DIY Live/Bait Well

[Kayak_Crabber]

Here is my version of the popular live well used by kayak anglers. It took me two days to do the research, scavenge for parts, and put it all together. Most parts were sourced from PetSmart, West Marine, Ace Hardware, and my garage.

I followed the instruction from HOOK1's site and used a pet food container as the base for this project.





The battery box is located in the front of the live well in order to have better access to the switch. I do not leave it running the whole time. I switch it on and off every 15 minutes or so. The battery box is a Pelican 1150. The 12v battery fits nice and there is just enough room for the wiring.





I also installed a drain plug in the front of the tank, again for better access. I drain some water out when on the move, or on the way back. All the weight of the tank (48 lbs) makes the kayak a bit unstable and heavy. I may add a second drain plug on the other side.



You can never have enough rod holders in a kayak.



The bilge pump hose is a 3/4" ID and the wire hose is 3/8" ID. The bilge pump is a Rule 360 gph. It has enough power to fill the tank very quickly.



I may add some pad eyes on it to keep it secured on the tank well of the kayak.

Here is a pic of the live well out on the water after testing it out. Pic was taken by BigGrizzly.



Overall, I am very happy how this project turned out. It worked like a charm out in the water. It kept 6 good sized Croakers and 4 Spots alive all day long. I think this live well will work for crabs as well.

[Skidsteer]

Very nice work!

Do you know how many gallons of water are in it when full?

[daddyg]

That is a real nice and very clean job

[Kayak_Crabber]

The live well is "full" when the water line reaches the holes and it starts draining. Being full will vary depending on how low or high the drain holes are located. But for the one I have, it holds about 6 gallons when full.

[MetroMan]

Nice work! that thing looks top notch!

[mweber02]

Looks great!

[YaknBass]

nice work!! clean nicely thought out!!

[Joker]

Nice setup!
I'm just down the road from you.

[mytmouse]

Looks sweet! How much did you drop into it?

[JohnE]

I have had most of the parts to make mine sitting in the garage for a while. I have the same pump from west marine, but I think my battery is smaller and I was going to have my pickup stick through a scupper hole with a bulb for priming. I didn't finish making it last month because I was thinking about returning the pet food container and just using a 5 gallon bucket with a screw top lid from Home Depot. I use 5 gallon buckets with gamma seal screw top lids for storing dog food and realized the pet food container from petco is sort of ridiculously priced.

The only thing I still don't have is the waterproof switch..I thought it was too expensive when I was at West Marine and was going to try and find one cheaper online somewhere. But I ended up finding out that the price was not too bad actually. My project is going to end up around $150 or so if I use the pet food container or just a little over $100 if I use the 5 gallon buck with Gamma screw top lid.

[Frogsauce]

Any objections to using a stringer for catches? Other than the possibility of a blue or shark coming to steal your catch?

This is the cleanest looking homemade bait tank I have seen so far. Would be great for keeping bait spot.

[JohnE]

Any objections to using a stringer for catches? Other than the possibility of a blue or shark coming to steal your catch?

This is the cleanest looking homemade bait tank I have seen so far. Would be great for keeping bait spot.

I use stringers on a regular basis. I want one of these to keep my live bait as lively as possible. I have just been using bubble boxes in a bucket or my pvc bait tube for as long as I have been kayak fishing. My friend has the hobie livewell and I figured I could make a similar version for a lot less than $400.

[Frogsauce]

I agree with that! $400 is pretty steep for some bubbles and a container. I actually do the same thing you do, bubbler in a 5 gal bucket with the plano topper. But this is a nice one. I am thinking it might be my next project. But I would try to get the bilge pump down in a scupper hole or something.

[JohnE]

I agree with that! $400 is pretty steep for some bubbles and a container. I actually do the same thing you do, bubbler in a 5 gal bucket with the plano topper. But this is a nice one. I am thinking it might be my next project. But I would try to get the bilge pump down in a scupper hole or something.

I'm going to have the pump above the scupper but a tube attached to it down through as a pickup. I got a gas primer bulb at west marine on sale for $15. Use the bulb to prime and no need to have pump dragging in the water.

[Evanb84]

I just built one of these myself out of a standard cooler....I have the same 360gph pump, how long does your battery last?