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live bait


lady jane
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one of the things that i have steered away from is skin fittings on my boats but this is a problem if you want to keep bait alive whilst you have a long way to travel as the pump fitted to the transom will not work whilst motoring at any sort of speed.

after trying various things i have ended up adding a keepalive pump from tek tanks this not only gives good circulation it also adds oxygen to the water, all i did was bolt it to the floor of the existing tank and to date it has proved to be very good.

cheers andy

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It will be alright for a back-up whilst under way but don't rely on it alone. Take it from someone who has tested this system extensively, I even have one of the American Keep-Alive tanks, courtesy of the company that makes the system as I was considering importing them at one time. You will find you get a lot of scum on the surface which cuts out any natural oxygenation (mackerel poo) and in warm weather the temperature will rise quite quickly to the detriment of the mackerel. They really do need the water to be changing constantly. This is not the case with other bait fish, such as sand eels, as they seem to live in this situation very satisfactorily.

 

How far do you intend travelling with the bait in the tank? I've done 5 or 6 miles and they have been fine for that length of time and I know others that probably travel farther on the bigger boats. They may get a bit lethargic but, as long as they have no damage (refer to the thread re handling mackerel) and there are no bleeding ones in there, they will quickly revive when the water is turned on again.

 

Terry.

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terry,

my point was exactly that.

im travelling further than five or six miles and they need the extra help, this unit fitted as well as the transom pump definitely helps.

to the best of my knowledge most if not all of the larger boats have pumps fitted through skin fittings meaning that they get fresh water 100% of the time.

and yes i am aware of how to look after the bait but thanks for your advise.

 

cheers andy

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Both Blue Warrior and Out of the Blue ( my last two boats) had water pick ups that operated right up to 30 knots but wernt through hill skin fittings.

 

Simple system - a rule bilge pump sat on a sidemount fitting also from Rule.

 

Easy to fit, no holes, cheap, neat instal and very, very effective.

 

This time round though - Ive drilled a hole!! ph34r.gif

 

 

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My set up is more simple and portable. My Rule pump is on the end of that stiffish thick, clear plastic tubing that runs into tank. It is stiff enough to hold the pump away from the hull a few inches and will do so at trolling speeds. When belting back up the drifts or going further afield, I swing the pipe inboard and drop it into the tank where it then recirculates and aerates the water effectively.

 

I have the Rule 500....but I think this is too much after a couple of years experience. When it goes pop, I'll replace it with the smaller 360 one.

 

Alun.

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Mine seems to work well, although I have to say that I haven't travelled great distances with it full of bait to see if it gets plenty of water.

 

I would imagine looking over the back while at cruising speed to see where the water gathers the most and placing your pump in that area and out of the prop wash should work ok?

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

gordon

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