Recently, we had our tank go completely dry and now it has filled back up. We are about to stock baitfish and let them loose until the fall. At that time, we have a friend who is going to let us thin out his lake and put them in ours. I have some plans for a livewell made from a chest freezer, but was curious if anyone had a homemade livewell that they have used to transport fish. The trip will be about 2 hours. I like the freezer idea if I can find a large upright one. Any thoughts would be great.

I've used everything from a 100qt. Igloo with two 12 volt batteries and two aerators to the chest freezer.

Just depends on how many and what size fish you want to transport as to the apparatus.

We will most likely move around 15 to 25 fish at a time (avg of 2 lbs per fish). That would be the max for any trip. Our tank is about 4 acres when it is full so we will have to make a few trips. 100 qts would be 25 gallons, so I am not sure if that would work. I am thinking we will need at least 50 gallons to keep them alive. Thanks for the help

It would be best to move them just before or after dark and I'd also load whatever you use up with a few bags of ice to to drop the water temp. It will help keep them alive..You do not want to try it in the hottest part of the day.

DO NOT drastically drop the water temp. You'll shock the fish and kill them. And if you don't kill them in transport, you'll have to temper them prior to release or they will die. Do it during the cool months and do it at night. Either the cooler or the chest freezer will keep the water cool.

use or borrow multiple coolers/containers. 25 two pounders will foul the water quick. Check with Share a lunker to get their opinion on how many fish per gallon is safe. Bring your electric knife just in case.

...... borrow someones boat with running aerators would be the easiest or like Fouz said

There are 3 things to worry about...temperature, nitrogen levels, and oxygen levels. Aerators will help with the oxygen levels, and there are chemicals to help with the nitrogen levels, as for the temp, I would just go at the cooler part of the days and not worry about ice as fouz said, it will shock them. The less stress you put on the fish the better. Also the more fish you try and shove into a small area, the less chance of their survival as the nitrogen levels will go crazy.

Borrow those tourney trailers, or pay one of those guys to help. May be worth it, just a thought. I know that big ole tank they use will keep em alive and you could make one trip.

Lay a couple of large tarps in the bed of a pick up truck and put about 200 gallons of water in the bed. Water weighs about 7 lbs per gallon, so a 1/2 ton could easily manage 200 gallons. Use brand new tarps so they will not have any holes in them. One new tarp would work, but 2 is just good insurance. Lay a sheet of plywood across the top of the bed rails to help keep splashing water inside the bed. A 3/4 or 1 ton truck will handle over twice the water capacity of a 1/2 ton, because they use heavy duty springs. You could get all of your fish in one load that way.

Galvanized stock tank on a trailer or in the bed of a pickup.Cover the top with plastic and duct tape. poke a few holes .Turn on the aerator and haul

Something else you should consider is the quality of fish you are moving to your pond. It doesn't do you any good if you move a bunch of under weight stunted bass to your pond. Also it take more forage to support adult bass, so I would consider doubling your forage stocking rate if you plan to put adult bass in this fall. Why not wait until next spring and stock fingerling? This way you will know what genetics you are getting and you can expect up to 2 pounds of growth.

make sure you have a way to prove where you are transporting the fish from and where they are going,it is against the law to transport game fish from one public body of water to another ,,just to be on the safe side of the tp&w...

It is typically not wise to move adult LMB to a new pond or lake. You will have better success if you add your forage ASAP, stock 2-4 inch fingerlings in June. If you stock the forage correctly and stock only 50-100 bass you can be catching 5 lb bass in 2-3 years. If you stock adult LMB they will quickly out eat your food chain. Remember it is all about the water and food chain. Get that right, and you will have success.

correction....That is 50-100 fingerlings to the acre... Not total. We are looking for a 10 to 1 or even a 20 to 1 ratio of forage to predator. Be patient, do it right and don't get in a rush. Adding adults without the right forage will not give you the results you are probably looking for.