So both my aerator and recirculation pump are complete hot garbage. Not once when I turn them on do they spit water. Instead they hum for 10 minutes and then maybe trickle and then maybe spit. Maybe. Its an air lock issue and I cannot figure out why. Im guessing without an auto prime function these things are basically worthless. Called the dealer and he said....sounds like you are getting air locked. Duh. Asked him how to fix it and he said......try going in reverse for a while. Uuuum ok. Tried. Didnt work. Any tricks or solutions here that any of you have figured out?

Is this a new issue or have they worked before? Is the boat or pump new? It could be airlock if the pump is installed incorrectly or there is a sag in the hose. I had the same issue when I ordered my boat. The pump had been installed upside down. The part that connected the hose to the bottom of the livewell was on the bottom of the pump instead of on the top. I had to rotate the pump 180° so the hose came into the top of the pump. There could also be a little bit of debris inside the impeller housing so it is not spinning at full speed. You could remove the housing and check that. There could also be something stuck in the line somewhere. The dealer may be on the right track driving in reverse to dislodge the obstruction BUT BUT BUT driving in reverse doesn’t always generate enough pressure to dislodge the obstruction. What I have done in that situation is to take off the screen to the intake where the water comes in at the bottom of the hull and used my water hose with a sprayer attachment and shot water into the intake. You would be surprised at what is sometimes in the line and forced back into your livewell.
Good Luck

I have had the boat for a while now but never used the live well. Did notice however right after I bought it (new) that the issue was there just didnt really care because I didnt tournament fish. I will try to blast it out with the water hose. Fingers crossed.

If it was there from the beginning it sounds like the issue is probably from airlock. Probably one of the things I mentioned, either the hose has a dip in it or the pump is not rotated in the proper position.

Or the impeller is melted from running dry.

put it in the water turn them on and back up..get some water going through them..

Back flush them with a hose. If you never use them then they may be clogged by something. Dirt dobbers can be nasty little critters.

With the recent freeze you might have something broken - pump base, connection... Worth a check

My guess.....dirt dobbers.

Are the pumps below the waterline ?

The impellers for livewell pumps are made of plastic and don't make contact with the outer edge of the housing so they won't melt from running dry. They not like the impellers on an outboard water pump. They are literally like a miniature fan inside a housing so running them dry is not an issue.
To check for anything broken, just plug the livewell, fill it up with a hose then pull the plug. If anything is cracked or broken, it will leak into the bilge area. It's at least worth looking in to everyone's suggestions.

Take the discharge hose loose and I bet they work great!

This is how I make mine work. I usually only have to do it right after I launch and they stay primed all day after that.