Livewell for the Vehicle

[Chris in Mass]

Looking into a setup for a handful of bunker to be transported short distances, and to be fished the same day. The Cabelas KeepAlive 20 gallon Tank System seems like an expensive option ($235). I'm thinking that their KeepAlive Aerator (about $45) and a nice cooler would do the trick (20 gallon big enough?). Anyone do this and how successful are you in keeping the bait fresh? I did a small experiment last summer. It appeared that the cooler and aerator were a little small. Bunker was decently stressed. Thanks, Chris

[Raider Ronnie]

I've got a nice set up I will sell you.
pm me for more info

[niko]

had a 30g insulated keepalive. was great. would keep herring for days. as far as the cooler - try it. round would be a better shape. w/ the herring moratorium there are alot around collecting dust so put up a post in the classifieds.

[rickhern]

Whatever system you use, if you are snagging, be sure to let the baits bleed out before putting them in the livewell, and then , only use the healthy ones. A little blood will kill them quick in tight confines.

[stiff tip]

if u r moving pogies ,remember bigger is better 4 transporting 2gal = 1 pogie . make your own w/ 55gal drum cut in half or layed on its side ...use commerical grade airator or a 1100+ gpm bilge pump . or both .. k.i.m. 1gal =8lbs .no blood in tank.keep it foam free w/ a salteen cracker.block of ice to chill saltwater. ovel is better than squaire. a good batt...for 10-12 pogies for 2hrs u need at least 30 gal tank...... or find one cheap from a x herrin chocker....or c raider ronnie .......dave ..re..former herrin transporter

[NIB]

Right on with the bleeders, the blood clogs their gills..When snagging I would have two pails.One for transport to the truck and another to bleed em out in that has to be changed with every bleeder..
You to handle them as little as possible.You will remover their slime.Picky bass can tell when a fish has it's slime removed.They will just play wit em.I guess it is harder to get em down.
Cabela's 50 gallon round tank is awesome.It can probably hold up to a dozen baits with cool water no problem.For air it is hard to beat the Dayton pump.It's shaped like a coffe can and draws .08 amps.Run a line with a quick connection.I used light gage extension cords...

[NIB]

This little pump is all you need.Not bad money and draws around 1/4 amp..Get a better stone diffuser.I could not find the Dayton pumps.A friend has this one.It's so quite you can't tell if it's running..Keeping the water cool and fresh is as or more important than the amount of air..I use plastic pepsi bottles with frozen water in em.You do not want to add ice with bunker.They don't like the fresh water.I do use a Keep Alive water additive.It promotes fish slime,keeps em calm. That's good as they are more active when stressed which in turn they will need more oxygen.Don't over do it..You could fashion a tank from a plastic 60 gallon drum also.Lots of guys I now use em.The car wash places get their soap in these and have em for nothing..Cut it a little bigger than half.You can make a top out of 3/4 plywood set down about 3 inches.This keeps the water from going all over when filling with a pail..Screw it in from the sides.Some silicone..Cut out a door,use a hinge and a little closer lock..I would suggest to poly the lid..Install a drain cock on the bottom.Or as close to the bootom as you can..Your going to have to be inventive here.Use A Marine grade chaulk/sealant.A drain with a valve helps.With a detachable hose.Some don't use a valve,They tape off a S hook on the hose and secure it above the water line..You will use this to drain water(da).You will need at least of foot of water in a pail to transport your bait to your fishing location.I have made maybe 5 or six of these over the years.We used to have a 200 gallon tank for group Bunker/herring runs.You can penn Bunker also.If they have enough room they will last quite a while as long as the water is cool..If you want a I can take a pic of my set-up.It used to be THE way to fish for large in the spring/summer here in NJ..

[stiff tip]

chris....once u transport your bait to your location than get landrey basket w/ cover for a live cart and place your live bait in the basket in the sea water.. live well should be used for transporting .move your bait to salt water if poss.

[Chris in Mass]

Through NIB's suggestion, was able to snag a plastic 55 gal plastic drum from the local car wash for nada. Cut it down to about a 25 gallon size. From all the info recieved, plus how I'm going to fish this method, and the vehicle/gear ratio, this seemed to be the optimal size for me.

The top was sealed on, so I cut that off too and will try to re-use it. It is now slightly smaller then the belly of my newly formed tub, hence the reason for the two, 2" wide bands you see (cut those from the excess body). I think I will create an inside lip with the bands so the top will be more snug. Scraped off all the burs created by the cutting process with a small hand planer. Whole process so far took about 45 minutes. I'll post more pics as I progress. Hope it helps someone someday. Time for beer and football.

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Chris in Mass

Through NIB's suggestion, was able to snag a plastic 55 gal plastic drum from the local car wash for nada. Cut it down to about a 25 gallon size. From all the info recieved, plus how I'm going to fish this method, and the vehicle/gear ratio, this seemed to be the optimal size for me.

The top was sealed on, so I cut that off too and will try to re-use it. It is now slightly smaller then the belly of my newly formed tub, hence the reason for the two, 2" wide bands you see (cut those from the excess body). I think I will create an inside lip with the bands so the top will be more snug. Scraped off all the burs created by the cutting process with a small hand planer. Whole process so far took about 45 minutes. I'll post more pics as I progress. Hope it helps someone someday. Time for beer and football.

Looks small.
You rarely fill it to the top with water.It wants to spill out..
So you have a 23 gallon tank.
The top has to be secured.The lid has to be secured It all has to be water tight or your gonna have a mess.The water is going to slosh around.
You'll need a door for the top.
If you can get a chlorine pail with a screw lid they work well as a door also.Cut the pail and set it into the top.You'll have to cut a nice round hole in the top.The screw lid works well as a door...Use stainless hardware for everything..Big pan heads screws like size 12, in 3/4" length will work to hold the top on.Pre drill slightly smaller, and silicone the hell out of it.It's still better to use the plywood like I suggested.It will give ya something to screw the inside of the pail for the door to.If ya go that route.Use 1" screws.

[stiff tip]

what do u drive .if it a truck make live well at least 35 gal .resess the cover 1or 2 inchs .cut hole in cover big enouph to store your 5gal pails when m-t ,put rope handles on it for moving around. live wells r e-z to make .good airation system and lots of room it the key to livies .... imo your tank looks a little small for 12 pogies .mabey ok for herrin. i keep 2 live wells 1 @ 35 1@ 55 gal .i could keep 20 or 40 herrin for 4hrs ok w/ cold water with these, half that # for pogies keep the foam out w/a saltian cracker

[Chris in Mass]

It is on the small side. I wasn't ignoring you guys. Here's the deal and I'll try not to bore you with my life story. I take about 50 trips a year from April through Dec. Problem is, I go once a weekend and I have about a 4-6 hour window to fish. Being a soloist, I'm figiuring I will probably use about 6 bunker at most when I do this. Plus my vehicle is a Honda Pilot. so with my other gear, this size semed to be the most practical.

Anyway, Here is how it turned out. I redirected back to NIB's suggestions and used a wooden top. For an access hole, I went with a cut down 5 gallon bucket. I would have preferred the screw top clorine bucket, but the pool place was not open today.

[GattaFish]

Nice tank,,,,, I would have used laminating epoxy to seal the wood top before installing it then caulked it into place,,,,,

[stiff tip]

chris ....like i said ,there e-z to make ...it looks great . you will customize and twik it to your needs. if you can put the pogies in a live cart when you get there its better. ...nib i bet u have build a few live wells before .i never had luck with bubbles alone .even in the swiming pool w/ 2500 gal current w/ circlualtion, changing the water , and shade worked best for about 400 herrin .....

[stiff tip]

lets talk about rule 1100 pump w/ air ventorie ,for flow and air bubbles .flow should be in the clockwize flow . i could go on but you dont need it ........

[Saltheart]

I've never done pogies in my truck but I did do herring for many years. the keep alive seemed fine to me. The round sponge that goes around the outside of the pump keeps the scales out of the pump. You just need to clean it now and then , epsecially after you first catch them and there are lots of scales coming off do to the handling. also as stated above , you really want to get the bait fish back into the water in a laundry basket. This not only keeps them alive better but also gives some who have been stressed in the tank a chnace to get reoxigenated and recover.

So that's a vote for Keep alive but i have to say that trying to catch and keep bait alive in your motor vehicle is the single biggest PITA in fishing!

[Saltheart]

We used to add ice to keep things cool and some anti foam and anti ammonia drops. You can get it from any tackle shop that has livewells for eels and shiners.

[Chris in Mass]

For completeness for future searches...
Here is a final shot of the unit. Tank tested fine - water tight. I tried a couple of stones from Petco. They looked great, big pancake disks, heavy, etc. They ended up s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g and the ones that came with the Power Bubbles were much better (aquaticeco.com will be next as needed). Drilled three small holes in lid to relive pressure from aerator. I also bought a car charger extension from radio shack, cut it half, put the male on the aerator and the female on the clips that came with aerator. Now I can do cigarette lighter or direct to a battery.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...7&d=1237166961

[trw101]

hello all,
New to the site, seems a lot of interesting info such as this thread.

I am curious of what the maximum amount of time you could keep a bait like pog/mac alive for in a holding tank such as this design? Assuming the baits are in good condition when they enter. I know it's been a while on this one, hope I can bring it back to life. Thanks for the info.
TRW101

[JohnR]

Probably repost your question in the main forum, this area is more historical favorites. A lot of factors determine how long, water, temps, ammonia, flushing, sunlight, shape, etc - no surprises there really

[Chris in Mass]

Originally Posted by trw101

hello all,
New to the site, seems a lot of interesting info such as this thread.

I am curious of what the maximum amount of time you could keep a bait like pog/mac alive for in a holding tank such as this design? Assuming the baits are in good condition when they enter. I know it's been a while on this one, hope I can bring it back to life. Thanks for the info.
TRW101

Hi TRW, Even though I have built one, unfortunately I don't have the hands on experience yet to answer this one. I have been out about 4 times early in the season with the tank and struck out each time from shore. I was hoping a salty veteren would be able to answer this one for you. Follow John's advice.