Wellcraft V20 Community - Adding A live Well

Stillrunning, this is a post I put together for another board a while back. This method is not as expensive and complicated as some using oxygen tanks and so forth, but it works well for me. I very rarely loose a bait at all much less show up at the fishing grounds with a pile of them dead.

I have put it on several sites and have had MANY people thrilled with their ability to keep baits alive after trying these methods. Here goes.....

The following 3 things kill your bait/fish:

1) lack of oxygen in the water

2) the bait's waste (aka urine/ammonia) in the water

3) high water temps (causing oxygen depletion)

I can keep ANY fin fish, minnows and shrimp alive with this method for MANY hours even days. It will work in fresh or salt water.

Problem #1 (lack of oxygen)

If you have a recirculating livewell you can use it to continue pumping fresh water onto the baits and that works ok sometimes, but for me it is not always an option. Also, if that worked as well as boats manufactures would like it to, I don't think you would be reading this. The reason being is that sometimes there is a alot of fresh water on top of the saltwater (after heavy rains) and the bait (if purchased from a bait shop) will die almost instantly....if caught, not long after. Also, depending on where I launch and where I am going I may be running through fresh or salt water intermittently.

I have my livewell on my boat setup both ways. I have a livewell pump that pumps raw water in and an overflow that takes the excess out. I will use this if I pull a trawl and catch my bait and I KNOW the water quality where I will be fishing is consistent to what the bait needs. I will also use it on bigger fin fish that are caught for offshore as they tend to tolerate it better than smaller minnows and/or shrimp. Also, when running offshore generally I will stay in VERY salty and consistent waters.

I also have a 12v dual outlet bubble box onboard my boat. I use this when I am fishing with store purchased live baits. I get enough water to sustain me through the day from the bait shop tanks. They generally don't mind you take a couple bucketfuls of water from them.

Here is a the type bubble box I run:

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...es/25006_f.jpg

I also like these bigger "Air Biscuit" type air stones too:

Please excuse the sand on it. LOL

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...091406_003.jpg

Either these or the longer green aquarium style air rocks are much better than the small stones that come with most bubble box setups. They last alot longer, put out more air, and don't breakup so badly.

Problem #2 (waste/ammonia in water)

Once the bait is purchased then go ahead and treat the water with pogey/shrimp/croaker saver. They come is various types for different baits. I use this product made by "Sure-Life" that I purchase from Academy or Walmart or most any other sporting goods store. You can also buy it in bulk on line from good tackle retailers. As I mentioned before it is species specific as labeled. I have, however used each one for species other than it was intended for with the same results...all good lively baits. Some time ago I spoke with a representative from Sure Life about my cross species experimentation success and he was pleased. I was under the assumption that the different labeling was a marketing ploy and that each bottle essentially contained the same ingredients. He assured me that it wasn't a ploy and the chemical compositions in each type were definitely specified for that intended species. He still didn't argue that they "could" (as I found out) work across the board.

http://www.sure-life.com/

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com...mages/4_71.jpg

Anyways, as I said before, treat the water with the product as soon as the bait goes in. Depending on how long you fish you may have to retreat throughout your fishing trip. I like to refresh the chemicals every 2-3 hours.

Problem #3 (high water temps depleting oxygen.)

The last (but very important step) is the water temperature.

As we all know cooler water holds more oxygen than warm or hot water. This is why fish concentrate in deep holes when the summer heat sets in and avoid the shallows in the heat of the day. On the hot days (most of the year around here) I keep plenty of ice and quart size ziplock bags on the boat to fill and let float in the bait well. You can also freeze bottles, but I prefer the bags because I can keep refilling them as they melt. You can put the bottles back in the ice chest for cooling, but they wont get near and cool as the ice bags and obviously wont refreeze in there either. DO NOT just throw ice in the water with the baits! As the ice melts the trapped air turns into carbon dioxide and kills the bait. Put it IN bags and dump the freshwater overboard as it melts. You can also use the melted water to wash hands, or splash that hot ugly mug on a hot summer day too! Thats my favorite thing to do!! You should also bear in mind that the baits should be kept cool enough for health but not TOO cold. If there is a dramatic difference between baitwell temp and out side water temps it will often shock the bait once thrown in the drink and thereby killing it. I try to keep the difference no more than about 10-15 degrees.

Well thats it...I far from know it all, but this is what I have learned over time as I fish with live baits often.

Good luck...hope this helps!!