Next Project - Bait Tube - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

goldenglory18 · 09-15-2017, 12:53 PM

So now that my electronics rig is almost complete, and I'll be able to better locate inshore structure, I think its time to tackle live bait storage.

I've decided to try my hand at making a bait tube. For this I've gone with a 2', 4" diameter ABS tube with drainage covers for the caps. I will have a hinged (solid brass) opening for bait access, and will bungee cord the access door for security, and run a line through the tube to secure the caps shut (instead of cement for ease of cleaning.)

For those of you that have gone this route before, have you felt that just having the ends open gives enough water flow to keep the bait alive? I've seen some that have cross-drilled the tubes and can't decide if that would make it any better or if its worth the hassle (its a lot more of a hassle for me as most of my drilling/cutting is dremmel based these days. Yay SoCal apartment living...)

Also, does the ABS tube cause enough buoyancy that you don't need to add a float? I'd like to have this trailed behind me while paddling and have it pinned next to me while I fish/drift so I'll need to add hardware somewhere on it for that.

Looking forward to everyone's suggestions!

Denis_Ruso · 09-15-2017, 02:24 PM

Flow is enough to keep the bait alive. What I found though is I drilled out additional spacing in the front grate due to drag. Those caps have a lot of flat surface area, therefore the more you can smooth that out or reduce the amount of plastic on the front cap, the less drag you will have.

filippo · 09-15-2017, 02:27 PM

A suggestion: Save time and get the Torpedo Bait Bucket. $40. 0 drag. Super, super light. Holds about 5 huge macs, more medium sized ones, and a lot more small ones. In all my trips all bait survived and thrived. Check it out: www.torpedobaitbuckets.com (I'm not affiliated).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lf4eExrLiw

Buddy gave me his DIY one before I bought the Torpedo and found it too bulky and heavy. He actually ordered one too even though he's got the Hobie tank.

GTboosted · 09-15-2017, 02:28 PM

Depending on the bait you plan on keeping, you might want to smooth out the cut outs(ends or any additional). Baits beat themselves up against smooth tank walls so I'm sure these openings can damage them more.

If you have sandpaper laying around it might be worth the hassle.

2-Stix · 09-15-2017, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by filippo

A suggestion: Save time and get the Torpedo Bait Bucket. $40. 0 drag. Super, super light. Holds about 5 huge macs, more medium sized ones, and a lot more small ones. In all my trips all bait survived and thrived. Check it out: www.torpedobaitbuckets.com (I'm not affiliated).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lf4eExrLiw

Buddy gave me his DIY one before I bought the Torpedo and found it too bulky and heavy. He actually ordered one too even though he's got the Hobie tank.

x2. I made a tube...and it was a really good one and still sucked pretty bad.

goldenglory18 · 09-20-2017, 08:21 AM

Now that I figured out how much my DIY project is going to cost, I realize its about the same as the Torpedo.

Filippo, how has yours held up? A lot of discussion on other forums and on youtube about how cheap and poorly made it is. I figure I can build something stronger, but if its actually ok, I might just go with it and DIY the improvements necessary.

Anyone else have experience with the Torpedo?

Mahigeer · 09-20-2017, 08:41 AM

Live bait is not all that is cracked up to be.

I have been invited to go on a private boat twice in the last 3 weeks.

To chip in for expense I paid for live bait. $45.00 and $40.00.

We fished the kelp beds at San Onorfe (spl?) and one bass was the catch.

We did much better with bottom fishing with cut mackerel.

No sign of tuna or yellowtail.

filippo · 09-20-2017, 10:57 AM

It's a holding up great! Yes, the door is a bit frustrating to open at times, but you get used to and I prefer it this way rather then being too easy and losing bait. It's really, really light, but I've never doubted it'd be break and I've never had issues with it. I actually considered buying a 2nd one as backup in case the company would ever go out of business

(hopefully not!!!), but haven't yet simply because I just don't seeing it breaking. For $40, it's a no brainer.

I'll be kayaking SD bay on Sat AM, you're welcome to stop by and check it out.

goldenglory18 · 09-20-2017, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

Live bait is not all that is cracked up to be.

I have been invited to go on a private boat twice in the last 3 weeks. To chip in for expense I paid for live bait. $45.00 and $40.00. We fished the kelp beds at San Onorfe (spl?) and one bass was the catch. We did much better with bottom fishing with cut mackerel. No sign of tuna or yellowtail.

I agree (I'm a tournament bass angler so live/cut bait is a new deal to me anyway) but when you need it, it would be nice to have the option. Especially since this thing is so lightweight and easy to stow away until needed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by filippo

It's a holding up great! Yes, the door is a bit frustrating to open at times, but you get used to and I prefer it this way rather then being too easy and losing bait. It's really, really light, but I've never doubted it'd be break and I've never had issues with it. I actually considered buying a 2nd one as backup in case the company would ever go out of business

(hopefully not!!!), but haven't yet simply because I just don't seeing it breaking. For $40, it's a no brainer.

I'll be kayaking SD bay on Sat AM, you're welcome to stop by and check it out.

Good to hear. If I go this route, your review gives me some confidence in the product. What I've read so far is definitely negative heavy.

Thanks again everyone...

taggermike · 09-21-2017, 08:34 AM

I've made several bait tubes from different materials over the years.
The best tubing I found was 4" perforated drain pipe. (Some times called leach line of French drain) you can get the flat slotted plugs for the ends. But they also make slotted cone shaped caps as well.
The top door of the bait torpedo is much better access than have to remove the and cap. Mike

Mahigeer · 09-21-2017, 10:46 AM

What I meant was not the lack of benefit of having bait tube, rather paying for live bait.

We could have filled the tank with live mackerel instead of buying sardines.

Gunner58 · 09-22-2017, 07:54 AM

I have used both a torpedo bait tube and a DIY tube and in my opinion they both are not good options. I made a bait tank for under 100 bucks and works great. One more downside to the bait tube is my friend had a hammer head attack his tube so you have to be careful of that.

taggermike · 09-24-2017, 10:13 AM

Gunner58. I had the same experience. I made several bait tubes and found them to be a PITA, didn't hold much bait, and beat the baits up. And DIY-ed a bait tank. This was 15 years ago when there were no premade kayak assesories.

I noticed in the bait torpedo video it looks like they have pin fish in there. Those things are much tougher than any baits we use here.

A bait tube would be handy on multi day trips where you don't have access to as charger. Mike

isghj · 09-24-2017, 04:02 PM

I build one of these ABS tubes, heavy is not a problem I care about but the hydrodynamics is something I wish I could improve.

My largest complaint is that the holes I drilled for water flow are hard to make smooth, scratchy enough to mark the bait if I'm rough with the tube. I should have made them larger so I can get sandpaper into them but I was worried I might catch live squid and thought smaller holes would prevent their escape. Haven't caught any squid on my sabiki since making it though...

I have two other problems with the ABS: It's black which makes it hot in the sun, I noticed any live bait I caught that wasn't greenback was kinda anemic when I went to retrieve them from the tube. They would revive very quickly if dropped into cooler deep water, at least the mackerel did, lizard fish and bonita are too fragile to keep in the tube in summer warm waters it seems, or at least that was my experience. Might paint your tube a different lighter color to compensate, to reflect some sun/IR. I painted mine with a yellow twist stripe to try to deter sharks after the hammerhead started playing with it.

My dad bought two of those torpedo tubes after seeing mine. The first one he lost at sea, but the second one came busted in the mail. The plastic they use is a bit too thin for my taste, pretty sure I could smash my ABS tube against a tree and it wouldn't break open, the ABS is strong like that at least. With such weak plastic I'm worried I would have to keep rebuying tubes, would rather not have to buy a new tube every year, not at ~$50.

If I wanted to make a lighter weight one, I would have used sewer/septic leach-field pipe instead, which has a thinner wall. Couldn't find = 3.0". Problem there was I couldn't find a twist cap to put on the end to get my fish out, so I gave up on that idea as I was running out of fishing season.

Still thinking about getting my friend to 3d print a different cap for hydrodynamics though, I don't think the cap needs to be all that strong and seems the torpedo has proven you don't need so much water flow through the nose, it can be solid and they still get enough water through the side holes it seems.

09-15-2017, 12:53 PM	#1
goldenglory18 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Seattle Area Posts: 861	Next Project - Bait Tube So now that my electronics rig is almost complete, and I'll be able to better locate inshore structure, I think its time to tackle live bait storage. I've decided to try my hand at making a bait tube. For this I've gone with a 2', 4" diameter ABS tube with drainage covers for the caps. I will have a hinged (solid brass) opening for bait access, and will bungee cord the access door for security, and run a line through the tube to secure the caps shut (instead of cement for ease of cleaning.) For those of you that have gone this route before, have you felt that just having the ends open gives enough water flow to keep the bait alive? I've seen some that have cross-drilled the tubes and can't decide if that would make it any better or if its worth the hassle (its a lot more of a hassle for me as most of my drilling/cutting is dremmel based these days. Yay SoCal apartment living...) Also, does the ABS tube cause enough buoyancy that you don't need to add a float? I'd like to have this trailed behind me while paddling and have it pinned next to me while I fish/drift so I'll need to add hardware somewhere on it for that. Looking forward to everyone's suggestions!

09-15-2017, 02:24 PM	#2
Denis_Ruso Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 571	Flow is enough to keep the bait alive. What I found though is I drilled out additional spacing in the front grate due to drag. Those caps have a lot of flat surface area, therefore the more you can smooth that out or reduce the amount of plastic on the front cap, the less drag you will have. __________________ 2018 Hobie Outback 13 I do not fear the storm as it will teach me how to sail my ship.

09-15-2017, 02:28 PM	#4
GTboosted Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Lake Balboa, The Valley Posts: 425	Depending on the bait you plan on keeping, you might want to smooth out the cut outs(ends or any additional). Baits beat themselves up against smooth tank walls so I'm sure these openings can damage them more. If you have sandpaper laying around it might be worth the hassle. __________________ -Beto

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09-15-2017, 02:27 PM	#3
filippo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 128	A suggestion: Save time and get the Torpedo Bait Bucket. $40. 0 drag. Super, super light. Holds about 5 huge macs, more medium sized ones, and a lot more small ones. In all my trips all bait survived and thrived. Check it out: www.torpedobaitbuckets.com (I'm not affiliated). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lf4eExrLiw Buddy gave me his DIY one before I bought the Torpedo and found it too bulky and heavy. He actually ordered one too even though he's got the Hobie tank.

09-20-2017, 08:21 AM	#6
goldenglory18 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Seattle Area Posts: 861	Now that I figured out how much my DIY project is going to cost, I realize its about the same as the Torpedo. Filippo, how has yours held up? A lot of discussion on other forums and on youtube about how cheap and poorly made it is. I figure I can build something stronger, but if its actually ok, I might just go with it and DIY the improvements necessary. Anyone else have experience with the Torpedo?

09-20-2017, 08:41 AM	#7
Mahigeer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,897	Live bait is not all that is cracked up to be. I have been invited to go on a private boat twice in the last 3 weeks. To chip in for expense I paid for live bait. $45.00 and $40.00. We fished the kelp beds at San Onorfe (spl?) and one bass was the catch. We did much better with bottom fishing with cut mackerel. No sign of tuna or yellowtail.

09-20-2017, 10:57 AM	#8
filippo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 128	It's a holding up great! Yes, the door is a bit frustrating to open at times, but you get used to and I prefer it this way rather then being too easy and losing bait. It's really, really light, but I've never doubted it'd be break and I've never had issues with it. I actually considered buying a 2nd one as backup in case the company would ever go out of business (hopefully not!!!), but haven't yet simply because I just don't seeing it breaking. For $40, it's a no brainer. I'll be kayaking SD bay on Sat AM, you're welcome to stop by and check it out.

09-21-2017, 08:34 AM	#10
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	I've made several bait tubes from different materials over the years. The best tubing I found was 4" perforated drain pipe. (Some times called leach line of French drain) you can get the flat slotted plugs for the ends. But they also make slotted cone shaped caps as well. The top door of the bait torpedo is much better access than have to remove the and cap. Mike

09-21-2017, 10:46 AM	#11
Mahigeer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,897	What I meant was not the lack of benefit of having bait tube, rather paying for live bait. We could have filled the tank with live mackerel instead of buying sardines.

09-22-2017, 07:54 AM	#12
Gunner58 Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 81	I have used both a torpedo bait tube and a DIY tube and in my opinion they both are not good options. I made a bait tank for under 100 bucks and works great. One more downside to the bait tube is my friend had a hammer head attack his tube so you have to be careful of that.

09-24-2017, 10:13 AM	#13
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	Gunner58. I had the same experience. I made several bait tubes and found them to be a PITA, didn't hold much bait, and beat the baits up. And DIY-ed a bait tank. This was 15 years ago when there were no premade kayak assesories. I noticed in the bait torpedo video it looks like they have pin fish in there. Those things are much tougher than any baits we use here. A bait tube would be handy on multi day trips where you don't have access to as charger. Mike

09-24-2017, 04:02 PM	#14
isghj Junior Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 18	I build one of these ABS tubes, heavy is not a problem I care about but the hydrodynamics is something I wish I could improve. My largest complaint is that the holes I drilled for water flow are hard to make smooth, scratchy enough to mark the bait if I'm rough with the tube. I should have made them larger so I can get sandpaper into them but I was worried I might catch live squid and thought smaller holes would prevent their escape. Haven't caught any squid on my sabiki since making it though... I have two other problems with the ABS: It's black which makes it hot in the sun, I noticed any live bait I caught that wasn't greenback was kinda anemic when I went to retrieve them from the tube. They would revive very quickly if dropped into cooler deep water, at least the mackerel did, lizard fish and bonita are too fragile to keep in the tube in summer warm waters it seems, or at least that was my experience. Might paint your tube a different lighter color to compensate, to reflect some sun/IR. I painted mine with a yellow twist stripe to try to deter sharks after the hammerhead started playing with it. My dad bought two of those torpedo tubes after seeing mine. The first one he lost at sea, but the second one came busted in the mail. The plastic they use is a bit too thin for my taste, pretty sure I could smash my ABS tube against a tree and it wouldn't break open, the ABS is strong like that at least. With such weak plastic I'm worried I would have to keep rebuying tubes, would rather not have to buy a new tube every year, not at ~$50. If I wanted to make a lighter weight one, I would have used sewer/septic leach-field pipe instead, which has a thinner wall. Couldn't find = 3.0". Problem there was I couldn't find a twist cap to put on the end to get my fish out, so I gave up on that idea as I was running out of fishing season. Still thinking about getting my friend to 3d print a different cap for hydrodynamics though, I don't think the cap needs to be all that strong and seems the torpedo has proven you don't need so much water flow through the nose, it can be solid and they still get enough water through the side holes it seems.