herring livewell

[scarecrow]

Im looking to make a large herring tub in My garage this spring So I can Always have them when I need them to use during the run.

Canyone anyone here give me a clue as to what I need to build this?

Thanks.

[rwilhelm]

Do a search I think you should find a lot of posts on this.

[angler management]

Not sure, but could you use a large fish tank?

Maybe make one out of Plexi glass?

I would assume you need lots of Airation and circulation to keep them alive?

I would love to know,, that sounds like a good Idea

[blackeye]

gotta have a round or oval tank-otherwise the herrings will swim into a corner and stay there and die.
check out www.livebaitlarry.com
some nice stuff in there for a good price

[Young Salt]

If you're going to make one yourself one of the easier ways is to get and then cut a 55 gallon drum...just make sure you do a good job cleaning out whatever was in there to begin with....herring dont seem to like cutting oils, kerosene, or industrial solvents.

[beachwalker]

the 80 gallon will work and they have plug ins for the truck.
2 bubblers. fill most of it with fresh water and add about 5 gallons of salt water.
you will get about four days out of your herring. then theyse be chum.

[MAC]

If you go with the big tank and put it in your truck be careful. It is over 640#s. The weight problem is that it is live weight , not like a load of bricks. The water moves around and can get scary depending on your driving. It takes alot of water too keep more than 30 or 40 herring alive for any length of time. Then there is water changes, scales to be vacuumed, filters to be cleaned, foam to deal with... the list goes on and on.

[JohnR]

The rule of thumb with live herring and a well aerated tank with cooled water and ammonia chips is 1 herring to 1.5 gallons of water. Soume conditions allow you to increase that a bit short term. YMMV

[bassmaster]

good luck with death in the garage

[Nebe]

Whud about those big feeding troughs you can get at Agway??? They are huge and hold hundreds of gallons.. plus they have drains on the bottom i think

[cheferson]

I suggest getting it setup soon as possible to get the tank to cycle. You need to get some hardy fish like goldfish in there first to get benefitial bacteria growing. These bacteria turn ammonia(extremly toxic to fish), into nitrates then nitrites(which arent as harmful as ammonia). If you go to any aquarium website and do a search on cycling , should have a ton of info.

[cheferson]

Those would be perfect eben, many pet stores use those for koi and their pond goldfish. Also i have seen a shallow one filled with lava rock , with a pipe spraying water from the fish tanks over it. Recirculated back to the tanks to grow the bacteria i was talking about. With a mature system like this that has been cycled you could hold a ton of herring without many deaths, much higher then with just airation and ammonia chips.

[bassmaster]

buddy in a nut shell. keep the water out of the sun and change Your water every day. they should last 3 days and then gold up on You.
I been at this moons. Just take what You need and use them up and go for more.
airate the water and dont forget about foam.
I use a commercial air pump I bought a good 10 years ago and its good for 100 lbs of bait.
If You do the pump thing with a bildge. dont forget about a strainer and make sure the holes wont pass scales.
when You plumb it up top 3 holes the size on a nickle is all You need.
and dont forget to pull death out as the othwers will follow.
In a nut shell the 1st 3 hours they will poop and the water will saty cleen longer.
later

[scarecrow]

thanks allot everoyne this was a big help I think I know what im gonan do.

[tlapinski]

how are you gonna get them from the river to your house and back down to the river without killing every one of them?

you really should re-think your plan. they won't last. put your time into plugging the river. if you want to take herring, take them and freeze them. it's a bit different than what every one is talking about when you are as far inland as you are.

[Rappin Mikey]

I told him I would help him out. I have the portable live well I throw on my cargo rack I use for the Cape. Never used it @ here cause up until this year there was no live-lining. I would rather throw artificial myself, but I think you would definitely be very successful (especially from my boat) in plenty of places around here. I know I'll be throwing some livies when I get the chance. But that is just me.

[tlapinski]

you guys should make a point of attending the herring status meeting next tuesday that CCA will be holding. it may make you rethink taking herring from the CT river.

i didn't realize you had a livewell, mikey. that might work. i didn't think scarecrow had his own ride, so i was a little condfused about that one.

ScareCrow doesn't have his own ride. He has me to give him rides

[scarecrow]

dana is my bitch..
Toby I am going to that herring thing.

If It convices me maybe I wont make the livewell.

[ProfessorM]

I have been catching, storing ,and fishing herring for about 12 years and every year I tell myself that this is it. I have probably hauled a million gallons of water and herring in 5 gallon buckets. It takes so much work to try to store them that it sometimes doesn't seem worth it and I have tried every method know to man. You are better off getting them and fishing them the same day. Use a portable livewell in your truck and transport them and use them up. If you have access to a river or moving water or even better saltwater for a pen you can do it, but trying to do it in a garage in a container will take a lot of work, constant water changes, and luck. It sounds like a good idea but can be very frustrating. I have pens set up in a large lake and I still cannot get them to live much more than a week. Good luck