Simple Bucket DIY Live Bait Tank

[NormC]

My tinnie is a 3.5m 'roof topper', that I cart all over the country when we are travelling.
When in the Gulf recently, I did a bit of live baiting. I used a bucket with lid and just changed the water occasionally. I tried a 12 V air pump (aquatium type) but it was so noisy, we switched it of. I also made a 'bait keeper' which fitted neatly inside the bucket, made from plastic gutter guard. I sometimes dropped this with the bait in it over the side of the boat to give them some decent water.

Well, this system worked to some extent. Mullet generally survivd OK, but no success at all with Herring.

We are heading back to the Gulf early next year, and I'm currently working on improvement to our camping and fishing set up. I want to improve the live bait set up, but we are restricted by:
Space in the boat which is very limited given what we carry.
Space in the vehicle while traveling.
Everything has to be demountable when we pack up and put the tinnie on top of the 4WD.

I did a search and found a great thread by Lucky Phil from May 2006. Looked great and gave some ideas, but much too elaborate for my needs.

I'm looking to use a 10 litre or so bucket with lid. I figure on getting an alloy or SS pick up that I will pop rivet to the back of the boat to pick up water while under way. I'll run the hose from this pick up through the side of the bucket near the top, then down to the bottom inside. I'll put an overflow pipe in the side of the bucket near the top to allow excess water to drain over the side of the boat.

I'm assuming that if that is all I do, the water will syphon back out through the pick up when I'm at rest. Is that right? If so, I guess I can put a cheap plastic tap in the inlet line. I just need to remember to turn it on before getting under way and off again when we stop.

Is this simple design enough? If so, I'm figuring I can do it for about $30 to $40 with the pick up being the most expensive thing. Already have a suitable bucket. Problem is, there is nothing being done to keep the bait alive while at rest, which might be 30 or 40 mins at a time (more if we have found a good spot).

If this is not enough, my next probable add on is an aerator of some sort (silent if there is such a thing) that will help keep fish alive when at rest, but would not be exchanging water. I'm trying to avoid mounting a pump outside the transom as it would have to be completely removed (including bracket) each time I pack up the boat.

Am I on the right track? Anyone got any ideas or experience that might help?
Thanks
Norm C

[tunaticer]

Would it be worthwhile to get a live bait tank welded into the back of the tinnie and permanently mounting hte pickup and a little bilge pump inside it so you only have to remove the battery pack when packing up?

Failing that try looking in the tackle shops for the bilge pump aerators you simply suction cup into your tank/bucket/esky.

Jack.

[NormC]

Would it be worthwhile to get a live bait tank welded into the back of the tinnie and permanently mounting hte pickup and a little bilge pump inside it so you only have to remove the battery pack when packing up?

Failing that try looking in the tackle shops for the bilge pump aerators you simply suction cup into your tank/bucket/esky.

Jack.

Thanks Jack. Don't want to get stuff welded in. First I load the boat by hand, so don't want to increase weight. Second, I'll probably upgrade to a bigger boat within a couple of years so don't want to put too much into this one that is not removable.

I've seen ads for the pumps you are talking about, but thought they were only areators, not pumps as such. That is, if they pump water it is only recirculating within the tank. Didn't think you could get a 'budget' bilge pump that sucks water over any distance. That is, it is in the tank, but is pumping water from the ocean into the tank. I could be wrong as I'm new to this, so happy to be corrected if I am.

[nthqld]

Hi Norm, what I do, and has worked well for years is to use a 20 ltr bucket, I have 2 setups incase I need a lot of livies and for when I have both mullet etc and sardines. I keep the 2 seperate. Sardines are fussy

Two 20 ltr buckets fit just nice in the butchers tub I have in the boat.

I made cages out of stainless steel mesh with a solid alum top / lid that fits into the 20 ltr buckets.
The alum top is important as when you hang it over the side in strong current, the bait take shelter against the lid as it hangs in the current.

I have a small bilge pump that sits in the cage with an elbow on it and then a piece of pvc pipe to the top of the cage..another elbow and short length of pvc to provide a sprayer bar across the top of the cage with a cap on the end.
I just drop the pump setup in the cage when I need it.

To make the sprayer outlet I cut a slit in the pvc and then fitted another piece of larger pvc [tapered like a v to cover the slit] over it so I can slide it over the slit to in / de crease the flow rate.

I net bait and drop them straight in the cage [sitting in the water]and then drop the cage into buckets of water in the boat when I'm ready to leave.

If I have to motor for any length of time I pull up every 15 minutes or so and change the water but otherwise I just leave the door in the lid open to allow air in. I mostly fish near where I catch the bait.

When I arrive at the fishing spot I drop the cage/s over the side.
I hardly ever use the pump thing.

I see ppl whack a bit of air tube near the outlet of the pump to use a venturi air feed to put air into the pumped water.
Haven't tried it myself but looks good.

Good luck with the livies, mullet sards whiting and prawns are all I ever use.

[NormC]

Found this while doing a Google on the subject.
http://www.ausfish.com.au/bushnbeach/livebait.htm
Although it mentions the KeepAlive brand of oxygenerator pumps, Rule (and others I suspect) also make them. I notice in their catalogue, that Bias Boating has an oxygenator pump based on the Rule 500 pump for $99. You put the pump inside your bait tank and it recirculates the water while infusing air via the impeller to produce the millions of tiny bubbles that oxygenate the water. More expensive than I'd planned, but if combined with the over the transom pick up to change the water when on the move, it might produce a good, low maintenance and easily demountable system at about $140.

A (I suspect) slightly less effective, but probably adequate and cheaper system is a bilge pump inside the bait tank, which pumps to a sprayer on the surface. This generates water movement on the surface which in turn encourages oxygen absorbtion from the air. Works the same as many aquarium systems. Bilge pump, sprayer and hose, probably about $50. Or a cheap aerator pump which is an all in one unit with pump and spray head for about $30 to $35.

I know I sked the question and now I'm suggesting possible answers, but I guess that comes with access to Google and an hour or two to kill.

Still very interested in the views of others who have actually used any of these systems.
Norm C

[Spaniard_King]

Here is a pic of my old setup (bucket) and a few others http://www.gcfishing.com/livewell.htm

easy to do and dont cost the earth

[NormC]

Thanks Gary. I used to have one of the commercial oval bait tanks in my previous, much larger boat.

Questions on the bucket model in your link. I assume it is connected to a bilge or similar pump mounted under water on the transom? The inlet is via a skin fitting at the bottome of the bucket. The outlet??

When fitting a skin fitting to something round like a bucket, I assume you use silicon to ensure there are no leaks?
Norm C

[Spaniard_King]

Norm, the key with bait tanks is feed from the bottom and overflow at the top. In the picks the hose on the right picture and on the right of the tank is the overflow/ tank level it goes out the boat in the engine well area.Yes I did have a 500gph rule pump mounted on the transom with a scoop pickup(so can run when under way)

At this stage I must thank Heath for his web site hosting the picks

Silicon or Sikaflex is the go to seal up the skin fittings.

[NormC]

One more question Gary. Does the hose from the scoop pick up run via the pump? ie can the water pressure force it's way through the pump, or do I need 2 inlets, one for the pump and one for the scoop pick up (which could become one via a T junction at the back end of the pump.
Norm C

[Spaniard_King]

Norm, you can buy a scooop pick up which you can mount a rule pump onto.. this will feed water into the pump whilst underway or stationary these are the go.. saves having two pickups.. thye mount is about $40 from whitworths http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_it...earch123=scoop

[NormC]

Well, I have a plan. Went out today and bought most of the stuff. Now I just need to put it all together.
Got a SS pick up suitable for mounting a bilge pump $38
A 360 Gal per hour Rule pump on special $19.95
A 19mm (in) and 25mm (out) skin connection $10
Length of sail track $5.00
Connectors about $3.00
Already have a 25 litre bucket with lid and necessary lengths of hose. ALthough the 19mm I have is just the cheap black irrigation pipe. I'll have to see how it goes under pressure from the pump.
Just need to get a piece of 2 or 3mm aluminium about 80mm x 80mm now and I'm ready to go.

Sail track and aluminium are so it can be fully removed when loading on the 4B. I'll pop rivet two short lengths of sail track to the transom 80mm apart. The pick up will be bolted to the piece of aluminium, which will slot into the sail track mounts when on the boat. Just slide it out when not in use and all that remains is the sail track.
Hope it all works.

[rando]

I am not sure if this idea will work but can see no reason It would'nt.
A simple one way valve made from a piece of bicycle tube siliconed to the inside of a 40mm end-cap, but only by 1/4 of the circumference of the valve(maybe requiring a tiny sinker siliconed on top of the valve. Drill a 30mm inlet in the end cap and fit the cap and valve to a piece of 40 mm pipe sufficiently long to reach the top of the gunnel. Fit a couple of elbows to deliver the water to your live bait tank, then clamp or tie your "liftpump " in place.
Now every time the boat rocks, when at rest, a spurt of water forced up the tube but unable to return due to the valve will be delivered to your tank. No Battery, no wires, costs bugger all, takes up no room.
Will not work if the boat is not rocking however.

Just an idea I had!!

If you repeat the process and make two tubes that fit tight one inside the other with the inside tube (piston) 10ml shorter than the casing you have a effective pump, that by pumping the inside tube up and down will deliver water to your tank either.. manually, (no rocking such as a river or creek),,, or passively,, if the boat is rocking.

rando

[NormC]

Hi Rando, I like your thought process. I suspect your ideas may work to some extent, but in practice:
I've read (on the internet, so it must be true), that to keep many bait fish alive in a small tank for an extended period, you ideally need to change the water at least 20 times per hour. So if you have a 20 Galon tank, you need a 400 Gal per hour pump at a minimum. Need a lot of racking to achieve that. And my wife hates a rocking boat.

I had considered installing a one way valve as part of the system, but to empty the tank, I actually want to be able to syphon back out via the inlet hose. This saves disconnecting hoses and lifting the bucket to tip it out. So I've bought a simple plastic in line tap. Just need to remember to turn it on and off as required. Largely if using the tank, leave it on. If not using the tank, turn tap off so it does not fill via the pick up when under way.

[rando]

Norm
40ml pipe will deliver 135lts/hr assuming a moment of 150mm and a period of 5sec. Larger moment or decreased period,,, higher delivery. That is 6.5 water changes per hour for a twenty lt bucket. Not ideal, but not bad for a passive system. Increase the diameter of the pipe to 50ml ,gets 170 lt/hr or 8.5 changes.The design does not require the boat to rock "per se" only that the external water level rises and falls.
all academic really as you have another system half built.
Buuutt such a system could save you having to run the pump as long and as often.
Cheers
rando

[PADDLES]

g'day norm, one of the better setups i've seen was in my mate's mum and dad's tinny up in townsville. they welded four walls to the bottom of the hull to form a tank using the hull sheet as a base (the walls must obviously be higher than the external waterline) they then cut a hole in the bottom of the tank (ie. through the bottom of the hull) and fitted a standard domestic sink strainer fitting like in your kitchen sink but had it upside down so the pipe connection fitting was pointing upwards. they then got a length of pvc pipe to suit the strainer fitting, drilled a heap of drain holes at the top to wherever you want the water level to come to inside the tank and then pressed it into the strainer (basically the water level gets up to the holes and then drains through the holes to outside water level through the strainer). don't glue it because when ya pull the boat out the water you simply pull the pvc pipe out of the strainer and the tank empties completely out of the strainer except for a little bit in the bottom. you can either keep topping up the tank with a bucket or these guys made a hose with a hook of metal tube at each end, one hook hooked over the side of the tank and the other went through a homemade rubber bung that gets pressed into the bunghole of the hull with the hook part facing forwards as a fresh water pickup so that the tank gets topped up whenever the boat is moving forwards.