"Bait tank live well"
 

Has anyone made their own? It doesn't look to complex. I was looking at a hobie one but, 300.00 seems steep. I think it's prob a must have around here too. Any ideas. Oh I tried the PVC tube with holes. I has 3 gb die within 30 mins. I must have drowned them. :/

The dog food holders are perfect.

Here are some other examples as well

http://kayakfishinggear.com/baittankhow-to.aspx

I made one for my first kayak, by the time I was done I probably saved no more than $50 but spent many hours getting it put together. Add to this the extra trips that I had to make because I forgot this or because that one didn't fit or this ones to short or I needed 3' and not 2'......etc.

Some guys may disagree with me but that's my take.

Ive had a lot of customers buy a container then come in to get the rest of the parts and it costs as much or even more than buying a tank.

We do the Ultimate tank all inclusive for 175.00. Thats rod holders, Waterproof pelican box, battery, pump, Marine grade switch, everything for 175...

I made my own, but I recommend buying the one at OEX. You will end up spending close to what they charge for everything if you are going to buy the waterproof case, the tank, the pump, the plumbing, tools, etc. If you are going to end up making your own, however, this is the kit I used along with a cat food container: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Built my own but after alot of trial and error and alnost lighting my garage on fire...ill leave that one alone.....and time spent getting it just right I priced it out to be just at around 130.

X2 I ran some numbers and was looking at $180. Ended up pickup up a used hobie for about the same price.

I'm going to try the ultimate. Seems to be pretty solid. Thanks for the suggestions.

how did you almost start fire ?
 

priming the tube with gasoline ?:eek: if you own a hobie i would recommend forking out the additional cash . you will be lucky to find used one . i bought one in 2010 and the pump is still running strong . it is missing a rocket tube from losing control of yak while trying to launch under other than favorable conditions . nothing a little j b weld could not fix . good as new . and the battery has been replaced as expected . the switch took a dump early on but most users have it bypassed . if you do not have a hobie different scenerio . save your self some headache and let the pros put it together . or roll a big one and spend some time in the garage ? :cheers1:

Built one as well (OEX clone). If you are going to make a similar one with quality parts, rod holders, ect, you will be saving less than $50 and that does not include the time and effort involved in getting all the bits and pieces as well as putting it all together. Though if you're into doing things yourself, it was a fun little project.

Besides price, building your own tank allows you to choose the features you want. Generally, the problem with this is, you will not know what you will eventually want on the first try.

Haha I would prob be in the garage way too long :cheers1:

Hi! I made my own bought the bucket and gamma lid at Home Depot, the switch and boot at western marine. The pump, mojo timer, fittings, aerator and deck connector at OEX and the inline fuse holder at walmart. The wires I already had. After all that I probably saved $35 it was not worth the time. Buy the bucket one from OEX or better yet their tank that sell for $199 is more compact and comes with 6v battery, Battery case and fishing pole holders. It looks great for only a little more. Either way a live well is awesome.

Good choice. The only good thing about making your own is that you can tap it off your fish finder battery later, if you want. That ended up being more hassle for me because 12 volts is just too much flow, the 6 volt is way better. for the fish.

walmart
 

does have that tsunami pump on the website if you do decide to build your own . 500 gpm . most peps that don't own the hobie would agree to buy the thing pre made . unless of course you are just looking for garage smoke project. :smokin:

I would rather spend:sifone: that time on the water with the ultimate. Idso have a hobie but don't use it as much anymore now that I have the cuda 14"

Is that an in-store only deal? I only see them online for $199.

Don't be a girly-man...
 

Make your own...

Much better than a Hobie tank - switches don't corrode, A LOT cheaper (well under $100 for mine), no special size battery. It can be made as a "dragger" or through-the-scupper type, can be made so it won't self drain when your battery dies, etc., etc.

Through-the-scupper type may take a little more experimentation, but then you'll always be able to trouble shoot it yourself.

My "Faux-bee"

Attachment 10165

PVC bait tubes work great, if made & used correctly....

you only want holes in BOTH end caps, and no holes in SIDE of tube.

thus, water will only flow along the inside of tube, from "front to back".
(holes in sides of tube, allow cross-flow of water in multiple directions, which will often drown mack quickly.)

make the front cap permanent/sealed. and use the back cap, as removable.
then u can insert mack head-first, into "back end" of tube.

you must make sure to insert mack into tube, where the fish is facing "forward" direction, of yak travel.

so the water flow inside tube, will be along the length of tube, from "front to back". and water will flow from "head-to-tail", of the macks inside tube.

if the mack is in tube backwards, and water flows from "tail-to-head", it will drown very quickly.

you also can NOT overcrowd the macks into tube. or they will also drown fairly quickly.
they need to have just a bit of free space per each mack, so they can basically "swim" in the water flowing through tube.

i have used tubes for many years in past, and when made/used as described above,
i ALWAYS have macks live in tubes for 8 to 10 hours or longer,
and ALWAYS are alive & very strong & well, if extras are released at end of day.


all that being said, PVC tubes are a fairly good item, & more economical than bait tanks.
but are also somewhat inconvenient to use, especially when hands get coverd with mack slime,
for getting single bait out during re-baiting hook process, and getting cap resealed, w/o losing other baits in the tube.

for beginners, or those on a tight budget, bait tubes are a great way to start out with live bait fishing.

but overall, if you fish often & can afford it, a bait tank is definitley worth the added cost and effort of hauling, loading & unloading, & mounting, etc.
.

that also sums up my sentiments on the bait tank.

when i first researched making one yrs ago, i soon decided i would be better off just buying one already made.
.

Ahh I see that's what I figured, too much water flow and they drown. Thanks for the info. I was thinking the more water the better.

Does anyone know if the hobie live well fits a Jackson cuda without any modifications? I'm getting impatient and learning the value of live bait around real fast ;)