Bait Tank

[Redfish12]

Since the cold has me cooped up inside and thinking about the summer I thought I'd make a bait tank. I plan to roughly follow this guide http://kayakfishinggear.com/baittankhow-to.aspx so that I can build a tank that can hold about 20-30 spot or a couple bigger baits like bunker or gizzard shad.

In the past I've used a 5 gallon bucket or a 3.5 gallon insulated bucket for spot and it worked reasonably well. I used one of those clip on bait bubblers with the stone on the tube at the bottom. It worked fine for the most part, much better when I used two pumps and a lid though. It did not work on other species very well - even a handful of peanut bunker died quickly.

So the plan is to track down one of these http://www.amazon.com/Vittles-Vault-.../dp/B0002H3S5K hopefully at a cheaper price and make the tank so that it can be loaded into either my trident or ride tankwell area. I want to use the pump in the water and put in a check valve to stop it from draining like the hobie livewell. I rarely paddle far from where I caught bait when live-lining, sometimes you can catch them in the same place, so the drag isn't a big deal to throw the tube over the side. The exhaust will probably be a 90 elbow with another tube to stick in a scupper, need to get a feel for the size of the tank. I'm going to put a 3 rod holder on it as well to help it fit in my tankwell better.

Anyway, thought you guys might be interested in this as a project as well. Do any of you own a dog and have you seen these containers at petsmart? I need to go pet shopping!

[mmanolis2001]

That is a great option to have. No worries about dunking a bait bucket to keep the spot lively and dragging it behind you from post to post.

I was thinking about coming up with something to fit in the small well behind the seat. That way i could keep my crate as well. I don't know if there is enough volume there though. It does fit the bait bucket i use so maybe I'm on to something here.

No you have the mad scientist side of my noggin talking to me.

[Redfish12]

I am going to be going mad scientist on my Trident here in a few weeks. Going to re-do my front rod holders with backing plates and a few other odds and ins. The more I think about this the more I'm thinking I may just keep the 5 gallon bucket and add the tubing to that.

A 5 gallon bucket fits through those two posts in the first compartment of your trident, pretty well actually. Plenty of room for a crate on the back but I never needed that much tackle when live-lining.

I'm going to make one of those front rod holders Joe (comeonfish) came up with for my Ride 135 too.

[DOGFISH]

The bait tube idea is also a good idea. It kinda reminds me of a tuna tube. Just keep the spot in the tube, until needed. That doesn't tie up alot of room in the kayak. It will also not create much drag. That resolves alot of problems for me. Thats amazing, I have used a tube, larger of course, for chumming, but I would not have thought of a smaller tube for live bait. No batteries or added weight for the kayak. Maybe just a bait net to catch any bait that would otherwise slip by your hands.

If in a hurry, Pet Smart has those type containers. Taxes vs Shipping vs Price?

Anyone else see any pros or cons, to the bait tube. It seems much better than a traditional bait bucket. Things like this is why I am facinated by this forum.


Thanks for that information.

[Redfish12]

I made one last year but never used it. I don't think it would help me for keeping freshwater shad alive though, they are really delicate. Smith Mountain Lake has alewives, gizzards, and threadfins. I want something that can keep those alive or a whole bunch of spot!

[mmanolis2001]

I like the 5 gal bucket idea. It has been slow at work today so i have been surfing and cant find anything that will fit in the small section behind the seat. I did stumble across this article that is perfect if you are planning on the large pet food container route.

Live Well - Part 1

Live Well - Part 2

[mmanolis2001]

And i think i found a winner. This might keep the shad alive without the expense and space of the larger bait well. I might have to try this one.

Bait Tank

[mmanolis2001]

Ok you gone and did it Redfish. I have plan and I'm finding the parts. I think this is now officially a project.

Bucket
3 1/2 gallon bucket
I think the 3 1/2 gallon bucket will be plenty to keep all the spot i need alive. Its only 11" high and should not cause an issue with weight either.

Lid
Screw top lid
This is a cool lid. It has a seal you install to the top of the bucket and a removable screw in hatch.


Bilge pump
RULE INDUSTRIES 360gph 12V Bilge Pump, 3/4" Port, 2.1A Draw, 2.5A Fuse, 3-1/2"H x 2-3/8"W

I figured i can go with the smallest bilge i could find with the small volume bucket. Should also help with battery life.

Spray Head
Attwood Adjustable Spray Aerator Head Model # 375543

Battery
12v 5amp

Same kind of battery that i use on my FF. Already have a charger so why complicate things.

The Fittings, Tubing, Switch, wiring and box are still up for debate. I might be able to fashion a box out of Tupperware and hang it from the side of the bucket. I plan on placing the bilge over one side of the kayak and a outflow tube over the other. I don't want nasty spot water draining thru my tank well.

So it looks like it will be around $70 to $90 for a self contained, portable live well.

[ictalurus]

A bucket might work better than the rectangular pet food container for menhaden and gizzard shad. From what I've seen and read, menhaden and herring-type fishes do better in round containers. A buddy of mine needed to collect live menhaden and transport them back to the lab for his research. He outfitted a bunch of big marine coolers with several aerators, but the menhaden died anyway. He ended up using 35 or 50gal round trash cans from Ace and had much better survival. Round aquariums tend to work better than rectangular, too. I'm not sure why that is. They swim laps in the round tanks, so maybe moving helps them breathe better.

[Redfish12]

Great links! I have the 3.5 gallon bucket and 5 gallon bucket laying around ($2.50 at home depot) but I'll need to invest in the pump, tubing, battery, and another dry box.

The pet food container seemed to be much better for attaching the battery and rod holders, but I agree that a round tank would be better. Both options are limited and I could probably only keep 2-3 bunker or a half dozen alewives alive for any period of time. We'll see, but I plan on having it figured out before the spot show up!

[DOGFISH]

Wow, must be winter! However, my bait bucket is now looking better and better to me. I just can't give up my crate.


How about one of those orange ammo can type containers by plano for behind the seat?

[Redfish12]

Wow, must be winter! However, my bait bucket is now looking better and better to me. I just can't give up my crate.


How about one of those orange ammo can type containers by plano for behind the seat?

They work well and you can attach rodholders... just sort of a pain unless you're only keeping a couple of plano boxes in there. I have one, only used it a few times because I found the crate to be easier to use. Might need to incorporate it into the livewell set up though...

[mmanolis2001]

Now the more I think of this the more I worry about battery life. How long will a bilge pump work of a 5 amp/h battery. I'm sure the bilge will pull over 2 amps under load. That leaves about 2 hrs run time.

I guess you could switch it off after a while to conserve battery life.

Redfish,
Did you use one of those portable bubbler thing-a-majigg? Did that keep the spot alive and well throughout the day?

[Redfish12]

I think I'm going to go with a 6v 12 amp and try to get a pump that will pull at about 1 amp. I think this should be plenty for a long day on the water.

The I got the quite bubbles and the bass pro version, both worked well but the quiet bubbles held up better and put out more air bubbles. It had no problems keeping 12-20 spot alive, but the stone would get clogged and sometimes the batteries would die and I'd have to change them on the water. I want something a little more put together this time and capable of keeping more sensitive bait alive.

It's looking like I'm going to combine the two links that you sent me at this point.

[Memory Maker]

the bubbler isn't necessary if you use apump that kees changing out the water .......... i have a big bubbler and mine keeps them alive for awhile but the guys with the pumps keep them very lively for days ......... you don't have to worry about the water level if you use a snorkle overflow tube set a couple of inches below the top of the baitwell and make it larger than the intake ......... that said ....... I'm thinkin about a bait tube