Portable live well

[puckepw]

I want to build a portable live well. I built one once but found that simply aerating the water did not keep the fish alive. I was told that fresh water needs to circulate to keep the right water temperature. So, if there is a continuous current of fresh water, is an aerator still necessary? And, how big should the pump be for a, say, 20 gallon reservoir?

 

[MRS]

Re: Portable live well

I have a 20 gal. bait tank that only circulates the water pulls fresh water in old water out. Never used for a live well just a bait tank it works excellent but you do have to run power while sitting still when boat is under power would turn power off to tank and pressure from running boat would run water through the pump into tank. Plus the tank is round no corners works way better at keeping bait fish alive. Hope it helps......

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Portable live well

Livewells with an intermittent timer for the fill water work well. Pulls in fresh water from the lake and the overflow flushes it. Water should run in from the top so that it entrains air as it runs in.

Keep in mind that if you are catch-and-release, even bass (which are fairly live-well tolerant and temp tolerant) can be stressed and die overnight after being released. Trout and salmon moreso. I would encourage livewell use only for those fish you plan on eating.

Recirculating aerator pumps that you put in a cooler are good for short term, but the motors give off heat which raises the water temp incrementally over time.

 

[puckepw]

Re: Portable live well

Thanks for the tips. I think I know what to do.