?

The average serving of Fathead Minnows contains around 24 minnows, while the average serving of Shiners contains around 10.

Size 1″ 2″ 3″ 4″ 5″ 6″ Estimated Number 36 minnows per scoop 24 minnows per scoop 18 minnows per scoop 12 minnows per scoop 9 minnows per scoop 6 minnows per scoop Minnow type Common minnow Large mosquitofish

Average fatheads

Small snub nose Large snub nose Minor common snout Common snout

Golden Shiner Big mean shiner

Large golden shiner

Source: https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=314770.0

Average price for a pound of minnows?

Live fathead minnows can often be bought online for less than $20 a pound. Common shiners can be found for between $12 and $24 a pound, and mosquito fish cost significantly more than other minnows – with a pound often costing hundreds of dollars!

The price of minnows varies widely, with the primary variable being location. New York is known for having the highest minnow cost in the United States, and different types are readily available in different regions.

Anglers in Iowa have reported that there are only two types of minnows available for purchase, “small” and “large.” Conversely, at fishing centers in the South, such as those along the Mississippi River or the Gulf Coast, there may be as many as a dozen different minnow species for sale.

Live fathead minnows can be purchased online from a number of different hatcheries that ship bagged fathead minnows throughout the United States. Fatheads from these large hatcheries range from $15 to $22 a pound.

Golden Shiners can also be purchased from some of these hatcheries and will cost anywhere from $11 to $18 a pound if bought in bulk. Mosquito fish, on the other hand, are significantly more expensive as they are known and highly sought after for their pest control abilities.

Mosquito fish are not sold by the pound but are so valuable that they are usually sold individually. They typically cost between one and two dollars a fish, which can add up to a whopping $360 to $720 a pound!

Shiners are usually more difficult to get delivered as they are larger and heavier making shipping more difficult. They are most commonly sold frozen as bait and cost about $16 a pound.

Shiners can be found at both local hatcheries and live bait shops, and range in price from $12 to $24 per pound.

Also see: Minnows vs Shiners: Understanding the Difference

How Many Minnows Should You Buy for Fishing?

A good rule of thumb for a half day’s fishing is at least two dozen minnows per person and a dozen shiners per person. Depending on the species of fish you are targeting and how good the fishing is, you may want to double that amount.

For example, when I use live minnows for crappie fishing, my dad and I usually buy 5 dozen (60 minnows) for both of us.

That’s because crappie minnows tend to easily come off the hook or get eaten by other fish like bass and bluegill, so we always want to have some extra on hand.

We can also keep a lot more crappie (25 per person in Florida).

Conversely if I use minnows to target catfish then we will only get about 4 dozen minnows or 2 dozen shiners and cut them up. This is because we rarely have minnows or shiners off the hook and we usually only keep 5-8 catfish anyway.

Conclusion

If you’re like me, you most likely buy minnows to use as fishing bait…

But if you’re buying minnows for a different purpose like fish feed, aquaculture, or even a special diet, I hope this article helps give you some approximate numbers.

Check out my tips on how to keep your minnows alive without an aerator…the last thing you want to do is spend money just to have them die to you!

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It’s hard to say how the bite will be, where you’ll be fishing and how long you’ll be out there. 2-3 dozen should be enough to get you started. If you have extras and can keep them very cold but don’t freeze them (like a fridge) they will last for a while, even weeks if you change the water every few days to a week. (Remember though…don’t just use water straight from the tap without letting it sit to allow chemicals to dissolve…and also make sure the water is the same temperature or close to the same temperature like the water with the minnows.you will shock them if there is a big temp.homage..hope this helps

Fathead minnows

We recommend storing 100 pounds. per acre and more when game fish are present and organic matter is high. We always recommend fathead minnows as another preventative care product and food for other fish. Fathead minnows feed on algae, organic sediment, duck and goose droppings, decaying vegetation, foliage, and mosquito larvae. Fathead minnows work for you 24/7, eating anything in your pond you don’t want. They help keep your pond clean. They reproduce 3 to 4 times per season. Fathead minnows need structures such as tree trunks, stumps, plants or fish mangers to hide in and spawn underneath. If you don’t see schools of minnows, you probably don’t have enough structure and/or minnows. For every 100 pounds. from eating fathead minnows, your fish will grow about 25 to 50 pounds. There are about 220 minnows per pound and they average 2 to 3 inches long. Visit our structure page for more information on creating and maintaining a healthy fishery.