How often and how do you clean your boats livewell?

[tcbass]

I know some folks don't keep fish but for those that do, how often do you clean your boats livewell and how do you clean it?

[Further North]

Since I converted my live well to storage...I never clean it...

...except at the end of the season I vacuum it out...

[Way2slow]

well, since I rarely use it, I rarely clean it.  it has probably been five years since there has been any water in mine.

[S. Sass]

Never clean it. But I haven't had my boat that long. Also it stays pretty clean getting flushed out now and then.  

[gulfcaptain]

I use mine and rinse it with a hose.  If I need to clean clean it, a light bleach and water mix wiped on and off works great(this is only if I know I'm not using it for a few weeks and can leave the lids open as so it air drys which removes any toxins from the bleach) and also use a vinegar water mix if I need to clean it and will be using it shortly after as the vinegar water mix won't leave any film or toxins which could kill the fish I put in.  But normally it's a rinse and drain.

[Jig-Man]

I keep crappie in the early winter.  They really make the livewells nasty.  I pour a lot of water in them or run a hose to rinse them out.  Then I put baking soda in the wells to get rid of any smell.  When I get back to the lake I keep the wells open and they rinse out pretty well.

[WIGuide]

I clean mine out a few times a summer, or as needed. If you catch them when they're on a crawfish bite there's crawfish pieces all over the place. It really doesn't take much to keep them clean, just a good wipe down with some paper towels and water. Mine aren't perfectly white, but that doesn't bother me.

[Dwight Hottle]

Once a year with vinegar and a brush. Always leave the lid open when storing to get some air circulation. 

[crypt]

all the time,use a vinegar/water mix. rinse,let air dry. keep scales from plugging up pump etc.

[RyneB]

After every tournament. Vinegar/water mix and a brush usually.

[Ski213]

Only time fish see my wells is in tournaments so I clean them before each one. I've been using bleach.  I vac all the crap out first. I fill both wells from a hose and dump the bleach  as I'm filling. Once full, I run the recirc for about five minutes. I drain them, shop vac the residual water, refill them with just water, run the recirc again for 2-3 minutes, then drain, hose out, shop vac again, wipe dry, then leave lids open open for a day or two. 

It sounds a lot more time consuming than it actually is.

It's a real light bleach mix. I have to look up the mix every time, but I believe it's 1/3 cup of bleach for each well. They're 16 gallons each.  

Im not a biologist or anything but it does seem like the fish are more rambunctious coming out at weigh in since I started really trying to sterilize the wells versus just hosing them out. 

[Deakin]

Really? Clean the live wells?  I can't catch a fish but last night I stayed at a Holiday Inn and tomorrow will be another day of fishing. I may ask someone on the water if I can borrow a fish or two just so that I can clean mine.

[Bluebasser86]

I spray a bleach/water mix in mine due to a lot of our lakes having zebra mussels. It's the same mix I spray on my motor and in the bilge area to try to kill the nasty things if they're there. 

[tcbass]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I spray a bleach/water mix in mine due to a lot of our lakes having zebra mussels. It's the same mix I spray on my motor and in the bilge area to try to kill the nasty things if they're there. 

 

You spray bleach and water on the outside of your motor and it doesn't harm it?

What is the ratio of water to bleach?

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, tcbass said:

 

You spray bleach and water on the outside of your motor and it doesn't harm it?

What is the ratio of water to bleach?

Just where there could be water, the prop and such. It's about 10/1.