something to ponder?

I have been beating my head agaisnt the wall about my livewell. The bait keep dying. I am using the a 52qt coleman cooler with a recycling fountain (bait saver). I refresh the water every hr or so and still the weaker bait come up floating. I always saltwater fish and dont have any problem with the pinfish but the greenbacks and threadfins dont fair so well. So I read on the good ole web that some bait dont like square wells but a round well is not feasible in my boat. Somebody mentioned somewhere that having circulation in the baitwell will help the bait not beat themselves up in the corners. So I used Russ's, Bassboy's idea for a livewell except I drilled three 1/8" holes in the verticle pvc aimed along the backside of the coller and was suprised to see that it produced a bit of a circular motion around the cooler. Do you think this will work? or Do you think that dead bait is just part of the game and I must live with it? thanks in advance for your input.

Gary

I read somewhere that a guy can keep his baitfish alive by running the pump continuously with water changes.

I think it's the ammonia that kills the weaker fish, and constant turnover will help some.

Also, do you have any ventilation holes near the top of the cooler, or do you keep the lid closed all the time? cracking the lid a little, or a few ventilation holes will help with the ammonia build up.

I've heard the same thing about round walls, and the only way that I really know you can get around that is by getting a strip of flashing and forming a circle that will fit in your cooler and just placing it in the cooler - but I don't think that will help you that much in your case.

Thanks Russ, I never thought about ammonia building up in the air. I will see if I can come up with a way to vent the top without it spilling while under power.

Gary

After reading your posts I did a quick web search for small exterior roof vents. Came up with one site. Checkout the first picture on the page when it loads. I wonder if something like the 2" size with tee fitting across the top would work to vent the ammonia? Youi'd probably need a floor flange to attach to the top of livewell, then glue the straight vertical piece into the flange. Just a thought

https://www.plumbingsupply.com/vent_pipe_filters.html

I'm not familiar with saltwater bait fish, but have you tried adding ice to the livewell? I know it works wonders on freshwater minnows.

if you are thinking about a rounded livewell you can use a plastic keg tub and build a lid that is what a lot of guys around here do for herring

as for a vent for the live well this will do the trick


https://www.v-t2.com/

The round well is nice, but that is to keep the bait from swimming into the corners. So, you will be seeing red nosed bait if that is your problem. You probably need more of a filtration system. For bass, an aerator does fine, but these bait like to die if you just look at them. I will be making a 20 gallon version of this.

https://seeinstripes.com/bbt.htm

The filtration system consists of a bilge pump on the bottom, that runs to the filter box at the top. The water trickles through the filter material (bonded polyester) then trickles back into the well. As it does that, it is reoxygenated. Not the greatest method out there, but definitely one of the more affordable options.

Something that has increase the life expectancy of my minnows in their bucket was leaving the dip net in there. Gives them a little hidey hole to hide in and rest instead of swimming around and tiring themselves out. When I put Shrimps in the bait bucket (when salt water fishing) we also throw in a small wash rag. Same principal, the shrimps have something to hold on to and live longer.

Add salt! Throw a handful of water softener salt in your water and let it dissolve...it will extend the life of your bait by many hours.

bassboy1 said:

The round well is nice, but that is to keep the bait from swimming into the corners. So, you will be seeing red nosed bait if that is your problem. You probably need more of a filtration system. For bass, an aerator does fine, but these bait like to die if you just look at them. I will be making a 20 gallon version of this.

https://seeinstripes.com/bbt.htm

The filtration system consists of a bilge pump on the bottom, that runs to the filter box at the top. The water trickles through the filter material (bonded polyester) then trickles back into the well. As it does that, it is reoxygenated. Not the greatest method out there, but definitely one of the more affordable options.

Click to expand...

i made on of them like a month ago ill try and find the pics of it on my computer

it was pretty easy to build took me like 30 minutes i think the barrel is 20 gallons it works pretty good with shinners i have kept them in there all day without them dying

Thanks Guys for all yhe great ideas. Im going to vent the lid and see how that holds up.

Bassboy, My bait dont have red noses they are just floating.Pin fish have no problem with (they are durable), the problem lies with the greenies which I know tend to die alot easier then other bait.

Thanks again

Gary

rcgreat said:

Bassboy, My bait dont have red noses they are just floating.Pin fish have no problem with (they are durable), the problem lies with the greenies which I know tend to die alot easier then other bait.

Click to expand...

Then my guess isn't that it is the shape of your well, but the lack of filtration. Filtration is a must for bait. They quickly contaminate the water, and the ammonia levels shoot sky high. Salt, and a good filtration system will be your best bet. The bubba style tank is considered to be the absolute bare minimum for keeping shad alive (I have no experience with the baits you mention, but can't imagine them being different).

How are you gathering your bait? Cast net? A lot of those guys can't handle being handled. Just the fact that they get trapped in a net and then grabbed and put in a bucket is a death sentence for them.

Popeye said:

How are you gathering your bait? Cast net? A lot of those guys can't handle being handled. Just the fact that they get trapped in a net and then grabbed and put in a bucket is a death sentence for them.

Click to expand...

Yes I am using a net. I never thought about touching them. I know trout are sensitive to human touch but never thought about bait. I was also thinking I could use them as chum. I will try to go directly from the net to the well from now on.

Gary

A 5 gallon bucket works well to dump minnows, I also use it to carry my net in.

This is the shad tank I built this winter. I have only tried it out on minnows so far and it worked well but you could keep those alive in anything. This tank is designed to filter the lost scales and the ammonia that kills shad quickly.
https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6725

Quachita, I saw that awhile back. I really like what you did nice and clean. That is what I will do next if this does not work out for me. Right now I am using the stuff I have laying around the house. (wife says I have too much money wrapped up in my "cheap" fishing boat as it is) . I will see how my baitwell works next time I get out on the water.

Thanks again guys for all the help and keep the ideas coming.

Gary