1983 25HP Merc, soft bulb and leaks fuel around the filter under the cowel..

Hi guys! I've been snooping and searching for a few days with no luck. The whole hose assembley is new, Im putting in an inline filter tomorrow (to do list; by the way is using a clear one made for a car cool? They are cheap and I can replace it often if clogged) anyway, bulb, hose all that is new, took off the hood and squeezed the bulb and it filled up the thing but it also bubbled and leaked around the top. When running it is rough! Also only a teeny tiny bit of gas can be seen in the filter tube. Bulb doesnt stay hard. Tonight I had to run it on full choke just to keep it going! What is this filter/tubes name? The screen filter is inside the plastic tube. Can I bypass it since I will have another inline filter in between squeese bulb and the connector fitting that fits onto the motor? The filter tube in question is directly above the motor connector, I could put another inline filter in its place and not have it anymore, or do I need it. Thanks so much, Im sure somebody has delt with this issue! Thanks in advance, Will. Oh, I took pictures so they might shed some light on this problem. Im pretty convinced this is the problem. Thanks again!