Trash Can to Baitwell conversion - advice?

[Arbutis]

I'm in the process of trying to improve upon my baitwell/livewell contraption. Last year I took a large 44 gal Brute trash can and rigged it for an onboard livewell. It worked very well to keep fish and crabs alive and kicking but when I dumped a net full of bunker in, the death toll added up quickly. I assume that my 'flow' is a bit off and I need to aerate more and circulate better. I have a very basic setup of pumping water in and draining water out through a drain tube in the side of the can.

This year I am upgrading my pump (800gph Rule Tournament Series) and attaching it to a thru-hull with a scoop to collect water while under way. In the past I had very poor flow of water coming in while going slow to medium speed. I am also thinking about creating 2 inflow water valves (a top for aeration and a bottom for fresh bottom water) and a drain which drains the bottom water first. Previously my drain was just draining the top water and the bad water was basically staying stagnant at the bottom. I'll get some photos to post soon.

My question to this forum - who else has a homemade livewell and if successful, how do you have it rigged. I'm looking for BIG ones - none of these little cooler conversions. Mine is BIG and round with no internal obstructions - the goal being to let the bunker swim in a circle without bumping into things. Thanks.

[ReelNauti]

VERY timely post and as a bunkerologist along w/ Capt Paul on the Bounty Hunter (http://www.bountyhuntercharters.com), I can tell you R&D on this subject can be expensive and heartbreaking!!

Your mortality rate is a direct result of "overcrowding". Too much bunker slime in a small area w/ a baitfish that is already stressed leads to a quick death. DO NOT throw these fresh dead "livies" overboard. Put them on ice (NOT in a slurry) and use them rigged the same way as a livie, drifting the bottom and you will hook up just as quickly as using a live bunker. Bass are lazy and that fresh, dead bunker drifting along the bottom is desert for a big un.

But back to your well. You need first to determine how your waste water is going to flow overboard (and you want the waste water pumping overboard to create a trail for the bass to follow, those of you castnetters, dont be too quick to hose the deck down after dumping the net, get yourself back to the catching zone, set your baits out, THEN hose the deck....i know, the deck is slippery, deal with it).

your choice is either over the gunnel or out the scupper, your choice, both methods work. On the CockRobin.com, we cascade three 55 gallon drums starting with the first drum dumping into the second and finally the third drum evacuating at the bottom. We do this to rotate the baits as we net/ snag them. The first drum is where we triage the baits. As the water clears of slime and blood, we move the baits to the second and third drum to best utilize our space. Too often I watch fellows dump 50-75 bunkies in a drum and complain they die, you try swimming ass to elbow in a pool and tell me how you survive!!

the bunker want to swim in a continuous circle. try to get into a mindset that you do not need to make bait for the day all in one shot. On the CockRobin.com, we try to figure 3-5 baits per angler, knowing that we will need to make 7-10 baits per customer to factor dead loss. figure 20 anglers, I'm needing 200 pieces from the get go. I wont put 70 pieces in each drum, instead, we shoot for the 5 pieces, putting 30 pieces in each drum and we set out targeting the BASS. those anglers we have aboard that are then skilled enough to snag and drop, we can refactor our bait needs.

I wouldnt run aeration and water flow, the water flow will give you enough aeration. Get your 20- 30 pieces (enough for 5-6 guys, dont know how many guys youre fishing) and increase your water flow, while opening your exit valve. (you can also stop your incoming water). let the drum drain to 1/4 full and slow the exit while filling with clean water. the slime and blood will filter very quickly, giving you happy bunkies.

if you dont catch your BASS limit with those pieces, set off to make bait again. whenever possible, snag and drop.

on days you find you have bait leftover, drop it off at the CockRobin.com and we will put in our pen overnight for you....returning 1 piece for every 4 you drop in!!

i'll look for some pictures of our set up, youre on the right track, but no amount of water filtration is going to solve an overcrowded bait tank.

Hopefully Capt Sal Cursi (www.cathysea.com)will chime in, this topic is his specialty

[shresearchdude]

I've kept many fish alive in spaces that you wouldn't think were big enough.
I concur with the above.

Don't get greedy. Too many fish = death
Airstones aren't necessary if you are exchanging water fast enough.
Cull out the dead/dying which are "consuming" the life support of the ones that are in good shape. And use them.

In addition keeping the fish in the dark helps. I always keep the lid on cooler/livewells closed as much as I can. It helps calm them down.

[irishc]

I've been tinkering with different bait tanks over the years and have had pretty good success... Here's a few things I have found that might help reguardless of what set up you have:

The key to keeping baits alive is to keep the water fresh & clean, and circulating. Ideally, you want to have enough water flowing into the tank to completly turn it over at least every 10 min. That said, go with an 1100 gal./hr pump instead of the 800 gal/hr pump. This may seem overkill but remeber the water presure and amount of water the pump is actually moving decreases over distance and the height it has to travel. Sounds like you allready have this one covered but make sure you're using an areator pump. The infusion of air into the water will also help keep the bait alive. Scoop out foam and if there is a lot of blood in the water drain it out quickly with a bucket and replace it with fresh. And like the other guys said, don't overstuff the tank and cull the dead ones out.