What to do about a Live Baitwell??

[John R]

I know up here you need roughly 1.5 gallons per bait to keep a not so sturdy fish like herring alive. I use a 35 gallon KeepAlive and - with maintenance - it will keep 2 dozen buckies alive.

A 27 Gal tank is too small IMO for baitfishing (frist time I mildly disagreed with FS [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] )

[JohnS]

I guess it all depends on which "bait" you are planning on keeping alive. For some, it is a pin fish, small at best. For others, like a guy I happen to know, they use "bait" that I would consider the catch of the day! Only kidding but it all boils down to what the size of the bait is.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

HA JOHN R
What’s a Buckie? I never here of those things sounds like they are real fragile type bait probably as fragile as our ballyhoo down here. I guess as John S said it all has to do with the type and size bait you are using that will control the amount you can keep in your tank. Most guys down here will use tanks that have a scoop sucking in fresh water and spitting it out again at the tune of 500 to 800 gal per hr. for me that makes all the difference in the world as to how many I can keep. Most of our bait down here don’t need any current pushing water through their mouth and out their gills like small tuna they just need fresh oxygen in their water supply they are getting. There are now some guys down here that are buying pure oxygen cylinders and shutting it into their tanks just to make the bait hyper fresh.
Fellow-Ship [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[ScottM]

FS,
"Buckie" is Rhody-speak for herring (bluebacks, alewives, river herring, etc.). The biggest little state in the Union has quite a few slang terms all its own, right John? [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Herring are very fragile and require delicate handling. A buddy of mine has an oxygen system in his bait tank and it's like the herring are on crack! You can barely scoop them up they're moving so fast.

[Angel Fish]

Thanks for all the replies guys. FS… I havn't been out in 3 weeks, partly because I had LASIK surgery done on my eyes. But, Mr Af went out today and did pretty good on the Dolphin, apparently they're everywhere now. (I'm super jealous). [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

About the bait, we mostly use pilchards so fresh oxygen is all we need. We were planning on putting in an external well on the starboard side of the boat next to the transom. We are concerned about drilling in a 25 year old boat.

[John R]

FS - what Scott said [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ... These bait will die with plenty of aerated water if they are left in a cornered bait well. For herring, you actually need a round or oval tank.

And Scott - I am a Masshole too, I just now happen to live in Rhody [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[ScottM]

Well John, when in Rhody, err Rome... [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]