live bait tank

I know bait tanks have been discussed to death but I haven't seen anything recently. Is there a general concensus on the best way to rig one up? Any new ideas out there? Could some one that has a very good system list the exact parts with photos and include the make/model/volt etc of the pump. I would like to build one for next week hali hunting.

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/community/showthread.php?t=68751&highlight=bait+tank

Try this site.

That is a nice setup and even better tutorial. But I would NOT want 62lbs of water in the tankwell of my kayak. It's just unnecessary, unless you plan to compete in the Bass N Tubes tourney circuit which requires a livewell onboard.

http://www.kayakfishinggear.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=85

thats why they have the lower level drain - for baitfish only.

I have a Shimano unit I bought from OEX and it is my favorite so far.  OEX rigs there own with better parts than the Shimano kit.  When I got home I rewired it to make it cleaner.  Its not perfect, but its the best pump dragger I have seen.

I have thought about rigging a bait well but have decided against it. I am going to go lightweight this year, less tackle etc. I have had good luck with jus putting the chovies etc in a PVC tube with holes drilled in it and dragging it behind the yak. Seems to keep them frisky long enough. I generally spend no more than 4 hours on the water anyway.

I could see the benefit on a long days trip, but for me less is more.

Stoggie

In my (albeit limited) experience, a sophisiticated live bait setup is only really necessary for anchovies, which are fragile and die quickly. For smelt or shiners, a plano/frabill bucket is just fine. It can be tossed in the water when drifiting or hauled into the yak when paddling; those baitfish are hardy enough to deal with iit

If you have water in your footwells just toss em in there. I've kept bait alive all day in my footwells when fishing.

I'm a fan of the plano bucket...acts as a drift shoot when tossed overboard as well.  I transport the bait in a cooler, then transfer to the plano (the flat topped one). Pull it out for paddling. Cheap, no electronics to fail.

Sucks major if you're trying to put anchovies in it-but they're about the frailest things ever

In my (albeit limited) experience, a sophisiticated live bait setup is only really necessary for anchovies, which are fragile and die quickly. For smelt or shiners, a plano/frabill bucket is just fine. It can be tossed in the water when drifiting or hauled into the yak when paddling; those baitfish are hardy enough to deal with iit

True. Anchovies will croak if you look at 'em wrong. From what I've heard Shad are pretty frail also. But do you think there's going to be a difference between live bait that's beat up/on death's door and fresh n' frisky? Until now I've only used a bait tube and the fish seem good at first but unfortunately get shredded and pooped in a few hours. When I use a bait tank they're in really good condition. I don't fish live bait enough to tell the diff. but would be interested in hearing the consensus from the regular masterbaiters.

Z

But do you think there's going to be a difference between live bait that's beat up/on death's door and fresh n' frisky?

Absolutely, I think Frisk Factor is very important. All my experience on party boats, yaks and piers tells me frisky bait catch more fish. The guys kicking back and bs'ing while their moribund bait lies half dead on the bottom always catch fewer fish than the obsessive englishman frantcially changing his bait every 10 minutes and sorting thru the livebait well for the friskiest volunteer.

I have made something last year how to keep the anchovies alive. Unfortunately,
I have not proven it yet to see if it would actually work. I need to find a way to
transport the bait then it supposed to go in the water. That was my plan anyhow.

Jedmo

Frabil bucket and a simple, battery powered, clip-on aerator works good for me

Other methods described here are very interesting though

Absolutely, I think Frisk Factor is very important. All my experience on party boats, yaks and piers tells me frisky bait catch more fish. The guys kicking back and bs'ing while their moribund bait lies half dead on the bottom always catch fewer fish than the obsessive englishman frantcially changing his bait every 10 minutes and sorting thru the livebait well for the friskiest volunteer.

I agree with NB. Especially after owning a voracious predator for a pet! Seriously. When I feed my datnoid frozen shrimp I just thaw it and drop it in the tank in watery clumps. What happens is that all the bait gets caught in the current from my filter and basically showers down into the tank. My datnoid instinctively picks off any pieces that are moving faster or more erratically than the rest....even if they are smaller than some of the "normal" floating pieces.

Not sure if that makes sense or not...?