Trying to figure out where I went wrong with my process of getting bait tank water ready for herring that I purchase at local bait shop. I thought I had figured out (for the most part) the tricks of the trade when it comes to keeping herring alive for stripers. I’ve read that keeping bait alive during the summer is difficult and certainly was scratching my head this past weekend.
My typical process is:
Striper Soup Uninsulated 26 Gallon Filtered Tank with venturi pump.
Fill tank with tap water from storage lot that I keep my boat at. Which is about a 10-15 minute ride to bait shop.
Add de-chlorinating chemical to water per directions.
Add couple large handfuls of salt to filter tube.
Added 2 frozen 20oz cup sized ice chucks that I prefreeze at home and put in filter tube to keep water temp down. And typical throughout the day add a little more of the de clorine chemical to combat the frozen tap water ice.
Turn tank on to begin circulating before leaving storage lot.
I get to bait shop and shoot temp of my tank and get 68/69 degrees
Shoot the bait shop and get a 56 degree reading (which is unusually low and kind of surprised me)
I put in another cup sized block of ice into filter tube then get my bait.
3 dozen herring.
Air temp that day was high 80’s but didn’t break 90. That being said, most bait was dead within an hour.
I’ve gotten bait from this shop a dozen times before (although only a couple times this summer). They don’t have a way to use their water other than 5 gallon buckets so I’ve resorted to using tap water.
I know the temp differential of the tanks has something to do with it but boy was I disappointed to have all the bait die before even getting started fishing.
Will … I’m not sure you’re letting your tap water cure long enough before putting the bait in …
I have well water … my well water is typically 10 degrees +/- from the bait shop and probably 20 - 25 degrees lower than summertime lake temps … I do not chill my water at all …
I realize that your tank is not insulated, but you can either wrap your tank in insulation or get a small O2 bottle … Unless you’re planning to be out there all day in the heat of the day the water shouldn’t get hot enough to kill the herring just by ambient air temperature alone …
That said, I go back to the chemical process … If you have to use tap water, then I would fill your tank the night before and treat it …Then run your tank in the morning on the way to the bait shop to make sure it’s aerated enough … After that, you should be fine … I wouldn’t add any ice or anything like that unless you’re going to be out there all day - in which case I would invest in an O2 tank, regulator, and diffusor which will oxygenate the tank and keep it cool …
But if you’re fishing Murray during 5 & Done you should be done long before the sun burns up your tank …
I do know that the bait shop has some type of ‘chiller coil’ thats jerry rigged into their tanks. Its very make shift looking but somehow chills their water.
I’m just perplexed as to why i had issues this go around vs the dozen or so times i’ve bought bait from them this year. Surprisingly, here on lake lanier, there arent many bait shop options. and the next closest one from where I keep my boat is 30 minutes more up the road (much nicer one with well water fill hose for tanks- very convenient).
Another complexity of my situation, is that I live an hours drive away from where i keep my boat/lake so filling the night before is rarely an option.
Guess i may just risk it back injury wise and carry buckets of water out from inside the bait shop (but not ideal at all).
It seems like tap water this time of year has more chlorine and clorimine in it due to the high temps that support bacteria growth. Do away with the tap water ice or pre treat the water and then freeze it. I have tested my chlorine levels at a pool place and it is very very low, compared to other cities and if I don’t pretreat it will kill them within about an hour.
Most of the time I use the bait shop water without ice and don’t have issues.
get a strong bilge pump and pump the water into your tank. That is the way they do it when they sell bait on the lake at Lake Murray. I’d go with prime vs start right. If I were to guess I’d say you had some kind of contaminant in the tank/water or no oxygen. Are you sure your venturi was sucking air?
The one obvious problem is temp. That’s way too much of a difference. I do t use the water from any of the bait shops. Too dirty, most of the time the ammonia levels are high since they don’t keep bait long. Second would be the Venturi. Was it sucking air? Been using the dannco product for over 15 years and they have a tendency to clog. I’m sure some on here on going to get tired of hearing me say this but… get an o2 system. With herring for a days fishing I don’t even run the pum. Just the o2 and stone. Set on low will keep plenty of bait.
… get an o2 system. With herring for a days fishing I don’t even run the pum. Just the o2 and stone. Set on low will keep plenty of bait.
2nd that … It’ll have an upfront cost, but my O2 tank only needs to be refilled once a year and that only costs me $10 …
Upfront cost will vary depending on what you buy, but do not buy the shiny systems as they are difficult to refill … I just bought the old green tank ($90) from the local Airgas facility and they swap it out when it gets low … If you buy a KeepAlive or similar system, then they have to send the tank away to get tested before they can fill it … There are “other” ways to fill them, but even a small tank improperly filled can blowup your boat … Not worth the risk to me and my family …
I will double check to make sure the vent wasn’t clogged on the venturi.
I didn’t treat the water before freezing but figured adding in extra of the start right to tank as putting the ice in would have solved this.
I have tossed around the idea of using a spare bilge pump with hose to fill tank from bait shop but honestly didn’t love the idea of having to deal with the 50+ foot of hose I would need to make this happen (although it may come to that).
Will look into o2 system.
I did notice the bait shops water appeared extra green compared to prior times but didn’t make much of it. Maybe that contributed??
Please keep any other suggestions coming.
I can put 5-6 dozen herring in my 50gallon tank and they won’t die for two days. They are hard to catch. This time of year water temp, o2, and ammonia levels are the biggest thing. Actually that’s about all you will ever need to worry about if your buying bait.
Venturi will be pumping hot air in the tank and fresh bait will fill the tank with ammonia. I’ve never added chemicals to my water for the ice I’m adding. Go to the pet store or lowes, get the chemicals for ponds. Same size bottle at same price will treat 10 times as much water. Treat water as directed run for about thirty minutes before you get bait. You should be ok. I would try to find another bait dealer if his water is that cold. They most likely won’t live on the hook either. My tank in my shop will keep herring just fine without a chiller. With good water(biofilter) and good water flow herring will live in 75-78degree water before stressing or turning black. It gets hot in my shop. That part is not climate controlled.
I’d also suggest that you call your water supplier and ask what they are using to treat your water. Then get which ever treatment is reccommended for that particular chemical. Whenever they make a change you will probably need to change your treatment too.
I see the o2 systems being preferred but what’s wrong with a 2 stone bubble box? They put out tons of bubbles and don’t clog. I have only used mine specifically a time or two because it came with my smaller 20gal insulated tank I bought.
Air is less then 21% oxygen and is going to be very hot this time of year. 20gallns of water with a constant flow of 90degree air will heat up fairly quick. Plus the stones used for the o2 system have extremely tiny holes. A bubbler pump isn’t strong enough to push air through the o2 stone. It completely saturates the water. I didn’t use it for a long time. I’ve striper fished since the 80’s and it’s the biggest single improvement I’ve ever seen. Of course electronics have changed over time but not over night.
I’ve also never had any problem with not having the right chemicals. All the chemicals you get at the pet store will treat anything harmful that will be put in our water.
Another tip. We’ve all had that happen before. While your fishing the next time and the water starts foaming, and bait start getting dark, remember that smell. Smell the water. That’s ammonia. It will kill the bait. The o2 system keeps the bait from stressing, when they stress they puke and pee. With the o2 I almost never have to use foam off. Foam comes from ammonia.
I’ve got the same Moeller tank as the Striper Soup tank. The only difference is I did all the modifications to it myself. (filter tube, pump, Dannco venturi, etc) I get both my well water & bait from Ned’s & only once have I had any problems with dying bait. And that was my fault. This time of year I’m only on the water for about 3-4 hrs. at most. The herring stay lively the whole time. I suppose if I fished past 10am into the heat of the day, I might have issues with bait dying.
Bob Van Gundy
803-727-4069
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
I see the o2 systems being preferred but what’s wrong with a 2 stone bubble box? They put out tons of bubbles and don’t clog. I have only used mine specifically a time or two because it came with my smaller 20gal insulated tank I bought.
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
(1) Bubble box does not diffuse the O2 into the water at a rate that has any significant effect on the bait … The diffuser I use puts microscopic bubbles into the water … this allows for much greater O2 saturation in the water … The greater the O2 saturation the more amped up your bait will be … The more amped up the bait the more lively they are … the more lively the bait the more likely it is to attract predator fish attention …
(2) Bubble box only pushes atmospheric air … Atmospheric air is +/-20.9% O2 … O2 tank is 100% O2 … More O2 = more amped up bait - See No.: 1 … Side note: If you do run O2 then you probably shouldn’t run the bait tank pumps - when you run the bait tank pumps it causes aeration which will actually release the O2 you’re trying to push into the water back into the atmosphere … that is counter productive to what you’re supposed to be using an O2 tank for in the first place … that and you don’t have to lug a battery around … LOL
(3) Again Bubble box only pushes atmospheric air … Atmospheric air is not the same temp as water - i.e. hot air pushed into a tank with a bubble box will likewise heat up the tank water … O2 tank is compressed air - when compressed air is released it actually has a chilling effect due to the difference in air pressure … See thermodynamics …
