Ayrton Oneill
Livewells are tanks found on many fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons. They are used to keep bait and caught fish alive. Livewells can be factory-installed original equipment, aftermarket installations, or temporary, even improvised containers. The simplest livewell is a styrofoam bucket with a rope handle, which works just fine to keep a couple of dozen crappie minnows or shrimp alive for the morning. Livewells intended for bait often use a blue interior, on the premise that it calms baitfish and improves their longevity in the tank.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To keep bait and caught fish alive |
| Function | Pumps fresh water from the lake into the tank and then back out |
| Water source | Lake water |
| Water flow | In and out of the tank |
| Water aeration | Aerator agitates the water to stimulate oxygen |
| Water recirculation | Pumping water in a loop, out of the well, through a tube, and back into the well |
| Water temperature | Can get hot without a pump/aerator |
| Water oxygenation | Can get low on oxygen without a pump/aerator |
| Water quality | Can be improved by adding a bucket of water to refresh |
| Upgrades | Pump, timer, and/or aerator |
| Baitfish longevity | Improved by using a blue interior |
| Baitfish behaviour | Calmed by blue interior and radiused corners |
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What You'll Learn
- Livewells are tanks used to keep bait and caught fish alive
- Livewells can be factory-installed, aftermarket installations, or temporary
- Livewells intended for bait often use a blue interior to calm baitfish
- Livewells can use recirculating systems to pump water in a loop
- Livewells don't always have pumps or aerators
Livewells are tanks used to keep bait and caught fish alive
Livewells work by pumping fresh water from the lake you are boating on into the tank and then back out. This flow of water keeps the water fresh and oxygenated, allowing fish to breathe properly. The aerator agitates the water to stimulate the oxygen in the water.
There are a few different approaches to keeping the water in a livewell moving and aerated. You can pump raw water from outside the boat into the well and then drain it back overboard, you can circulate the water already in the well through a closed system, or you can pump air into the water. For situations when pumping raw water into the well isn't an option, many livewells use recirculating systems as an alternative. Recirculators essentially pump water in a loop, out of the well, through a tube, and back into the well. The most basic recirculators don't add oxygen or clear waste, but many systems incorporate aerators and filters to do so.
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Livewells can be factory-installed, aftermarket installations, or temporary
Livewells are tanks found on many fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons that are used to keep bait and caught fish alive. They can be factory-installed original equipment, aftermarket installations, or temporary, even improvised containers. The simplest livewell is the time-honoured styrofoam bucket with a rope handle, which works just fine to keep a couple dozen crappie minnows or shrimp alive for the morning.
Livewells work by pumping fresh water from the lake you are boating on into the tank and then back out. This flow of water keeps the water fresh and oxygenated, allowing fish to breathe properly. The concept of an aerated livewell is pretty simple. A pump pulls water in through the hull and into the livewell. A drain allows the water to escape and be replaced. The aerator agitates the water to stimulate the oxygen in the water.
Livewells intended for bait often use a blue interior, on the premise that it calms baitfish and improves their longevity in the tank. Baitwells also have radiused corners to keep schooling baitfish from congregating in a corner. There are a few different approaches to keeping the water in a livewell moving and aerated. You can pump raw water from outside the boat into the well and then drain it back overboard, you can circulate the water already in the well through a closed system, or you can pump air into the water.
Some livewells don't have any kind of pump or aerator. They have a single standpipe in the centre of each tank. A plug can be inserted into the pipe to block the flow. Wells without pumps or aerators can get hot and low on oxygen.
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Livewells intended for bait often use a blue interior to calm baitfish
Livewells are tanks found on many fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons that are used to keep bait and caught fish alive. Livewells can be factory-installed original equipment, aftermarket installations, or temporary, even improvised containers. The simplest livewell is the time-honoured styrofoam bucket with a rope handle, which works just fine to keep a couple of dozen crappie minnows or shrimp alive for the morning.
The concept of an aerated livewell is pretty simple. A pump pulls water in through the hull and into the livewell. A drain allows the water to escape and be replaced. The aerator agitates the water to stimulate the oxygen in the water. There are a few different approaches to keep the water in a live well moving and aerated. You can pump raw water from outside the boat into the well and then drain it back overboard, you can circulate the water already in the well through a closed system, or you can pump air into the water. For situations when pumping raw water into your well isn't an option, many livewells use recirculating systems as an alternative. Recirculators essentially pump water in a loop, out of the well, through a tube, and back into the well. The most basic recirculators don't add oxygen or clear waste, but many systems incorporate aerators and filters to do so.
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Livewells can use recirculating systems to pump water in a loop
Livewells are tanks found on many fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons. They are used to keep bait and caught fish alive. Livewells can be factory-installed original equipment, aftermarket installations, or temporary, even improvised containers. The simplest livewell is a styrofoam bucket with a rope handle, which works just fine to keep a couple of dozen crappie minnows or shrimp alive for the morning. Livewells intended for bait often use a blue interior, as it is thought that this calms baitfish and improves their longevity in the tank.
Livewells work by pumping fresh water from the lake you are boating on into the tank and then back out. This flow of water keeps the water fresh and oxygenated, allowing fish to breathe properly. A pump pulls water in through the hull and into the livewell. A drain allows the water to escape and be replaced. The aerator agitates the water to stimulate the oxygen in the water.
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Livewells don't always have pumps or aerators
Livewells are tanks found on many fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons that are used to keep bait and caught fish alive. They can be factory-installed original equipment, aftermarket installations, or temporary, even improvised containers. The simplest livewell is the time-honoured styrofoam bucket with a rope handle, which works just fine to keep a couple of dozen crappie minnows or shrimp alive for the morning.
There are a few different approaches to keeping the water in a livewell moving and aerated. One option is to pump raw water from outside the boat into the well and then drain it back overboard. Another option is to circulate the water already in the well through a closed system, either by pumping it in a loop out of the well, through a tube, and back into the well, or by pumping air into the water.
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Frequently asked questions
Livewells are tanks found on many fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons that are used to keep bait and caught fish alive.
A pump pulls water in through the hull and into the livewell. A drain allows the water to escape and be replaced. The aerator agitates the water to stimulate the oxygen in the water.
Livewells can be factory-installed original equipment, aftermarket installations, or temporary, even improvised containers. The simplest livewell is the time-honored styrofoam bucket with a rope handle.
The blue interior is intended to calm baitfish and improve their longevity in the tank.
There are a few different approaches. You can pump raw water from outside the boat into the well and then drain it back overboard, you can circulate the water already in the well through a closed system, or you can pump air into the water.
