How Does a Minnow Bucket Aerator Work?

Introduction

A minnow bucket aerator is a device used by fisherman to remedy the problems associated with keeping live bait alive, specifically minnows, during transportation and wait times between use. Though the aerator is specifically designed with minnows in mind, the aerator is commonly used for other types of bait such as sculpins or smelt.

Purpose

The purpose of a minnow bucket aerator is to prolong the lifespan of bait. Two of the most common problems with bait buckets are overcrowding and increasingly warmer water, all of which cause death to the bait contained inside. With both of these situations the underlying issues is a lack of oxygen. The warmer the bucket gets, or the more fish there are in the bucket, the less oxygen there is available. Eventually this causes the bait to suffocate and die. The minnow bucket aerator works by manually reintroducing oxygen into the water to keep the fish from suffocating.

Aerator

The minnow bucket aerator works largely because of its aerator pump. An aerator pump is a device that injects gas into a liquid. In this case, the gas is oxygen. The aerator works by drawing oxygen from the air, into the pump. The pump then pushes the air into special tubing.

Transportation

Once the oxygen has been extracted from the air and into the pump, the air is forced forward through tubing. This tubing runs from the aerator into the water containing the bait. As the air is forced into the water it fuses the oxygen gas into the water allowing the bait to breathe it. As long as the oxygen continues to be fused into the bait water, the bait should last for a longer a period of time.

Power Sources

Minnow bucket aerators work on two types of power sources, battery or electric. Battery is the most convenient power source for those who are fishing away from sources of electricity. However, battery power is limited and may die before the fishing trip is completed. When that is the case, adapters for electrical power from boats or vehicles can also be an option to keep the minnow bucket aerator working.