FRABILLBuckets & Accessories

I purchased this Frabill bait bucket for use with minnows when crappie fishing. It now serves double duty by keeping other baitfish types alive for saltwater fishing.This unit operates well on rechargeable batteries and has a quality air-stone that provides more than enough oxygen to support 25 - 30 medium sized baits alive. Enough for an entire day of fishing.The pump, batteries, and on/off switch are all contained in the lid. Nothing hanging off the sides to get broken or tangled in fishing gear. It's also insulated: An important detail for hot summer days.I bought this for use on an Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 120 kayak. It does what it was designed to do: It keeps bait alive - and it does that job very well. Turns out this size is spot on for kayak use. Not too big, not too small.Bait is expensive these days. Don't buy a cheaper product that allows your bait to die after just a couple hours. Try this one. You'll be glad you did . . .

Finally used it today and it worked great! If you kayak fish this bait bucket is worth it.

I use this for ice fishing and its kept my minnows alive for more than 10 days with the occasional stir to replace oxygen. Has a small tackle compartment on the lid which is handy too.

I just got done using this for 3 days ice fishing in Northern Michigan. It worked pretty well and my buddies thought it was pretty decent for the price. I was using 4 rechargeable NiMH AA batteries and was getting 24-36 hours per set. That's with the bucket being in sub-freezing weather most of the time. For a small minnow bucket it did well keeping the minnows alive. Often, the bucket was in 5-10 degrees F and the aerator kept working well. I never had ice in the water. There is a small slot in the side of the yellow lid that's perfect for storing a small minnow net in.The things I'd like to see changed are:- the design of the lid latch. Clearly, whoever designed this has never been ice fishing. The latch is so hard to get open with gloves on or with cold fingers. The latch needs a larger piece to grab onto. I may drill a hole in mine and attach a string.- the lid has a small lip around it. when water gets in this lip it freezes the lid shut making it even harder to get the lid open. I'll probably drill a few small drain holes.- the design of the battery compartment. The latch on this is also very hard to get open. Not as big of a problem as the main lid latch because batteries only need to be accessed about once per day. But I needed a pocket knife to pry the battery lid open.- access to batteries. I nearly needed needle nose pliers to get the batteries out. The opening to the battery compartment needs to be larger so one can fit fingers in to get the batteries out.. Putting batteries in isn't too bad since they drop in place and need just a light push down.

Works perfect. Got a slot to hook my aeration

This in convivence as it already comes with a bubbler and has a spot for it. The size is good for shrimp only. I would not put croakers in here. The seals were good, and it only leaked when we tipped it to drain water. It's good quality and insulated so I know it will last a long time.

Minnow bucket arrived on time. Below are my thoughts.Some reviews mention using two AA batteries with limited run time. The unit has 2 battery slots, but you're supposed to stack batteries 3 & 4 on top of the first two batteries.The positive (+) battery post faces towards you when you have the battery compartment open.Some reviewers complain about the air tube being coiled, preventing the air stone from sitting on the bottom of the bucket. For those with this problem, please note that the Styrofoam liner inside the bucket has a molded vertical groove from top to bottom. Place the clear rubber air tube in this groove with your thumb. This will keep the tube straight & and the air stone at the bottom of the bucket. It also keeps the tube out of the way when removing live bait from the bucket.Upon arrival, I inserted 4 AA Costco/Kirkland batteries in the battery compartment & filled the bucket with water. The batteries ran for 37 consecutive hours before dying.The unit does not come with instructions for battery placement or tube connection / setup.My only dislike, as others have mentioned, is opening the battery compartment. The way the plastic is molded, there is not enough room to conveniently open it with your finger tip. It requires a small tool (screwdriver, credit card edge, plier tip, etc.) to wedge the battery lid upwards for easy opening. Most fishermen carry something in their bag/boat that will accommodate this if you need to replace batteries on the water. Maybe over time, the battery compartment will be more user friendly as the plastic rear hinge & front tab are flexed/used over & over. Only time will tell.Overall the bucket is a value purchase that should provide years of service. I'll update this review if I encounter any problems in the future with form or function.

Great product and even better customer support!