Anchovy go belly up

[Ro12]

Are anchovies harder to keep alive
Maybe a little more delicate than other fish
Just wondering
Went out today and got a half scoop
My first time buying bait from a barge
Was pretty cool
Anyway I paddle out
Im pretty excited
Couple friends got some yellowfin last week on anchovy
So far I've only fly lined mackerel and sardines
Figured I'd give anchovy a try
So I paddle out a couple miles and open up my live well
Every one of em are belly up
So I still have only fly lined macs and sardine
Haha
Ended up just usin em for chum
I do gotta add that my live well is barely a live well
Pretty much a bucket and bubbles
Just wondering if I'll be able to keep anything alive in it
Or are anchovies just harder to keep alive

[Oxbeast1210]

I feel they do die easier you need to circulate water through . If you want to make a live well let me know I can help ya out we can make one for pretty cheap or make a fancier one. what kayak do you use?

Oscar

[tamddo714]

what livewell were you using? homemade? hobie? i hear that having a 6volt powered live well will keep your chovies longer because it doesn't stress them too much and i dont have problems keeping them alive in my hobie livewell. goodluck

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by tamddo714

what livewell were you using? homemade? hobie? i hear that having a 6volt powered live well will keep your chovies longer because it doesn't stress them too much and i dont have problems keeping them alive in my hobie livewell. goodluck

my live well, which I haven't used yet, came with a six volt battery running a twelve volt pump, so the flow is way down, I'm not sure there is enough flow with six volts to keep the water circulating enough. I guess I won't know until I try it but I've always thought a live well needed a lot of circulation.

[DanaPT]

In my experience, it is not worth the $14-$15 bucks for a scoop (kayak scoop + tip). I like anchovies when I'm fishing near shore. If I'm going for a long paddle, they always seem to go belly-up. I had a scoop at DP bait barge a week ago. Unfortunately I didn't realize what the scoop was until it was in my tank.

The next worst thing... when you get home and realize 2 chovey's are rotting inside the bank tank (against the pump and tank.) You'll smell it in the garage and wonder WTF. by the time you find out what it was... it's just a slimy rotten smelly mess.

[Ro12]

I was using a homemade one
Had a little white aerator that I can't remember the brand or battery
I won it in a fish off raffle with scsurffishing
Unfortunately I lost it that day
I dumped out the last of the fish and water before I paddled in
The aerator went in too
Thanks for the offer Oscar
I'll take you up on that
I got an old ocean kayak xt
Not much space in the back
So I had to make a small one out of a cheap storage bin
It was all I could find that would fit
I'll make another
But I just wonder if it would be worth it or not
Thanks for the help and replies guys

[octico]

Originally Posted by DanaPT

In my experience, it is not worth the $14-$15 bucks for a scoop (kayak scoop + tip). I like anchovies when I'm fishing near shore. If I'm going for a long paddle, they always seem to go belly-up. I had a scoop at DP bait barge a week ago. Unfortunately I didn't realize what the scoop was until it was in my tank.

The next worst thing... when you get home and realize 2 chovey's are rotting inside the bank tank (against the pump and tank.) You'll smell it in the garage and wonder WTF. by the time you find out what it was... it's just a slimy rotten smelly mess.

Holly Crap i am not the only that this happened too. I searched every where for a week and finally I found them after week. I scrubbed everything twice thinking it was something on the yak or seat.

[kayakfisherman]

Dead anchovies?? Where's the frying pan!!!!

[sandico]

Stay away from the clear tanks. Transfers to much heat. Definitely run a 6volt battery and try not to fill up the tank with to much bait. Less is more. A lot of flow can stress the bait. Don't use to big of a pump, 360gph is good. Might also want to watch what level you put your drain. Every gallon of water is 8lbs!

Kerry
OEX MB

[taggermike]

An airator will not keep chovies alive. Dines or macs either. To keep bait healthy you need a flow of new water through the tank. Chovies are not per say weaker than other baits its just when you get a scoop, even 1 light pass kayak scoop, you can get up to 100 baits depending on bait size. Many small baits use more oxygen by weight than large fish. 10 1 lb fish will use much more O2 than 1 10 lb fish. And like others said, less can be more; fewer live and frisky baits are better than many lethargic baits. Rig up a bait tank or even a bait tube for nacks. Mike

[hage0429]

I have a somewhat better bait tank set-up but have had similar issues. Biggest thing I've been able to do is not overload it in the first place. In my case even a half scoop of dines will be 100% dead in 30 minutes but if I get more like a quarter-scoop they will last all day.

Personally I just ask the bait guy to give me fewer. They won't charge you any less so if you want to get your money's worth bring a separate bucket to put the rest in, let them die without stealing oxygen from the rest, and use them for chum.

Good luck!

[TJones]

Yes most of the things mentioned are accurate. Did anyone mention the fact that the bait is not being cured ? The bait was or has been in such high demand , the barge has not been able to let the bait cure or stabilize in its own tank . This added stress is more than enough combined with going into another tank to take it over the top. It pretty much is a waste of time for a yak to sit in line and spend money on the bait readily available right now. Just my opinion.

[Ro12]

Those pet food containers can get pricey
I gotta go the low budget route
Plus it wouldn't fit
I've looked into bait tubes
Also seen people use laundry bags
Problem is I don't know if they would attract seals
Or sharks
Hate to have any of em just hang around and steal everything I hook

[tamddo714]

Just save up for a good system. Forget the bait tube and bag. Do it right the first time so save money and headache


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[Ro12]

Yeah that's the direction I'm heading in
Found a pet food container on sale for $35
Have no idea what pumps and batteries cost
A pretty cool looking set up is or was on sale on this forum for $200
Said it took $260 to build though
That's too rich for my blood
Looks like I better get better with lures
Till I can save up anyway

[alanw]

A bucket, pump, some hoses, and a battery. I'm sure you can build something for less than $100