Hey Merv... we need to talk about your gray line bait tank. I've kept 20-30 Threadfin alive for several days in the middle of the summer in mine. The first two hours are the most crucial. I use 1 cup of salt for every 10 gallons of water or 3 cups for a full tank, chlorine remover (if using city water), and 1 cap full of shad keeper. For the first 2 hours after catching them I change or clean the filters frequently. After a couple hours the fish 're establish their slime coat and settle down which keeps the water clean. I also "purge" my baits by putting them in a holding bucket that has lake water in it for the first 5 to 10 minutes. This is when the shad poop and puke the most, right after they come out of the net. This initial bit of waste produces a lot of ammonia which contaminates the bait tank. After 5 to 10 minutes in the holding bucket I transfer the baits into the bait tank. If I am going to keep the baits overnight I do a partial water change every 8-12 hours replacing about 20 gallons of water and adding 2 cups of salt per the original formula.
I know this sounds like a lot of maintenance and in some respects it is. You are absolutely correct that the filter system on the blue water is superior but you should be getting very similar results with the gray line with more frequent filter cleaning/replacement.
Bait is high maintenance but oh so important and valuable. There is nothing quite like a 10 inch gizzard shad with a lot of life in him taunting a big ole water zebra. They just can't resist. It's worth every bit of effort.
And.... you should be able to keep gizzards much longer and with less maintenance than than Threadfin.
That's all I have to say about that. I have the itch to fish REALLY bad right now. Here fishy fishy....
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