How to....Live Bait Pen

[Hooper]

Hi Guys

I am wondering if anyone out there uses a bait pen that they keep live baits in between trips.... Locally, the tuna fleet have large pens they keep beside their boats at the slip. They keep live bluefish in them while the bite is on.

I am thinking of building something on a bit smaller scale to hold herring in. The herring push through Cape Cod in great numbers in April, but by the time the good sized bass arrive, the herring are becoming harder to find. I am thinking of stocking up early in the run, putting a stash in the pen and the reaping the rewards come mid-May!

If anyone has built something like this, what material did you use for the framework? For floatation? I have looked at rubber coated chicken wire screening which would be easily cut and formed into shape, but I don't think it will hold up against corrosion.

Any ideas????

Thanks guys, Hooper

[Trayder]

A gentleman on the FS site named Heavyweight Contender has the best plans I have ever seen. Click on the following link for directions on how to build your own baitpen. You can modify the dimensions to your liking.

Adobe PDF directions on how to make a Bait pen

[deepsushi]

Hooper,

I myself utilze a "striper candy" pen in the spring when they are running. I have built some out of 40 gallon trash cans drilled full of holes which could hold 25-30 alive for some time. I also tried building a larger one out of of bird netting and irrigation pipe that had approximately a 5 foot diameter by 5 foot depth and it worked, however the herring tended to get stuck in the mesh.

This past season we bought a pen from Ketchum traps over in New Bedford for $120 bucks. It is made out of vinyl covered lobster pot mesh and it is approximately 5 feet diameter by 5 foot depth. I went to Walmart and bought a couple of those "noodle" things and attached them around the circumfrence with tie-raps to keep it floating.

One nice feature is that it has a large door in the top held in place with a bungee cord latch. When I got herring I could transfer them by dumping the herring and water out of a five gallon bucket directly into the pen without any escaping. When I needed some to use for bait I could reach in with a long handled net and scoop them out.

This thing works beautifully and at one time I had 150+ herring in the pen and they survived for several weeks.

Someone else had one tied up my dock and they still had herring that survived in this thing until August...

[Finster]

I built one 5'Wx8'Lx5'D, I used 3/4 in. pvc for the frame and got a plastic type 3/4 in. commerical grade netting from Memphis Nets, I used those long foam noodles the kids use in swimming pools and put those around the top. Works like a charm. I keep literialy hundreds of bunker, mullet and herring in there from peanut to hand size and they all stay pretty happy. The biggest concern is don't over fill it (learned that the hard way) and make sure the corners are round. The whole thing cost about $175 complete. I'd send pic's but its still in the water and it's too dam cold out there to go pick it up, I'll send some along soon.
Oh yeah, use lots and lots of wire ties , don't try to see if bunker can weather the winter and make sure you have a good top, unless you like seagulls (learned the last the hard way too).

Update, I have found these bait pens are crab magnets and the 3/4 in plastic netting works well. The crabs can't chew through it, although small ones still get there claws through it and create a few casualties. One problem I didn't account for when I made it so big was trying to get'em out [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] Basiclly you have to chase'em to one side and scoupe quick.
Other than that it's a great pen and supplies me and friends with bait on demand.

[ January 19, 2003, 09:33 PM: Message edited by: Finster ]

[Hooper]

Trayder-

Thanks for the link. I downloaded them and I think those plans will works just fine!

Looks like I am off to The Home Depot this weekend.

Thanks Again, Hooper [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]