ENGEL Live Bait Cooler PRO for Fishing - Portable Minnow and Bait Bucket with Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Aerator

This is a must have if you use live bait regularly. The fact that it is a cooler helps keep your water much colder and holds oxygen longer. The aerator stays well out of the way. Honestly, the best part is probably the net which lifts all of the bait up at once to let you select the perfect specimen. It is a great size to still be reasonably easy to lift while full. Having a rechargeable aerator is also a huge plus. I can’t think of a single complaint.

This cooler is perfect for my minnows. It’s great size for the perfect versatility in my band boat. The lid provides a great seal. The installation keeps everything cool and keeps the temperature. Perfect for the minnows very sturdy.

We have a saying around my house: Being cheap costs too much. This cooler drove that lesson home. It is not the cheapest way to keep bait alive, but after a few trips I’m convinced it is one of the cheaper ways in the long run. Live bait isn’t exactly cheap these days, and using this thing made me think about all the shrimp, minnows, and pinfish I’ve accidentally cooked over the years trying to get by with a basic bait bucket. Looking back, I probably would have saved money buying this sooner. Our first trip with it was a beach day at Canaveral National Seashore. We spent about five hours in direct Florida sun with temperatures around 95 degrees. The shrimp never got the memo. They stayed lively all day long and honestly seemed more energetic near the end of the trip than when we picked them up from the bait shop. One of those shrimp helped a friend catch his first whiting, which probably earned the cooler some bonus points in my mind. Since then we’ve used it with minnows caught in a trap from the canal behind our house while pond hopping for bass and crappie, plus another beach trip with shrimp and sand fleas. Same result every time. The bait stayed healthy and active even when the Florida heat was doing its best to turn everything else into soup. The rechargeable aerator works. The insulation works. The included bait net is one of those features that sounds minor until you use it a few times and realize how much easier it is than trying to grab shrimp with your hands. The rod holders were also more useful than I expected when hauling gear across the beach. Build quality has been excellent so far. The metal hinges and latches feel solid, the charging port has a water-resistant rubber cover, and the battery life on the aerator seems to last forever. We’ve used it on three trips so far and still haven’t needed to recharge it. A couple things worth noting: make sure the lid is fully latched when you close it, and don’t automatically buy the biggest model. Included some pictures to show how the lid will stay open a wee bit if you don't latch it, and how the aerator clip is designed. The clip may fight back a little when you mount the aerator I learned. Also, I went with the 30-quart because we fish everything from neighborhood ponds to offshore trips, but if you’re only carrying a few dozen shrimp or minnows you can probably save some money and size down. I won’t lie, I cringed a little when I clicked the Buy Now button. Spending around $150 on a bait cooler felt excessive at the time. After using it, my only real buyer’s remorse is that I didn’t buy one years ago! Get it!

I used this while fishing the Texas coast in August, and it performed flawlessly. I kept a dozen croakers and a dozen pinfish in it, and the pump worked great, keeping them alive and healthy for about a day and a half. The removable net insert made retrieving the bait quick and easy. I also used it to hold three dozen shrimp, and they stayed active all day as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to keep live bait fresh and lively for a full day of fishing or even multiple days. It's been a great addition to my gear.

This Bait Cooler is the best. I never have any minnows die. Was able to keep a dozen large minnows alive for 3 days on battery power. You will not be disappointed in the performance of this bait cooler. Perfect for carrying for bank fishing as well as on the boat.

One of the best live bait cooler i ever owned, just love the white inside makes it easier to see the bait .pump is very quiet and easy to use.

Overall, it's a decent quality bait cooler, though I would have preferred it be sold without the aerator for $40-$50. Pros: It keeps the bait cold. The net works well. It's lightweight when empty, so not a lot of added weight when carrying. The construction is a decent quality. Replacement parts are available for reasonable prices. Cons: The price, neither the aerator nor the bait cooler are worth more than $50 individually. The placement of the aerator makes the cooler tip easily when empty...like when you're trying to fill it... The required angles of the aerator line path are too harsh for stiff tubing, so flexible tubing is needed. This creates a 100% chance of kinking, though I'm not shaming Engel for their kinks. The aerator stone has to be inside the net, unless modified. The aerator tubing is nearly the same ID of the pass through grommet, meaning it blocks air from escaping until enough pressure has built up inside the unit to push passed the tubing clearance. The net handle gets in the way of pouring in water and minnows. Recommendations to overcome the design issues: Add a stainless steel grommet to the bottom of the net to pass the aerator tube through to the bottom of the cooler. This is about $10 if you don't have the stuff already. I used an 8mm grommet to allow for the angle of the tube and freedom of movement of the net. Add a stainless steel break line spring sheath to the outer portion of the aerator line going into the cooler. Secure your aerator stone if flat. Add a vent grommet to the lid to allow air to escape. I bought one from Engle, listed under their cooler accessories section. It matches the stock pass through grommet. Add a buckle to the net handle, so that it won't be in the way while filling it. I'm adding a plastic buckle to the left side, and not the center. Engel, please use this as feedback and correct the design flaws. You will dominate the market if you fix these core issues.

AMAZING!! Well worth the money! We used to use a plastic round bait bucket with battery operated bubbler that would leak water if filled too high or would easily tip over if I didn't hold it between my feet while my husband drove to the marina. Shrimp would get stuck in the lid area when we would dump out our remaining bait. This unit is insulated, the top secures with two latches, the drop-in net is easy to raise to grab your bait and the unit is easy to clean. Best of all...the 36-hour lithium battery so we don't have to worry about the batter running out while we are spending the day fishing. The lithium battery pugs in with a USB cord...easy to use! Be mindful that the manufacturer ships this product, not Amazon, so prepare to wait 1-2 weeks if you need it on a specific day for a gift. We ordered 4 days before Father's Day and were sad to see online that it would take 1-2 weeks to get. To our surprise, it was delivered on the Saturday before Father's Day so we were happy our gift arrived online. To all the people (like my husband!) out there saying $100+ is too much for a bait bucket, buy this for yourself as a treat or ask for it as a gift! It is the best investment, just like a good fishing rod & reel, for your day out fishing! You will never have to buy another bait bucket again!

Awesome bait keeping cooler. Used it with around 100 minnows inside, nothing bad to report. Its worth its price with the lithium aerator. Not noisy at all and Im very pleased with my purchase!

Expensive but if you’re tired of wasting minnows like I am it’s worth it. A little noisy on highest setting. Might get a bigger stone for it but works fine.