richg99
Well-known member
I haven't had much use for a livewell EXCEPT now, for a local bass tournament, on our little lakes nearby. To date, I've struggled by with a large black PVC tub; two RULE pumps; a raised PVC spray arm, and some cigarette lighter type plugs for electricity.
Copying a design from a local guide, my "water-in..water-out" has been an 800 gph pump with a large hose. The pump is thrown into the lake and plugged in. The hose end is pointed into the tub and water flows IN!
To move the water OUT, the pump end is dropped into the livewell, and the water flows OUT.
While in operation, ....and switching from IN to OUT, and back again...that process looks hokey, but actually does the job quite well.
The raised spray arm also works, but it gets in the way a lot.
I've recently read that using a spray arm splashing on top of the water is harmful in that it induces some sort of chemical breakdown to the water, to the detriment of the fish. Any idea if this negative theory is true?
What I envision is....#1.. Put the spray arm on the side of the tub to get it out of the way...OR...replace the spray arm with a decent sized "bubbler". Of course, I could add the bubbler in addition to the spray arm. It's only money, and, after all, it is for my BOAT!
#2. Add a piece of white colored Coroplast on the bottom of the black tub. Yesterday, we were trying to cull, and couldn't see most of the smaller fish to get them out! I see that Dale H (smart guy, Dale) uses a blue or green color because the bait prefers that color combination, or for some such reason????
#3. To make the IN and OUT nicer...I am thinking of building some sort of PVC (what else) framework that would hang on the side of the tub. That framework would contain PVC fittings.
One set would be attached to the 800 gph pump to push water OUT.
The other side would connect to a flexible hose and another new pump that I would drop INTO the water to provide for the IN side of the equation. These little lakes are all NO WAKE, so, even if I were to forget and leave the pump over the side, no harm should come to it.
I will not drill any holes in my hull for this project. This tournament nonsense may not last for me, and I don't need a live-well for anything else.
I am hoping, by posting here, that someone already has made something similar and I can copy their best ideas.
Any and all input ( other than Drill, Baby, Drill) is appreciated.
regards, richg99
Copying a design from a local guide, my "water-in..water-out" has been an 800 gph pump with a large hose. The pump is thrown into the lake and plugged in. The hose end is pointed into the tub and water flows IN!
To move the water OUT, the pump end is dropped into the livewell, and the water flows OUT.
While in operation, ....and switching from IN to OUT, and back again...that process looks hokey, but actually does the job quite well.
The raised spray arm also works, but it gets in the way a lot.
I've recently read that using a spray arm splashing on top of the water is harmful in that it induces some sort of chemical breakdown to the water, to the detriment of the fish. Any idea if this negative theory is true?
What I envision is....#1.. Put the spray arm on the side of the tub to get it out of the way...OR...replace the spray arm with a decent sized "bubbler". Of course, I could add the bubbler in addition to the spray arm. It's only money, and, after all, it is for my BOAT!
#2. Add a piece of white colored Coroplast on the bottom of the black tub. Yesterday, we were trying to cull, and couldn't see most of the smaller fish to get them out! I see that Dale H (smart guy, Dale) uses a blue or green color because the bait prefers that color combination, or for some such reason????
#3. To make the IN and OUT nicer...I am thinking of building some sort of PVC (what else) framework that would hang on the side of the tub. That framework would contain PVC fittings.
One set would be attached to the 800 gph pump to push water OUT.
The other side would connect to a flexible hose and another new pump that I would drop INTO the water to provide for the IN side of the equation. These little lakes are all NO WAKE, so, even if I were to forget and leave the pump over the side, no harm should come to it.
I will not drill any holes in my hull for this project. This tournament nonsense may not last for me, and I don't need a live-well for anything else.
I am hoping, by posting here, that someone already has made something similar and I can copy their best ideas.
Any and all input ( other than Drill, Baby, Drill) is appreciated.
regards, richg99