Battery Powered Air Pump

[Emerson Biggins]

I'm just getting into yaking and recently, I bought a Stealth 14. I have seen the bait tank plumbed with a bilge pump, but I was wondering if anyone has used one of those portable battery-powered aquarium air pumps, with an air stone, to keep the live well alive? Does it work or do you recommend plumbing the bilge pump or using an external live-well bucket?

Thanks

[usmp06]

I have a stealth 12 with the pump kit installed and it works great. No problems keeping fish alive.

[easyday]

I dont think the arreartor would work very well

[Amish Ed]

Aerators work fine for a live well (i.e. for tournament fishing). But, they suck for bait tanks.

[alanw]

I have a stealth 12 with the bait tank plumbed. The hardest thing I had to do was decide whether or not to drill a 1" hole through the bottom of the boat. All said and done no leaks and hope for no failures in the future.

I found that you can mount the bilge through the drain hole in the bottom of the bait tank (with a thread adapter) if you don't mind the bilge taking up space in it. I ran it that way for a little while before mounting it through-hull.

An external bait tank would work and you could use the built in bait tank for storage instead, but then why get a stealth? Keeping all that water low in the kayak probably helps stability as opposed to the weight up high in an external tank.

[oneyedeer]

portable air pump will supply oxygen....but bait poops so they die of intoxication

[Raskal311]

With a full tank some bait die too fast as it is in a circulated bait tank, an air pump would be ok if its small bait in small numbers.

[Emerson Biggins]

Thanks everyone for the feedback - I guess I'll try to convince myself that drilling a hole in the bottom of the boat is a good thing...

[bluesquids]

They work ok if in a well insulated container, because if the temperature changes even a couple degrees it will kill the bait. The cheap battery connectors and internal parts corrode almost instantly though in the salt environment.

[Poxy Boggards]

An air pump will not keep sardines or anchovies alive for very long. Maybe if there was like 3 baits in the bucket it might keep them alive for a couple of hours at most.

You need fresh circulating water to keep the temperature, toxins and oxygen levels in a good place for bait to survive.

In my experience, even the best bait tanks only keep bait alive for a finite ammount of time. This is especially true for bait that you buy from the barge which may or may not have a full cure on them.

[easyday]

I have a malibu x factor with the bait tank plumed and it works great no issues with leakage at all.

[Spaulding4181]

Originally Posted by Poxy Boggards

An air pump will not keep sardines or anchovies alive for very long. Maybe if there was like 3 baits in the bucket it might keep them alive for a couple of hours at most.

You need fresh circulating water to keep the temperature, toxins and oxygen levels in a good place for bait to survive.

In my experience, even the best bait tanks only keep bait alive for a finite ammount of time. This is especially true for bait that you buy from the barge which may or may not have a full cure on them.

What does it mean to have "cured bait?"

[Socalkayak]

I have a 14 and don't use a pump or air. I leave the plug out put a piece of screen in hole ( squid will get out ) and bait stays alive all day the swell action of water will circulate the water. Try it before you drill a hole my bait never dies even when fishing 8 plus hours

[alanw]

Originally Posted by Socalkayak

I have a 14 and don't use a pump or air. I leave the plug out put a piece of screen in hole ( squid will get out ) and bait stays alive all day the swell action of water will circulate the water. Try it before you drill a hole my bait never dies even when fishing 8 plus hours

I tried that on the 12. The water only filled up about half way, maybe less. I didn't think it was enough to keep a good amount of bait alive.