live well use

Abbeysdad · 09-08-09, 04:49 PM

Okay...so far with the boat I haven't been much of any threat to the fish, but I'm also a catch 'n release kinda guy.
The other day as I looked in my bucket with the battery powered air pump at the scoop of Perch minnows and a dozen crabs...I was thinking, why not use the live well for bait.

Now I know a lot of you use artificial lures only, but anybody use their live well for bait instead of catch?

zooker · 09-08-09, 06:51 PM

yeah when i am using brim, white perch,or porgies for bait..when fishing for cat fish,redfish..

zooker

woody · 09-08-09, 08:05 PM

Just in case, you haven't tried it yet.

Put some ice in your live well, especially on hot days. Good for your bait and fish.

~Mark

Abbeysdad · 09-10-09, 04:46 PM

Brings me to another question about the live well...when in use, do you leave the aerator (pump) on all the time or just intermittently to keep the water cool and aerated?

wargoth · 09-10-09, 09:24 PM

Leave it constantly on. In fact, turn it on as soon as you fill it. Fish are placed under a huge amount of stress in a live well, and consume vast amounts of oxygen. Most aerators really don't oxygenate the water anywhere near as much as one would imagine, bubblers in particular. Correlate this to an aquarium, about 80% of the oxygen in the water comes from the cascading action of the filter, and surface area. The bubblers provide a little less than 20% the remaining little bit is provided by algae etc. (even if you can't see it, almost all aquariums have a small amount of algae) Think about how many fish you can reasonably house in a 10 gallon aquarium, one or two 3-5" bass would be absolute tops from strictly an oxygen consumption point of view, not to mention the ammonia, nitrates, etc. that the fish generate with waste (which can be considerable in a confined area even over a short duration) Now, I know most guys won't keep fish in their livewell long, but the more you can do to ease the fish's stress in there, the higher likelyhood the fish will survive.

nofearengineer · 09-10-09, 10:29 PM

I agree. If you have an aerator, leave it running. If you have a recirculating pump, it is usually okay to just run that on a 5-10 minute timer, except on really really hot days.

Abbeysdad · 09-11-09, 09:37 AM

Well the switch is labeled 'Aerator', but it seems to just turn on a pump to fill the live well, with a filtered overflow so it would constantly bring in fresh lake water. My only concern is a (motor) power drain off the main battery if I have it running all the time. Granted it's a small pump motor (like the bilge pump), but still. (I'm remembering a time in my youth at the drive-in when I ran the defroster fan just enough to keep the windshield clear, only to hear click, click, click when I attempted to start the car at the end of the show!)
I just don't wanna be way out there on the lake float fishing and drain the main battery so I can't start-up and get back.

09-08-09, 04:49 PM	#1
Abbeysdad BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes Posts: 1,307	live well use Okay...so far with the boat I haven't been much of any threat to the fish, but I'm also a catch 'n release kinda guy. The other day as I looked in my bucket with the battery powered air pump at the scoop of Perch minnows and a dozen crabs...I was thinking, why not use the live well for bait. Now I know a lot of you use artificial lures only, but anybody use their live well for bait instead of catch?

09-08-09, 06:51 PM	#2
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	yeah when i am using brim, white perch,or porgies for bait..when fishing for cat fish,redfish.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

09-10-09, 09:24 PM	#5
wargoth BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Thompson, Ohio Posts: 223	Leave it constantly on. In fact, turn it on as soon as you fill it. Fish are placed under a huge amount of stress in a live well, and consume vast amounts of oxygen. Most aerators really don't oxygenate the water anywhere near as much as one would imagine, bubblers in particular. Correlate this to an aquarium, about 80% of the oxygen in the water comes from the cascading action of the filter, and surface area. The bubblers provide a little less than 20% the remaining little bit is provided by algae etc. (even if you can't see it, almost all aquariums have a small amount of algae) Think about how many fish you can reasonably house in a 10 gallon aquarium, one or two 3-5" bass would be absolute tops from strictly an oxygen consumption point of view, not to mention the ammonia, nitrates, etc. that the fish generate with waste (which can be considerable in a confined area even over a short duration) Now, I know most guys won't keep fish in their livewell long, but the more you can do to ease the fish's stress in there, the higher likelyhood the fish will survive. __________________ -Wargoth

09-10-09, 10:29 PM	#6
nofearengineer BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southwest IN Posts: 5,630	I agree. If you have an aerator, leave it running. If you have a recirculating pump, it is usually okay to just run that on a 5-10 minute timer, except on really really hot days. __________________ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.

09-08-09, 08:05 PM	#3
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	Just in case, you haven't tried it yet. Put some ice in your live well, especially on hot days. Good for your bait and fish. ~Mark

09-10-09, 04:46 PM	#4
Abbeysdad BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes Posts: 1,307	Brings me to another question about the live well...when in use, do you leave the aerator (pump) on all the time or just intermittently to keep the water cool and aerated?

09-11-09, 09:37 AM	#7
Abbeysdad BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes Posts: 1,307	Well the switch is labeled 'Aerator', but it seems to just turn on a pump to fill the live well, with a filtered overflow so it would constantly bring in fresh lake water. My only concern is a (motor) power drain off the main battery if I have it running all the time. Granted it's a small pump motor (like the bilge pump), but still. (I'm remembering a time in my youth at the drive-in when I ran the defroster fan just enough to keep the windshield clear, only to hear click, click, click when I attempted to start the car at the end of the show!) I just don't wanna be way out there on the lake float fishing and drain the main battery so I can't start-up and get back.

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