Having a problem successfully getting my bait to the boat so thought I’d throw it out here for some possible viable solutions. I currently think the problem is going on as temperatures are rising.
Let me explain what I’ve got, what I do, and what I think might correct the problem. Helpful solutions will be appreciated.
We berth our boat at a marina on the Ballentine side, so we stop at Lake World and get 2 dozen herring and put them in a 5 gallon bucket with a basic battery operated areator and then transport them to the boat. Travel time is about 20 minutes. At the boat we have a 10 gallon bucket baitwell (insulated with a couple wraps of reflective water heater tank insulation) and a good propeller driven areator system. I add a handful of salt and 4 1/2 gallons of lake water (now at 84 degrees), then pour in the Lake World bait and water, and top it off with a couple drops of Foam Off. Finally I add a half gallon of frozen lake water (ice) we bring from home. Any herring that makes it alive up to this point I believe stays alive for the duration of our outing. The problem is that we are losing a lot before we get to the boat.
Possible solutions I am thinking of to decrease the mortality rate are to (1) add an additional battery powered areator to the 5 gallon transportation bucket, and (2) add the ice to the lake water in the 10 gallon baitwell bucket to cool it off before I pour in the 5 gallon Lake World bait and water.
When temperatures start dropping again, I think our problem will go away. Perhaps part of the issue is because the herring are really nice fat looking sizes. Any help, ideas, or thoughts would be appreciated, as we’ve been crippled the last several times we’ve gone out due to bait casualties.
The five gallon bucket is starting the killing process. Then the extreme temp changes are finishing them off. There is enough room in a 5 gallon bucket for prob 4 baits. What kind of vehicle do yall use? Room for something bigger? They are stress and have no scales left before they even make it to the boat.
We all preach the care of bait and how it reflects to catching. We fished this morning, my buddy got bait from exact same shop 10min before me, got to my spot he was there and said all he had was one pull down. We were 20-30 FEET away from each other…I immediately began to pull fish in, starting off with a double before all rods were put out…he uses a cooler with a spray bar with a small amount of salt. I use a filtered bait tank with plenty of salt. I finished with 14 he had 2. We could talk to each other without yelling the whole time. Healthy bait is the key anytime.
A grayline slimline tank would fit that bass boat of yalls perfect but doesn’t solve the the transportation issue. Really need more volume in your transporting and use the water that comes with the bait.
Just to show what a little filter media can take out of the water take a look at the pix. First is a pic of clean media second is of todays media after just 2 hrs of fishing.
Michael, are you guys fishing early in the mornings? If so, your best bet is to just make the boat ride to the dam and get your bait and water directly from richard at the dock.
Even though I obviously don’t practice it the best, I am pretty much aware of the tender care required for the good health of herring. That being said, I didn’t tell any lies when I reported what I was actually doing. I have to agree dead on with Murraymaker as to what is causing our grief. Even if we upgrade our on board capacity, which we could do, I’m still stuck with the transportation issue. I’ve already suggested to the Capt about going cross lake to the dam to get bait, especially as long as we have higher temps which really seems to be amplifying our problem, but it is a little bit of a trip. As I’m thinking right now, unless other good suggestions are out there, is to get an additional 5 gallon bucket for the transportation, and not put more than a dozen herring in each. That also gets rid of the warm lake water.
It would be well worth your while to ride to the dam to get bait from David or Richard. Just mix your own water from the lake. For your 10 gallon bait bucket, add around 5 pounds of ice and 3/4 of a cup of water softener salt. You should be able to keep 18 bait or so just fine with good aeration. Never, if you can avoid it, use the baitman’s water this time of the year. It’s a crap shoot! Literally! LOL! Even they would tell you it’s better to mix your own… The extra aerated bucket might help if you still choose to transport. A bigger bait tank too would also be helpful. Unlike Chip, I don’t have filtration. Still, with proper mixing and good aeration, I don’t have problems keeping bait healthy for a day’s fishing.
The five gallon bucket is starting the killing process. Then the extreme temp changes are finishing them off. There is enough room in a 5 gallon bucket for prob 4 baits.
I guess I’ve got to jump in here. 4 bait in 5 gallons?? I cannot buy into that.
A 50 gallon tank would only support 40 baits, just a little over 3 dozen???
get a better tank on the boat and use a cooler with a bubbler to get it there. Using 84* lake water would be the second biggest problem. If you have to use lake water get a thermometer and a ice it until the temperature is the same as the transport water. I mix one cup of salt per 10g. I also use Prime and foam off. The prime gets rid of the ammonia and the foam off gets rid of the foam that prevents the Oxygen from getting into the water. For the transport cooler I recommend the cube, it has wheels and a handle to make it easier to get down to the boat.
Rick and Chip, my rule of thumb is a dozen 4-6 inch herring per 5 gallons this time of year. During cold weather, I have put 8-10 dozen in my 33 gallon live well with zero problems-- no black bait or red snapper looking ones:) I’ve found a simple system that works for me. I’ll stick with it.
The five gallon bucket is starting the killing process. Then the extreme temp changes are finishing them off. There is enough room in a 5 gallon bucket for prob 4 baits.
I guess I’ve got to jump in here. 4 bait in 5 gallons?? I cannot buy into that.
A 50 gallon tank would only support 40 baits, just a little over 3 dozen???
I just cannot buy into that!
Rick K
it was more of a statement than scientific fact, but if you get down to numbers a 5 gallon bucket has a circumference of like 30-32". “IF” 5 6" herring decided to swim at the same depth they would run into each other. You can stack more bait into baittanks because they have more room. Would you feel Comfortable putting the same amount of bait in a 50gal drum as you would a 50gal baittank? I would put 10-12" gizzards/trout in a 30gal vest or any other tank but not in 30gal grayline slimline.
Its not the gallons that matter its the amount of room they have. My gizzard house tank will only have about 18" or less of water in it this winter andbhold 100+ 10" or bigger baits…but the tank is 8’ wide…
So volume of water does not = space to swim? Not being a wiseacre, just don’t get it. So you’re saying it’s about comforatble swimming depth for the baits?
Not for more than a few minutes. All I know is on one trip to the Hill, we put a dozen 12 inch gizzies and 6 dozen herring in my 33 gallon baitwell and never lost anything! Bait keeping can be tricky for some. If you find something that works for you, stick with it.
So volume of water does not = space to swim? Not being a wiseacre, just don’t get it. So you’re saying it’s about comforatble swimming depth for the baits?
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175 Yammy Jammer
I am not trying to stir the pot or anything I was just trying to defend the idea that a 5 gallon bucket is a horrible way to transport bait. But volume cannot determine the amount of bait that can go in a container. If it did, your saying with proper water temp, chemicals, and air you would put 4dz baits in a 5 gal bucket? Yes the volume is the same if in a 5 gal bucket or any other 5gal container but the “shape” of that 5gal container makes all the difference.
Pattianne … go to Walmart and get one of the biggest storage containers you can fit into your vehicle …
These are 35 Gallons and are 4 for $50 and have latchable lids to prevent spillage … I would double them up cause they are a little thin but with some ice and a bubble box you can pack a couple dozen+ for a short period of time and not have them all bunched up for 20+ minutes …
You’ll need to dip them out to put them in your livewell, but like you said - it’s the car trip that’s killing them - not your boat ride …
I’ve done this a few times both up here and down south with pretty good results … the only time I lost a significant amount of bait was when I had the bubble box tubing pinched and there was hardly any air going through … but a drill in the lid and feeding the air tub through the hole solves that problem … I also put a little slice in the lid to feed the bubble box clip through so the box could just stay on top of the lid and not slide around …
One other note: if you do go this route - make sure you really wash out the insides of the containers to remove any residual dust, chemicals, etc., - don’t use soap just a couple of good rinses should do the trick …
If space is an issue then get insulated buckets … Walmart (I’m really not trying to plug Walmart - LOL) used to sell insulated buckets … they are 7 gallon buckets with Styrofoam inserts to maintain temp … they also have an internal lid that you can pop a hole in - feed your bubbler tube, and then lay the bubble box on top of the styro lid and completely close with the plastic lid … (See bucket in the corner of the boat below) … I don’t know if they sell these anymore but anytime I do see them I buy one or two … I currently have 3 left from over the years of consistent use and abuse … LOL
These are really great for carrying smaller bait that you want to keep separate from your H
Thanks for the responses guys. I think I have something positive to work with to solve the transportation problem which I think is the biggest issue, and of course we can consider making onboard improvements which I know would make the bait even happier. There are definite boat issues to consider when switching from black bass to stripers which are much more fun to catch.
