Hobie live well

Hi guys thinking about getting one? how do you like them? it seems like a pain to  get bait out ? is it easy to take out the intake tube when landing?

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/878/Hobie-Kayak-Live-Well.html

thanks

friend of mine has one, heavy when full, not completely round so fish run into sides and dont seem to last as long as they should, is difficult to put fish in n out.

Thanks for he reply, Yeah seems like a little over kill.

Some baits might be more susceptible to death due to the shape than others.

I have one and it is great for storage as well as keeping fish cool. Never tried for crabs, but it probably would work great.

People keep anchovies alive all day on the Berkeley Pier using an aerator and regular water changes.  It doesn't have to be fancy...but it's up to you.  Use a small net when getting bait out to reduce stress and to get them out faster. 

I like my hobie live well,got it used needed a new pump, wiring and a 6v gel battery. Works damn well! Keeps live bait going all day,  yes its over kill, but the weight isnt' an issue, you can drop the drain tube lower to make the water level lower for weight,  yes a little net is keep, little bastards chovy or sardines swim quick in there!!!! I recommend them, better then the drag of a floating tank behind you. just my 2 cents!

I use the floating style. I hang it over the side when not moving. When moving I put it between my legs on the deck. Stop to fish and back in. If trolling then it does create drag.

I made a few mods to mine that I felt really helped. First I replaced the pump with a longer threaded import. This wasn't necessary but the original pump suk'd. I also cut the pre-installed outlet tube (pict bm1), maybe 3 inches off the bottom and reinstalled. Having a completely full bait tank is unnecessary and pretty dangerous as I've found out. The water level (5" or so) stays at a good level now and is more than enough water for bait, even for greenling and rockfish. I added an elbow to the bilge outlet and attached a small piece of hose which I cut at an angle.

The problem with this tank originally is that if you stop the pump it would completely drain and your bait would die, again learned the hard way. So when the tank is full and the clear hose is at an upward angle(pict bm3) the tank will stay full without the pump running. This way you don't need to have the pump running all day.

To drain the tank completely, make sure the pump is running and pumping water. Reach in and push the clear hose down close to the bottom (pict bm2), stop the pump and it will drain all the water but if you break the prime it will only drain to the outlet level tube.

This new design is more efficient, simpler and much safer imo. Now I like my bait tank.

Mike

Hmm, seems like it could use a check valve. Maybe the newer ones do? I've been slowly working on my own vittles vault tank but haven't made much progress due to other projects.

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Yup, a check would of made life a whole lot easier. I hope they do upgrade the new tank, stupid not to. My tank works great now but "some assistance required".