homemade livewell for shad
 

Hi all,

As a follow up to the striper fishing thread, here are some pics of my homemade livewell for shad. It is cheap and ugly, but works for me.

It is just a big plastic tube with a wooden lid and insulated sides.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d...0/IMG_0228.JPG

As you can see I use the top for cut bait when needed.

I have a thru hull aerator pump that pumps the water to a spraybar up under the lid.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i...0/IMG_0229.JPG

I made a small filter that fits over the pump intake to trap scales and slime. I can pull it off and rinse it in the lake easily. It works pretty well and way better than no filter.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C...0/IMG_0230.JPG

I add non-iodine salt (40lb bag for $5 at tractor supply) at the rate of about 1 cup to 2/3 full tank. add a bit more after a water change depending on how much water I change.

The pump for water changes is a old bilge pump that i put in the lake to fill or in the tank to empty. (sorry for the lousy pic)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E...0/IMG_0231.JPG

All are wired with old extension cords to a fuse accessory port on the boat. With the extension cords I can plug or unplug the system easily when not in use and remove it from the boat.

It holds a dozen large shad in great shape for at least 4 hours (my typical fishing trip) or many more small shad.

Hope it is helpful.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday,
Jim

Here is a repeat pic of shad in the tank.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V...0/IMG_0188.JPG

Posted in extra post as I am limited to 4 pics in a post.

Jim