RWI recommendations for healthy bait

1. Use a refridgerated tank with dechlorinated water, especially when the store is hooked to a city water supply. City water is treated with chlorine, a minnow killer. Chemicals that neutralize chlorine should be used regularly.
2. Avoid copper products in the minnow tank system. Water oxidizes copper. The metal flakes that result catch in the gills of minnows. Chmicals hel slow the oxidation, but it's best to avoid copper altogther.
3. Aerate the tank, especially when well water is used. Well water has no dissolved oxygen; a vigerous spray will, however alleviate the problem. On shallow tanks, blower type aerators, such as thos used in aquariums are best. Some rotating or eggbeater-style aerators create too much turbulence and put stress on the minnows.
4. Treat well water with filter systems and chemicals, if needed. Much of today's well water has a high iron content with promotes fungu and disales minnow's breathing. By treating the water before it reaches the minnows, the problem can be reduced or eliminated.
5. Rotate minnows. Never mix fresh minnows with old ones. Parasites on old bait can infect fresh bait. When a new shipment arrives, leftover minnows should be kept separate so they are sold first. Add tanks to your systme for bait rotation or develop removable partitions in existing tanks to keep bait segregated.
6. Change water frequently on closed systems, or develop a way to keep fresh water running in and out of them. Ammonia from waste builds up, depleting the supply of dissolved oxygen Water should be changed at least twice a week in the winter and a minimum of once a day during warmer months.
7. Regulate water temperatures. Be aware of area lake temperatures. Maintain the temperature of your tanks between lake temperatures and the distributor's tank temperatures. During the summer, that's somewhere near 60 degrees. In the witner, it's closre to 40 degrees. To avoid shock, minnows should be acclimated slowly.
8. Advise customers to make temperature adjustments accordingly. When they get to the lake, the customer should ad some lake water to the bait container to bring the temperature up slowly, or down slowly, depending upon the season. By doing so there is less shock to the minnows and they remain lively on the hook longer.
9. Warn customers not to overcrowd minnows in a bait container. Overcrowding will cause minnows to die quickly. That leaves the customer with the impression that your minnows were unhealthy.
10. Buy Smart! Minnows can be kept alive indefinitely with proper feeding and care, but that requires additional time and attention. Reduce losses by buying weekly, basing your order on the number of minnows you can sell withing two weeks after it arrives.
11. Keep red worms and wax worms cool, but not refrigerated. Temperatures from 55 degrees to 65 degrees are best. In a refrigerator, they live off body fat, not the soil.
12. Package nightcrawlers in topsoil two weeks prior to sale. The soil rejuvenates and fattens them.
13. Organize worms so older ones sell first.
14. Show off the bait before the customer leaves the shop. Dumping workms onto the counter demonstrates they were alove and well when they left the store.

As published in "Fishing Tackle Retailer" January 1989.