Anyone on land near water set up a bait tank?

BornNRaised · Sep 18, 2017

Pondering setting up a bait tank on shore and pumping water from river to keep bait alive.

Anyone already done this?

Thinking of trying to use a plastic drum, and insulate it.

I have several large pumps on hand already (saltwater tanks) and a drum.

Water is deep right by the bank so I could go down 5-10 feet or more to get cooler water easily.

Axis2011KR · Sep 19, 2017

I would think it would work just fine, they use a similar process in aquaculture in different parts of the country and south america I know just on a larger scale with holding ponds just off the river that circulate river water through them and back out to the main channel.

That said it may be more trouble then it's worth since you'd need a power source to run the pump and you could just use bait cages sitting in the river tied off to something.

j_seph · Sep 19, 2017

What kind of bait you want to keep

The mtn man · Sep 19, 2017

Most people I know that have bait tanks just fill with water, then get one of those small pool circulators along with the aerator from Walmart. Of course you have to keep water cool. I don't see why circulating creel water through it wouldn't work though, lower maintanence if you could gravity feed. Only problem would be algea growing from creek water.

little rascal · Sep 19, 2017

Make sure

to cover it with something to keep the Gooney Goo Hoo's out! (Great Blue Herons). They will eat every one of them. I did a small kiddy pool by the pond one time to hold shad for a couple days. Pump water in and gravity drain back in the pond. The gooney goo hoo got a bunch of them! I started dumping threadfins and gizzards in the pond to cast net later and the bass would start slamming the threads before I could walk away, they didn't last long. The gizzards got huge, too big for the bass and catfish to eat and lived for a few years before a very icy freeze finally got rid of them.

61BelAir · Sep 19, 2017

little rascal said:
to cover it with something to keep the Gooney Goo Hoo's out! (Great Blue Herons).

Shannon and I call them Pterodactyls !! :biggrin2:

Last year she managed to get right underneath a big one on the river (without knowing it) and when it spooked and came outta that tree it was screeching and running into branches!! It was so loud that she about flipped her kayak trying to get out of there. I was about 50' away and it startled me too. At first it was just the suddenness of it all that scared her, but even once she knew what it was she was afraid it would drop a "gallon of milk" on her.

We both have a good laugh every time we think of it.

Anyone on land near water set up a bait tank?

BornNRaised

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Axis2011KR

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j_seph

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The mtn man

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little rascal

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61BelAir

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