Building A Livewell Out Of A Cooler

[buzzbait4me]

Hey guys,

 

 

I have a small jon boat that doesn't have a livewell in it but I would like to start fishing tournaments out of it. I was thinking about building one out of a hard plastic ice cooler. Does anyone have any experience with making one of these? If so, what things do I need to purchase to make the livewell suitable for fishing an all day tournament? Ex. pumps, aerators, things like that.

 

Thanks

[flyfisher]

They sell a kit at cabelas, bass pro etc...that you can use to convert a cooler into a live well.

http://www.basspro.com/Catch-Saver-12V-DC-Aerator-Kit/product/1293/

[Bladesmith,]

I have a "Bait Ben" I've used hard for 6 years. It cost me less than the parts to build one. http://www.baitben.com/releasewells.html

 

Note to admin; If this is in violation of the rules, please delete. It is simply a product I have bought and used with success.

[Sbennett9]

Just did this to a cooler with a buddy recently. Depending on your setup it can really vary. If you have access to an additional battery or want to hook it to your trolling motor you can buy the setup at most any store. We went with the D cell battery powered ones which were about a third of the cost. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep in mind how many gallons the pump is rated to aerate and make sure you have a cooler large enough for a five fish limit. Most tournaments practice catch and release and the least amount of stress you can put on the fish the better it really is for all of us. That being said a large cooler will work just fine. just make sure you setup the proper size aerator for the amount of water in your new livewell

[james 14]

You can get an aerator at Walmart that will suction to the bottom of the cooler and clip to the battery via alligator clips. You can also get a bilge pump and use the hose to pump water in and out of the cooler...when you're done with it wrap it up and stow it away.

 

We used a 120qt cooler for the longest time but I bought smaller one to save some space and it still worked. I can't remember the size but it was 24" (maybe 26") on the inside and held five fish easily. It was 80-90qt I believe.

[SudburyBasser]

They sell a kit at cabelas, bass pro etc...that you can use to convert a cooler into a live well. http://www.basspro.com/Catch-Saver-12V-DC-Aerator-Kit/product/1293/

 

I some how missed this on BPS when I was looking for one the other day. You have my thanks sir!

[SudburyBasser]

Okay, I ordered that aerator that flyfisher linked to at BPS. How big a cooler do you think one would need to comfortably hold 5 bass? The 80 to 90 quarts that James 14 mentioned above seems a little large, no?

[quanjig]

The bigger the better! Don't do what I did and have to find out the hard way! 30lbs in a livewell too small amounts to suffering fish and lost weight at weigh-in! Also look into a bubbler as I call it to help oxigenate the water as well as your recirc pump, this made a huge difference in lost fish for me in the past.

[jhoffman]

Oxygen pumps have proven to do nothing for the bass. Dont waste your money there, the only way its beneficial is medical grade oxygen injection. I have one on my boat, bubbler but I didnt buy it, previous owner did.

 

Yeah, the bigger the better id make one out of the coleman xtreme series, proven to hold ice almost as well as a yeti. That means keeping them cooler.

[quanjig]

I'm going to have to read up on the O2 deal. I thought I was helping the water absorb more O2 with the treatment chems as well as a bubbler. Why then do they have them in aquariums? Seems counter productive but makes me feel better and have had better results with them than without them. Can't hurt and they aren't that expensive.

[jhoffman]

I wouldve thought the same, but thats the whole reason oxygen injection systems came to be although they are controversial due to having compressed gas on board.

[BassinB]

the key to getting o2 into the water most efficiently in a boat is with surface agitation.  an oxygen bubbler helps slightly because it will agitate the surface of the water, a better way of agitating the water however is by mounting the input spray nozzle above the surface of the water. when fresh water is pumped in it will mix water already in there and oxygenate.

[SudburyBasser]

The bigger the better! Don't do what I did and have to find out the hard way! 30lbs in a livewell too small amounts to suffering fish and lost weight at weigh-in! Also look into a bubbler as I call it to help oxigenate the water as well as your recirc pump, this made a huge difference in lost fish for me in the past.

 

I think I might be okay for a smaller cooler.I buy what's called a conservation fishing licence in Ontario which limits you to two bass per day. Given that I go out with my brother-in-law that means probably four fish maximum and they don't get to be as big as the lunkers you Yanks can pull. So theoretically I would need a cooler that would comfortably hold 10 to 15 pounds of bass.

 

The reason why I'm concerned about cooler size is that it is a pleasure craft so I can't build into the boat and space is at a premium -- on top of the cooler we have two tackle bags and a bunch of rods. The last thing I want to do is start tripping over a cooler. I'll have to check out coolers tomorrow to get a better sense of size...not to mention what my brother-in-law mandates.