anybody tried one? local marina has one that’s been sitting for ages, I can pick it up cheap enough. What I want it for is to carry bait home from the bait shop to transfer to the boat, which will be in the water full time once it comes back up. It’s a good 25 min ride to the closest bait shop. My idea is to get a couple of 5 gallon gas cans, pump out about 10 gallons of the water (20 gallon tank) and then carry it all to the boat, and transfer the bait to the tanks on the boat. Don’t want to loose the space from using an above deck tank.
is it a horrible idea to get bait the evening prior to fishing? I don’t mind going to get it in the morning, but it would be much more convienent to have it ready to go. this would mainly be in the cooler months that I would want to do this. in the summer, I would plan on using the bait boats on the lake.
Since no one else has chimmed in, I will give my $.02.
Getting bait the night before is not a problem…as long as you have an appropriate high quality bait tank to store them in. The tank must be able to keep the fish fresh and lively. High quality bait is one of the main keys to catching fish. Half dead does not do well (catch no fish). I know a couple of guys that buy it wholesale, just so they can control the bait environment and have it when ever they go. You are doing the same thing, just on a smaller scale for a shorter time period. A larger tank will be better than a smaller one. Good water and good filtration. Controled temperature and you are ready to go. Any high end tank should work for what you want to do. High end does not mean high dollar, just one that works well. It could be home made.
Good luck
A guy that works with me has one. He claims it works okay, but he only uses it 5-6 hours at a time, not for overnight.
Your main concerns w/ overnight are going to be…
Water temp
Ammonia in the water
Aeration.
From what I understand Ed’s tanks do a decent job w/ aeration, and can be bought insulated…so if it is cool outside then the temp shouldn’t be a problem.
I assume you are talking about herring? Talk to Richard over a Lake World about this. He can give you better direction on how large it needs to be for overnight storage, etc.
I have tried it before, only tank I was ever successful w/ was one of those BIG Ron Vest Super Tanks that cost a small fortune.
auto, if you are planning on keeping herring alive in your boats built-in bait well during the late spring or summer you will be terribly disappointed. when the surface temp of the lake gets much above 72 degrees the herring simply don’t do well in a recirculating well. I have used Vest tanks for many years for that very reason. it is best to maintain a temp between 55 and 65. Also, if you add ice to cool the water you need to add BaitSaver to offset the clorine in the ice / water. Another key to keeping your herring happy is to add salt to your tank water as it helps set the scales and carries more oxygen. for my 30 gal tank I use the following concoction: a one quart ziplock bag 3/4 full of pure water conditioner salt (yellow bag at Lowes), 1 to 2 tablespoons BaitSaver and about 4 tablespoons baking soda(as a water softner to carry more oxygen). When I have time, I go to the Hope Ferry landing on the Saluda to get my water. The river runs at about 55 - 58 degrees year round that close to the dam. Also, if you learn to catch your own bait on the lake, realize that the first thing that they do when you put them in your tank is to purge the contents of their intestines from the shock. If you are just fishing for a few hours they will do OK, but if you want to keep them for an extended period of time you’ve got replace the water. once you have them in fresh, conditioned water you can keep them for a couple of days if you control the temperature adequately.
I’m rambling. To answer your question, the tank you are considering should work fine to transport bait. the live well in your boat will work in cooler months and you can carry the bait from the truck to the boat the night before. If you wanna talk more, drop me an email.
One should guard against preaching to young people success in the customary form as the main aim in life. The most important motive for work in school and in life is pleasure in work, pleasure in its result, and the knowledge of the value of the result to the community. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
I ended up buying a Vests tank a couple months ago. Not too happy with the space that it eats up or it’s lack of tie down points, however it does keep bait quite well.