DIY Portable Livewell

[NittyGrittyBoy]

So I've seen a few builds on YouTube and various websites. But does anyone on here have and tips, tricks, pointers, and preferences to building one and keeping bass alive?

 

I have several private ponds that are overstocked that need some attention bad. Catch 20 or so 12" bass in just over an hour. Quality has went down big time. I either bank fish or jon boat fish these ponds so hence the need for portable livewell. Well another Big pond close to my house had the d**n bust this year and drained it completely. Owner is too cheap to restock it so I have permission to stock it myself. So I need to transport bass and keep them alive and healthy. Ponds are all within 30mins of each other. 

 

So tips to keep em alive and building a livewell are more than welcome

[keagbassr]

Just use a cooler and one of those minnow bucket bubble makers. 

[looking45]

Who gave you permission to stock the pond? The owner or Fish and Wildlife? If you don't have permission from Fish and Wildlife, be very careful what you do. It might be illegal  in your state to move fish from one body of water to another. And, you don't want to be stopped with more than the legal limit in your possession.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I have permission from landowner, but thanks. ?

 

I do plan on only keeping in my possession what the state of Ga legally allows

[BassNJake]

One of the cooler type of DIY livewells will work.

Make sure you have bubbler/spray bar as coolers run on the small side compared to livewells

 

When bank fishing are you gonna keep the livewell in the truck bed?

Haulin a cooler with 30 gallons of water and 5 fish gets a little heavy to be draggin around.

 

 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Yes, truck bed. I have a 120qt cooler I'm using. Is spray bar better than bubbler? 

 

I know ice the water down so it's cold and use water from the pond I catch them out of. Me and a buddy can legally keep 20 bass greater than 12" which is perfect. 

[WRB]

Simple 12V bilge pump with 1/2 PVC pipe for areation via spray bar is easy to make. I used qwick ties and adhesive back mounts to fasten the tubing inside a cooler and drilled 1/16 dia holes about 3" apart and a cap on the outflow end. 

Put Catch & Release and 1/2 cup of over the counter 3% hydrogen peroxide for every 15 gallons of water. Make sure the water temps are with 10 degrees of the water the bass came out of prevent thermal shock. 5 bass for every 15 gallons of water should remain healthy for several hours with aeration.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

Just don’t move them on a 100 degree day (might be next month where you live!) and they will do fine with some bubbles. 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

27° in the morning haha, massive cold front.

 

I'm shooting for next Friday to get some caught and moved. ?

[NittyGrittyBoy]

For all those concerned, first load of bass were successfully transplanted ?

 

Doing my part to make my local fisheries healthier ?

[Bluebasser86]

A big rubbermaid tub works well for holding water keeping fish alive for short periods of time. I plug a power inverter into my truck and run a bubbler out the back into the tub. I don't do it with bass but it works great for keeping flathead bait alive on their way to their dinner meeting.