How do you keep bait alive?
 

I know this is a rookie question and even though I've been catching stripers for 20 years, I still have plenty of questions. A few times a year I go out on my buddies boat in Maine to fish. (all of my other fishing is from shore). We sabiki a bunch of mackerel and a few pollack, 8 to 12 inches. We put the perfect ones in his live well. Bleeders are saved for chunk and chum. The live well seems to operate fine. Fill it up with the pump switch, add water every half hour or so. Some of the fish live just great for a couple of hours, BUT most are dying within an hour, some within 15 minutes. What the heck?
Any advice would be appreciated.

I find that if the fish can't swim, they don't do too well.
A big circular well they can do laps around should help.
The on board wells are too small or too square for 8 -12 inch bait.
Overcrowding spoils moral also.

What type of livewell is it? I throw some ice in mine to cool the baits down a little, not alot of ice mind you. I also turned mine into a recirculating well, and since doing that my baits are doing much better. Also remove or use any baits that are looking a little slow

Mack's tend to die real quick even with good circulation. Don't know exactly why. Maybe stressed out easy?

macks require a large round tank. they beat themselves to death in a square one.

It is a square built-in live well. I don't think my friend would try to retro fit a round well, which sounds like it would work much better.
Does an aerator work? Anything I can add to the water?

I've had no problem keeping bait alive (macs, pollack, pogy, etc). It seem only the foul hooked ones have trouble. I have an oval tank and try to keep constant flow.

Could it be over crowding that is the main issue? Lack of O2?

If using worms in cold weather, Keep them in your mouth. Keeps them warm and lively.

You have a live well but it doesn't have an aerator?

You need to talk to a guy down in Texas named Oxydave :rotf2:

:hidin:

I net my pogies, jig for macks. My onboard livewell is not big, nor round. I like to transfer them into a Shoals baitpen when I get to the area I am going to fish, or leave it tied to my mooring when I get more bait than I am going to need or use. Check out shoalsbaitpen.com. or google bait pens for do it yourself plans.

And macks are the more difficult to keep alive.

Couple of things come to mind - temp and size.

Overloaded livewells kill fish -- better to have fewer fish in there that last longer than too many that die off.

Temp -- watertemps in wells get high quick, macs especially do well in colder water. But don't just throw ice in there - it will melt and dilute the salinity. Take 2 liter bottles, fill them with water and freeze -- they will chill down the water without adding fresh to the mix.

Alot of live wells don't have aerators, they recirculate usually.

Macks have a fast hear rate, they require more oxygen ..also note how they start to lose their color rather quickly,..lack of blood flow ....a creature built for speed, needs to speed...not be in a box. Perhaps if it was SUPED up with oxygen?? ...but like Clogston said, they'd knock themselves silly...:jump1:

Although I'm not saying it can't be successfully done. :devil2:

No aerator in there. It just fills with a switch and you add water every half hour or so. Maybe I'll try a battery aerator,. Freezing the bottles of water sounds like it will really help. Thank you all for the ideas.
In key west last year they were selling some tablets you add to the live well to help keep shrimp alive. Anything like that used up here?

Tablets are not really feasible for macks or pogies. Just have a good bait pump pushing raw water in and let in overflow back into the drink. That simple.

If the tank is square, maybe gluing some curved pieces of plastic (like a cut up bucket) into the corners would help.

Bingo a constant change of fresh oxygenated seawater should do you better...

more surface agitation = more oxygen diffusion.

I don't have a problem with pogies but I did until I upgraded my livewell pump. I had a 500gph and swapped in a Rule 1800GPH. Now the pogies live until Mrs Bass eats them. My livewell constantly flushes the water so they are always swimming in new sea water.

DON'T EAT IT
 

KEEP IT ALIVE DON'T EAT IT SAVE IT FOR THE FISH