I have built a couple of different livewells over the past two years. The livewell that I am going to show you today is the result of a number of different observations that I have made throughout my trials. When I first build one 2 years ago, I found very little knowledge online about how to construct a livewell that was similar to what I wanted. I was looking for a tank that constantly pumped fresh water into the tank. The only real how-to demo's that I found were related to building an aerated tank the circulates the same water through the tank. A tank that is constantly pumping fresh water in is far better for salt water use, because the baitfish is typically bigger and creates a lot more waste and bacteria that would harm the other fish in the tank if the old water is not filtered out. Hopefully this will help you out if you are thinking about constructing your own.
1) Select a tank.
The first couple of tanks that I built were made out of 20 Gallon Rubbermaid trash cans. Mine were blue-gray in color, but I have heard that white would be better, so that some light is allowed into the tank. You don't want your tank to be dark and have the bait swimming into the sides and injuring itself. WEIGHT is a big factor for some people. Keep in mind that water weighs about 8 lbs/gallon. So a 20 gallon tank is going to weigh about 160 lbs plus the weight of the tank itself. A 50 gallon tank is going to weigh about 400 lbs - probably not a good choice for a 15' skiff. That said though, I would go as big as you can. I can keep about 25-30 mackerel or about 12-15 pogies alive in the 20 gallon tank. The method that I have used today can be adapted for any size tank, basically by just changing the size of the pump. You can use virtually anything as a livewell, but here are some of the more popular choices that you have for tanks:
Rubbermaid Brute Trash Cans:
Pros:
-Relatively inexpensive and easily attainable.
-Sturdy
-Easy material to work with
Cons:
- Lid is not a very tight fit and tends to allow water to splash out on to deck. Lid also needs to be secured with a bungee cord while moving.
- Difficult to secure to deck. Rubbermaid makes a locking base, but I couldn't find it anywhere
- Little bit taller than the ideal height. A shorter and wider tank is ideal, because fish swim laterally and around the tank, not up and down it.
55 Gallon Plastic Drum:
Pros:
- Often free if you know of a place that commonly uses these drums. Bait dealers, manufacturing plants and wholesalers are typically the best places. They are usually discarded after use and are very easily attainable.
-If you can find a lid, then you have a big tank that won't splash all that much. Try to find a commercially or custom made tank this big for under hundreds of dollars is nearly impossible.
Cons:
- Not very sturdy. Plastic is thinner and creates a lot of slosh if you don't have a secure cover.
- You may have to give them a good cleaning, especially if you get them from a bait/food dealer. Not fun working with something that smells like rotting herring.
- 55 gallons of water is not practical to keep on a smaller boat. I wouldn't even think about going this big unless weight is not a factor for you...400 lbs is like 2 extra people. You can plumb them to hold as little water as you want, but you might have to cut it down to make it accessible.
- Even harder than the Rubbermaid to secure to the deck. You don't want to hit a wave and have a 400 lb barrel come flying at you.
Commercially Made Bait Tank:
Pros:
- Very sturdy
- Often have a splash guard which almost eliminates water splashing on the deck
- Secure cover, which is a major selling point for me. I lost a couple of the Rubbermaid covers and it is a real PITA when your bait starts jumping out of the boat.
- Usually have accessories available that allow you to easily secure it to the deck. Trust me, you want your livewell to be securely attached to the deck.
- Other accessories available, like lights for keeping bait at night.
Cons:
- Relatively expensive. The 24 gallon tank and supplies that I am using today cost me about $180, which includes shipping. You could probably save by finding your own pvc components, but you wouldn't save all that much. The tank alone cost me $80.
- Not easily attainable. I had to order online and shipping was expensive ($50). Unless you get lucky and find a store that carries the model that you want, then you are basically forced to order online.
- Required a well thought out plan and good craftsmanship. I'd recommend starting with one of the cheaper tanks so that you can experiment and find out what features are important to you. You don't want to start making holes in a $80 tank, just to find out that you want your tank configured a different way.
1) Select a tank.
The first couple of tanks that I built were made out of 20 Gallon Rubbermaid trash cans. Mine were blue-gray in color, but I have heard that white would be better, so that some light is allowed into the tank. You don't want your tank to be dark and have the bait swimming into the sides and injuring itself. WEIGHT is a big factor for some people. Keep in mind that water weighs about 8 lbs/gallon. So a 20 gallon tank is going to weigh about 160 lbs plus the weight of the tank itself. A 50 gallon tank is going to weigh about 400 lbs - probably not a good choice for a 15' skiff. That said though, I would go as big as you can. I can keep about 25-30 mackerel or about 12-15 pogies alive in the 20 gallon tank. The method that I have used today can be adapted for any size tank, basically by just changing the size of the pump. You can use virtually anything as a livewell, but here are some of the more popular choices that you have for tanks:
Rubbermaid Brute Trash Cans:
Pros:
-Relatively inexpensive and easily attainable.
-Sturdy
-Easy material to work with
Cons:
- Lid is not a very tight fit and tends to allow water to splash out on to deck. Lid also needs to be secured with a bungee cord while moving.
- Difficult to secure to deck. Rubbermaid makes a locking base, but I couldn't find it anywhere
- Little bit taller than the ideal height. A shorter and wider tank is ideal, because fish swim laterally and around the tank, not up and down it.
55 Gallon Plastic Drum:
Pros:
- Often free if you know of a place that commonly uses these drums. Bait dealers, manufacturing plants and wholesalers are typically the best places. They are usually discarded after use and are very easily attainable.
-If you can find a lid, then you have a big tank that won't splash all that much. Try to find a commercially or custom made tank this big for under hundreds of dollars is nearly impossible.
Cons:
- Not very sturdy. Plastic is thinner and creates a lot of slosh if you don't have a secure cover.
- You may have to give them a good cleaning, especially if you get them from a bait/food dealer. Not fun working with something that smells like rotting herring.
- 55 gallons of water is not practical to keep on a smaller boat. I wouldn't even think about going this big unless weight is not a factor for you...400 lbs is like 2 extra people. You can plumb them to hold as little water as you want, but you might have to cut it down to make it accessible.
- Even harder than the Rubbermaid to secure to the deck. You don't want to hit a wave and have a 400 lb barrel come flying at you.
Commercially Made Bait Tank:
Pros:
- Very sturdy
- Often have a splash guard which almost eliminates water splashing on the deck
- Secure cover, which is a major selling point for me. I lost a couple of the Rubbermaid covers and it is a real PITA when your bait starts jumping out of the boat.
- Usually have accessories available that allow you to easily secure it to the deck. Trust me, you want your livewell to be securely attached to the deck.
- Other accessories available, like lights for keeping bait at night.
Cons:
- Relatively expensive. The 24 gallon tank and supplies that I am using today cost me about $180, which includes shipping. You could probably save by finding your own pvc components, but you wouldn't save all that much. The tank alone cost me $80.
- Not easily attainable. I had to order online and shipping was expensive ($50). Unless you get lucky and find a store that carries the model that you want, then you are basically forced to order online.
- Required a well thought out plan and good craftsmanship. I'd recommend starting with one of the cheaper tanks so that you can experiment and find out what features are important to you. You don't want to start making holes in a $80 tank, just to find out that you want your tank configured a different way.
