Would you recommend this floating livewell?

[Fishnngolfn]

Would you guys think that this would be a good floating livewell to keep about 3 to 4 bass in while being pulled behind my personal pontoon? I was thinking of getting the 30" x 30" one.

[fishin' fool]

It depends on what you are planning on doing with the bass. If you plan on keeping them to eat then I would say it would work. But if you want to keep the bass a live for a tournament I wouldn't use this. Since the basket floats its always in the warmest/hotest water. If the surface temps get in the high 80 or 90 this can put alot of stress on the bass. Good fishin'

[rrw4258]

When we fish at a private lake out of a paddle boat, we tie a stringer to a collapsable fish basket, one of the largest sizes, and tie the stringer to the boat, when we get a fish we pull the basket up and drop the fish in, it is a great system that i really liked. The fish do live to be released...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DX%26um%3D1

Ryan

[Jigger]

If you're fishing in the Spring or Fall or Winter I think it looks great but as "ff" said, in the dead heat of the Summer it might stress the fish. I float tube alot and fish for bluegill and small bass that the wildlife dept wants you to keep out of some small public lakes and I have a mesh laundry bag with a zipper on it that you buy at Wal Mart. I think women use these bags to wash nylon hose in. Anyway, I put my 'gills and small bass in them to take home to eat. I drop the bag over the side of the tube into the water depth I think is cool enough with a small cord tied to the bag and the tube. Sometimes at the end of the day, I'll decide I'm too tired to mess with cleaning them and turn them all loose. They look great and swim off as if nothing is bothering them. I think you could do the same thing with a bigger mesh laundry bag like the ones with the draw string at the top and drop the bag down to the depth you like. You'd have to be careful not to hang the bag on underwater bushes and such though.

However, I wouldn't be afraid to try the floating live well you've shown. Afterall, the water we pump into our livewells in the Summer comes from the top of the lake too and for the most part I get along OK without having to ice my livewell until the water temp is sweltering.

[Fishnngolfn]

I will only be using it for about 2 hours at a time. At that point, we will either choose to cook and eat the fish or let them go. I really like the idea of a mesh laundry bag, but how do you keep the bag open under water so the sides do not collapse on the fish? I would think that the sides collapsing on the fish would get them tangled and kill them.

[Jigger]

Originally Posted by Fishnngolfn

I will only be using it for about 2 hours at a time. At that point, we will either choose to cook and eat the fish or let them go. I really like the idea of a mesh laundry bag, but how do you keep the bag open under water so the sides do not collapse on the fish? I would think that the sides collapsing on the fish would get them tangled and kill them.

You don't keep the bag open but it doesn't seem to bother the fish. I've done this alot and it doesn't seem to bother them at all even when I fill the bag up. Caveat: I've never tried it with fish that weigh over, say, a pound and a half though. Most of the fish I'm keeping weigh well under a pound. Small bass and 'gills. I turn the bigger fish loose to spawn. Try it on some bigger fish and see. I'm predicting it will work the same. It won't cost you much to try it. Just get the bigger laundry bag from Wal Mart. You might want to take a pair of scizzors and cut it down a bit though because they're pretty long-----or not. The only problem I forsee is if you're moving the boat too fast, they'll drag along the top of the water I'd think. In my float tube, I'm never moving fast enough for the bag to drag to the top. If you do try the laundry bag, let me know how it works.

[Jigger]

Is a "personal pontoon" the same as a "float tube"?

[Fishnngolfn]

Originally Posted by Jigger

Is a "personal pontoon" the same as a "float tube"?

No. Look at the picture under my name. It is a one man pontoon boat. I absolutely love it. Or you can look at a bigger picture of it in this thread (#8 post has the pic). I have since added a trolling motor.

[Lancer6]

Fish/Golf,

I've logged many hours in belly boats and I'm in deadly earnest when I say this device may pose a risk to you in more than one way.
First, if you fish in areas that contain wood or rock cover the bag may snag and may be damaged.
Second, and more unnerving, the fish, compacted into a "School" in the bag, will very likely attract the attention of snake. Of course, snakes are often found trying to take fish from stringers but I have firsthand knowledge of one actually getting into a device similar to the one you pictured.
There have been recorded instances when large gar, even alligators, have attempted to steal a meal, and if you're fishing in a coastal flats or backwater you run the risk of sharks being attracted.
For all the above, I DO understand one wanting to collect a few fish for the table but when it comes to just keeping them on a "maybe let them go later" basis that's a bad dealio. Especially on bright days fish's eyes are very vulnerable to destruction by sunlight. Also, the warmest temps, sometimes more than they can tolerate, are within the depth range of the bag or stringer.
Never, EVER, string or bag a fish unless you plan to kill it. If you MUST retain the fish in order to compete with others in a group of "floaters" why not insist that each carry a small digital scale and a measuring device. That way each can catch, weigh/measure/release, then record the results.
This may require adherence to an honor system and THAT is a good thing.

Lancer6

[WTL]

Lance is right.

The basket will also slow you down. Its no different than attatching a drift sock to your pontoon boat.

My advice? Get a big one of the Omaha steak foam coolers. Staple a small keel to the bottom of it. Put enough water in it to keep the fish alive and rope it behind you. You might be able to get a balancing act together where the cooler will be stable, keep the fish and not be so deep as to slow you down.

[Fishnngolfn]

Originally Posted by WTL

Lance is right.

The basket will also slow you down. Its no different than attatching a drift sock to your pontoon boat.

My advice? Get a big one of the Omaha steak foam coolers. Staple a small keel to the bottom of it. Put enough water in it to keep the fish alive and rope it behind you. You might be able to get a balancing act together where the cooler will be stable, keep the fish and not be so deep as to slow you down.

I thought about those styrofoam coolers and pull it behind me. The fish won't attract gators or snakes and should stay alive long enough if I end up releasing it.

[Fishnngolfn]

Can you post a pic of an Omaha steak foam cooler?

[Jigger]

I don't live where gators live but there are lots of gars, snakes and turtles where I live and I've never had a problem with them bothering my fish in the mesh laundry bag. That would take a very foolish and very agressive snake or turtle to come around me while I'm paddling with my flippers or around you when paddling with your oars. Not likely, and it's never happened to me. I've released a lot of fish from the bags and they look as good or better than the fish I release from my live well in my bass boat or I wouldn't release them. Try it for yourself and make up your own mind.

[doc]

Originally Posted by Jigger

I don't live where gators live but there are lots of gars, snakes and turtles where I live and I've never had a problem with them bothering my fish in the mesh laundry bag. That would take a very foolish and very agressive snake or turtle to come around me while I'm paddling with my flippers or around you when paddling with your oars. Not likely, and it's never happened to me. I've released a lot of fish from the bags and they look as good or better than the fish I release from my live well in my bass boat or I wouldn't release them. Try it for yourself and make up your own mind.

I've had both turtles and snakes steal (or try to in the case of the turtle) a stringer full of bream on more than one occasion when I was younger.

[Fishnngolfn]

I will probably try the mesh bag idea on my church's fishing trip coming up. I used a stringer tied to the boat last time and didn't have any problems and the fish were released unharmed 1.5 hours later. The only thing I didn't like about the stringer was at times the fish tried to pull me a different direction that I wanted to go. I have a trolling motor this time so there shouldn't be a problem with that. I just hope to hook into a 5 or 6 lbr and get pulled around on the river.