Keeping a 5 limit Alive

How about some ideas for keeping 5 catfish alive and healthy till the 2-3pm weight-in. They will also be released back so they need to be in good condition. What suggestions for transporting them from the boat to the weight-in table?? I have one of those bags for bass but the fins on the catfish will only get you one quick use.......

I would try a big cooler with an airator in it. Might have to have someone help carry it

I would have to agree with this +1

I'm going to us a large cooler with a bilge pump to recalculate the water. Also remember, our tournaments will be in the cooler months, so it should be a little easier. I would like to hear more from you guys that enter the Central and North Texas tournaments, what do you use?

A wheeled cooler or a small cart/wagon in the truck to move a regular cooler. My fish are going to be so big I will have to higher people to help carry my fish!

Now John you know that you are not going to beat me. The apache boat is designed for those extra large blue cats.

I have a double 48" striper tube to keep them alive on the water. It will hold two 50lb+ fish. I have a 18 gal livewell on the boat that will keep fish under 20lns. To transport from livewell to weigh in table I use a big plastic tub (tournament provided.)

I've got 2 weigh bags that I have used for over 2 years now, yea they got some holes, but their still as strong as ever

I intend to have two 50lb catfish or better. Where do you get the 48" striper tube and what size pump is required to do the job.

sounds good, thanks for the info, will one bag hold a 50lb cat??

I found this tube on eBay. It has 2 1100 gph bilge pumps w/ Venturi valve like keepalive system.

thanks, will do some research now.

I use 2 148 quart ice chest with bildge pumps in them to keep the water moving. You can fist 2 50lbers in one facing opposite directions. I have kept one as big as 64lbs alive in one for 6 hours.

One large livewell and one 148 quart cooler with bilge pump. For carrying to the weigh in, drain out of the cooler and use it, also, any large plastic contain can be use to carry them from the boat to the weigh-in.

I made a livewell using a cooler and that live well pump from walmart. I think it was 25 bucks for the pump and i bought a big cooler for 50-60. drilled 2 holes and the fitings come threaded and i didnt even have two use silacone to seal it. It would not have hurt though. I never used it to keep catfish alive for tourny but it worked for BASS! you can buy premaded live wells at basspro but they were 150-300 and not as big and they werent insalated like a cooler so i would imagine the water would get warm quick for the hotter parts of the year. But i know now that they make a pump you just put on any cooler to turn it into a live well but i made mine a few years back and i dont remember seeing one when i was making mine...

Built this out of a poly truck tool box for my tourney livewell:

chase could you explain your design. mine is pretty bad a$$ BUT YOURS IS PRETTY BAD A$$! i have mine stored at my buddies house so i will upload a pick later but please explain concept what is the top pvc for?

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww..........

The pipe on the lid is a permanent spray bar that I hook up to my wash down system on the boat and then I have the bottom spray bar and pump to recirculate water. The top one constantly pulls fresh water in.

If you look at some film footages of some tourny's on the might miss and other big catfisheries most people are using old aluminum tool boxes. They are light weight when empty and most are welded water proof.

The one I have above is very light weight and if you look closely at the first picture on the lid I put weatherstripping and don't have a problem with water coming out.

Chase you plannin on puttin Orca in that thing??? HOLT SHE ITE BATMAN!!! lol........... That is one heckuva livewell.......... I need one about that big for the Redfish I catch but not so much for that Catfish lol.



Rob

Me and JJason had 3 in the 20's fit in that thing at the Cabelas tourney this past year and they were comfortable!

Nice design, looks simple and im sure very effective. That bottom mounted pipe serves as a drain and "T's" off as an over flow? thanks

You got it. Constantly drains if I keep running water in it continuously.

Chase4, that is one fine box, ever thought of putting in a skylite???

Did you patent that?? How about a Skylite??? I like it.

I assume you are filling it with the lake water correct? If so how do you keep your aerator jets free of debris? thanks

Fill me in on this skylite.



Mustan92g, the jets don't touch the water or get clogged if that's what you are asking. It is being filled with lake water at all times when I want to constantly run it. The pump that is actually in the livewell box has a "sponge" if that what you want to call it and it is filtering out the bad stuff and all I have to do is pop the suction cups off and untwist the bottom housing and clean the sponge real quick, but it doesn't seem to affect it with a little debris.

Chase has a good looking box

This is my box based on Chase4's box. There is in the front corner not showing, an overflow stand pipe. The pump is a rule 1100gph. I mounted it up so that it does not pickup so much debris and poop and clog the pipes. I also installed a light as can be seen in the end view. It has its own switch. This is a 50gal box purchased at Lowes for $57.00 in the tool box section. All total about $130.00 to build.

Dang nice work! How you gonna fill it? Think I may still use a cooler.

I have a 500gph that I use to throw over the side and pump into the boat and I also keep a 5gal bucket on the boat. It doesn't take long even with the bucket only. I can pump it out or pull the stand pipe and it drains in the bottom of the boat and out the back.

I used a 38 gal cooler saturday and kept 25 alive till 1pm but we changed the water out frequently and 4 of them were in that picture.

Also on another note, I usually always throw the fish directly on ice till I would come in and fillet them. This time I was mainly testing a method to keep them alive for the tournament. What was really messed up was, it is much harder to fillet them when they are really ALIVE and KICKING. That box will have ice on non-tournament days.

Ya I have a spare pump to use. Is that a drink holder the pump is in?

That looks good Woodpecker, nice job.

Yes, bolted it to the box and screwed the blue pump base to the bottom of it. Can reach in and release the pump if need be.