using a beer keg as a live bait tank

[timddo]

Was considering using a stainless beer keg, as a live bait tank, mounted at the back on the boat.
with 2 inlet valves, one for pickup and other other and the other for a pump. 1 outlet value and a bung down the bottom. anyone with any suggestion.
thanks

[blaze]

drunk live bait
drink beer first
dont drive boat after drinking that much beer

should make a good bait tank IMO as its round, no corners and will hold a good amount of water. Probable need to weld some sort of frame around it to stabalize it
cheers
blaze

[tunaman]

Think of the extra weight! and The price of fuel.
boates carrie plenty of gear? try something lightweight.
If I had a kegg on board, it would only be full of beer.





signed tunaman

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

i use a carboy - a plastic keg used for brewing

your concept is good - the round shape is better for bigger livies because they'll swim around in circles

be mindful of its position in the boat - when full it will affect the trim like an extra man & as blaze says secure it because it could break a leg.

How are you going to reach into it (hatch?) ?? I thought they were solid top & bottom.

chris

[timddo]

Was going to cut an opening at the top and put something like an inspection port on the top. it's only a small keg. so it's pretty light.

[BigE]

better use send down a full keg ........ get the snappa pissed and ordinary old dead bait will look far more attractive :-* :-* :-* and the more cautious (big fish) will lose there inhabitions and bite harder.


UR kiddin right everyone knows old kegs are for boiling crabs!!!!!!!!!

Cheers
BigE

[timbacutta]

If it is only a little keg, than fill it full of rum ;D

Jeff.

Round plastic drums are easier to work with.

[Dignity]

sounds interesting. been trying to find a good sized plastic tub with a lid and saw one on fraser last week. Apparently most butchers have, forgot to ask why.


sam

[Lucky_Phill]

metal for a live tank...............I went down that road, and have been advised by people in the know ( seriously ) that having metal is a no no for extended live bait life.

I have just made a live tank :-

http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfish/yabb2/YaBB.cgi?num=1148114864

Cheers Phill

[timddo]

$200 is a big budget, a Friend is giving me a keg which i will strap to the back of the transom. i will cut a small opening on the top. , won't be using much elbows as they tend to cost more the the flexiable tubes( black tubes).
i like your idea of the control tap and will install that on mine. I was going to build my own pickup plate using aluminium tube and bending it all the way to the tank. Aluminium is soft and can be bend quite easily, you can always put sand in it to make it easier. The pump will cost me say $40 at BCF.

Questions for all the experts. With the pickup pipe .Will it pickup water even though the pump is connected to it. ( not turning the pump on while on the plane. I've had plastic buckets for a while and they tend to break down after a while, i'm reluctant to use plastic.

All together i would expect it to cost no more than $100 at most.


I though all live bait tanks are made from alloy ????.

Phill, thankyou for your advise and design. I think i will have two outlet valve. one at the top for overflow and on down the bottom. The bottom one will be a limited flow. Just to get ride of the amonia and fish scales.

the inlet valve will be at the top but tunneled to the bottom to maximise the oxygen in the water. ( naturally air bubbles rise to the top).

[Fishin_Dan]

Metal would heat up a lot in the sun as well....

[Dirtysanchez]

Go the plastic me reckons, I am using an old home brew barrel which has lost its seal and doesn't brew well anymore

Be careful about the type of keg, as ini make sure it isn't one of the brewery's kegs as they remain the property of the brewery

I know a bloke who made a home brew kegging system using XXXX kegs, and ended up in trouble with Castelmaine for theft of their kegs ! :-?

[timddo]

I suppose your right. i think i'm going to sand them brewery names off and paint it white on the outside and blue inside. just a 20 litre on though. Blue makes the fish feel a bit home and there will be a constant flow of fresh water in and out of the keg. My other option was a plastic bucket. The only problem with a bucket is my boat gets left outside all year round. so plastic and the sun don';t really match. i've had buckets go after a year.
Eskies are good but they don't last. Fibreglass is expensive. I'm looking at under $100 budget or maybe less.

[Dignity]

just a thought but herring die very quickly in a white bucket but live a long time in a black bucket

sam

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

My live bait drum is a 25 ltr heavy duty clothes basket and lid from Bunnings. With fittings, piping etc, and the rule bilge pump, it cost me less than $80.00, and I can remove it from the boat in a few seconds if I don't want to take it.

Cheers

Dave