Making a livewell into a cooler

[jethro]

Here in NH we can't use livewells unless it's a sanctioned bass tournament. I also do a lot of fishing in Maine where a livewell is even less useful- you can't possess live fish at all. If I ever get around to doing a complete overhaul of my boat, I am going to eliminate my livewell as it takes up a lot of space and ends up just being a catch all for junk. Until then, I'd like to make it into a cooler. Anyone done this? Just take some rigid insulation and line the thing with it?

 

[rscottp]

I did it with mine, I put the rigid foam on the exterior of it when I was doing my resto. Not sure how well it will hold ice when it gets hot but I will find out.

 

[satx78247]

jethro,

Can you NOT use the "live well" for keeping live bait "alive & healthy", are you an "artificials only sort" of angling gentleman OR is live bait unlawful "up there", too? ======> I knew there was at least one more reason (besides cold weather, lots of snow & ice), that I returned to Dixie at the very instant that I retired from the Army.
(I know that I must have been "warm", at some time or other, but can't remember when, I was ever warm when I was stationed at Ft Drum, Ft Indiantown Gap or Ft McCoy.)

BUT, to answer your original question, "hard, waterproof, foam insulation" panels (from the big box stores) will work fine to make a "igloo" for drinks, ice, etc. - Cut them to size, glue them in and it'll work FINE. = I did the same thing to make a built-in cooler into a BIG live bait well to keep goldfish/minnows/shrimp/finger-mullet ALIVE, with the addition of a battery powered sea-water pump.

yours, satx

 

[bobberboy]

You'll want to be sure to put a drain in the bottom

 

[jethro]

jethro,

Can you NOT use the "live well" for keeping live bait "alive & healthy", are you an "artificials only sort" of angling gentleman OR is live bait unlawful "up there", too? ======> I knew there was at least one more reason (besides cold weather, lots of snow & ice), that I returned to Dixie at the very instant that I retired from the Army.

Well, in NH livewell use was made illegal a few years ago unless you are in a sanctioned bass tournament. Good question about the bait, I never, ever fish live bait during open water season but I would assume I could use it for that. In Maine most of the waters I fish you can not posses live fish at all including bait. They sell frozen smelt for bait in these areas. And if a fish is going to become part of your daily bag, it must be killed immediately. So Basically a livewell is a huge waste of space for me- unless I can put frosty beverages in there! Then it might be the most useful part of my boat!

 

[huntinfool]

I just did this to mine. I added foam where I could and drilled small holes and used the cans of expanding foam everywhere else. I put a bag of ice in mine one evening last week. After 3 hours at 80 degrees it was still ice. I forgot to check it the next morning on my way to work. But when I got home it was very cold water. So it is going to work great.

 

[satx78247]

jethro,

That area must NOT have BIG flathead catfish (or nobody fishes for them, perhaps???) as the flatheads seldom will hit nothing but live bait. = I generally use larger bream, sunfish, other perch or LARGE goldfish for bait for the large blue cats, flatheads & landlocked stripers.

yours, satx

 

[jethro]

Ohh satx no no, now you are just talking silly talk for us northerners!! No use of spiny fish at all for bait including perch and sunfish. We can use shiners and smelt. But up here we don't have big cats at all, we have hornpout or brown bullhead and we typically catch them with crawlers.

Here's me with one that bit a Senko while I was fishing for largemouth:

Anyway, I found a sheet of 1" foil faced polyiso board that will be perfect for this project!

 

[satx78247]

jethro,

Fwiw, I've used GOLDFISH, (hatchery-raised) RAINBOW TROUT, SUNFISH & PERCH of 6-10" in length for bait for flatheads, blue cats & particularly for BIG stripers.
(Lake Texoma has landlocked stripers that will try to drag you out of the boat and I've heard that there are NILE PERCH in the lake now. = Nile perch can weigh 100+ pounds "in their home waters"!!!)

Note: In the late summer of 2009 a "large multi-colored fish" of >10 pounds was caught (while fishing for crappie) on a light spinning rig at the "cold spring-fed" lake on Daingerfield State Park.
The fish was identified by a warden of TP&WD as an "oversize" RAINBOW TROUT, which either "escaped while being used as a live bait" or was "unofficially stocked by person(s) unknown". - Therefore, based on other occasional catches since then, there is evidently a "self-sustaining population" of Rainbows now in that lake.

I said all that to say this: You should "come on down our way" to try your luck on fish that grow somewhat larger than the pictured fish!
(CHUCKLE)

yours, satx

 

[satx78247]

jethro,

Speaking of BIG fish in fresh water, I heard last year of a fellow, who was fishing for catfish with a BIG perch for bait on a heavy-duty "muskie rod" & caught a BULL SHARK about 10 miles from the Gulf, here in south TX.
Presumably the 9+foot/over 250 pound Bull was coming inland to give birth to her pups.
(In case you don't know the BULL is THE MOST DANGEROUS of the man-eating sharks and they are "specially equipped" to stay in fresh/brackish water for extended periods.)
Read CLOSE TO SHORE by Michael Capuzzo for more information on the REAL incidents that were the inspiration for the book/movie, JAWS.
(A movie made out of that REAL incident would be SCARIER than JAWS, imVho.)

There is ONE confirmed case where a BULL was caught over 1,000 miles UP the Mississippi River and several have been reported as caught in numerous FL freshwater/man-made canals, almost in people's back yards.
(I wouldn't intentionally go for a swim off their piers, thank you very much!)

yours, satx

 

[Keystone]

Off topic:

satx78247, are you in the NE part of S A? Near Selma, TX? Spent allot of my Friday nights in the 80's at The Blue Bonnet Palace. Did this while I was TDY to Lackland AFB attending the MWD School's.

 

[satx78247]

Keystone,

YEP. We have a house just across the road from Emerald Island subdivision about a mile from Retama Park racetrack and about 5 miles from RAFB.

yours, satx

 

[huntinfool]

I caught about a 12lbs flathead on a zoom lizard. Dropped down next to a culvert pipe in a local bayou. Thought I had hooked another good bass, but it just took off swimming. I eventually caught it, but it was plenty fun. I think those flatheads will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouths.

 

[satx78247]

huntinfool,

You must have dropped that zoom lizard right in his mouth as flatheads GENERALLY DON'T hit artificials or take cut bait. = In over 50 years of fishing for flatties, I know of ONE other flathead taken on artificial bait.

yours, satx

 

[ccm]

satx78247 » 27 Jun 2014, 10:30[/url]"]huntinfool,

You must have dropped that zoom lizard right in his mouth as flatheads GENERALLY DON'T hit artificials or take cut bait. = In over 50 years of fishing for flatties, I know of ONE other flathead taken on artificial bait.

yours, satx

They will hit Berkley power bait. The current record for Richland Chambers lake is an 80lber taken on a purple Berkley flipping tube. I Know of 2 more fish coming from the same area caught on 10 inch power worms. One was officially weighed in at 75lbs and the other that was caught weighed 50+. I can go on & on here & name scores of anglers who have caught big flatheads on artificial baits. Though these are accidental catches made by bass fisherman. The best way to target giant flatheads in reservoirs is trot lining with giant baits ( I prefer bullheads around a pound with the fins snipped off ). They can be quite predictable and patterns can be established like any other fish. I learned how to trotline from my dad who learned from some veteran commercial fisherman.

 

[satx78247]

ccm,

INTERESTING.

Fyi, I "trotlined my way through college" (My dad had just died & I suddenly was "flat broke" at the beginning of my 2nd semester of school, so my lady & I peddled fish to pay tuition, board & room. - After awhile, my biggest problem was catching/dressing as many fish as people in town would buy from April. Her success at "direct sales" may have had something to do with how she looked in a "crop top" & shorts!!!!) & have NEVER heard of ANYBODY routinely catching flatheads on artificials.

My favorite trotline bait for BIG blues & flatties is carp about 1-2 pounds, BIG perch and/or @10" goldfish. = Those live baits will stay lively for DAYS on a line.

yours, satx

 

[huntinfool]

So I added ice to mine again in 90+ degree temps. Put it in at 11am while working on my boats anchor storage. Here is the ice at 7 pm


As you can see it did great. I added what I thought was about a 10lbs sack.
I'd say go for it.