Live Herring on a Kayak

[sideoff]

Anyone have any advice for transporting live herring on a kayak? I've heard they will die in a 5 gallon bucket, but dragging them in a box in the water would really be slow.

[SamRiley]

Why not snag em as you need em outside the run?

[Bob Parsons]

If you have the type of yak that has a waterproof storage compartment, maybe you could put a few gallons of water in there with a small battery opperated airiater. Just a thought.

[ruge13]

sideoff, I saw a guy last year with a yak that rode reel low in the water. It was a touring class not sure what kind and the guy couldn;t have been more than 180 lbs. He was close to shore so just joking around I asked him if he had rocks in the thing...He said he had filled one of the bulkheads with water and put live bait in it, also acted like a live well. I am definately not suggesting that, I would like to see him lift a yak filled with water out of the ocean.....I just thought it was funny

[ruge13]

this is from Bluwatrs kayaking site.....

Regardless of what your fishing for, most will agree live bait is hard to beat. I love plastics and artificial lures as much as the next guy, but when I want to hunt some big bass or halibut, I want to be soaking some live bait. With most SOT kayaks, it's not that hard to do. You can use a square plastic container, bucket, or even a small sized ice chest. If you have a tankwell, you can usually just strap it down. If you have a large hatch cover, you can buy a spare cover, and cut a large hole in it to fit your tank, and use that to secure it in place. Basic hydraulics usually calls for the exhaust for the tank to be at least twice the diameter as the intake for the tank. So, my pump is a Rule® 360 GPH model, with a 3/4" exhaust (which is my tank intake) . So, to stay within the 2:1 ratio, the exhaust for the tank should be 1 1/2". 1 1/4" would probably work, but I don't think I would go smaller than that. Plus, if at all possible, put a screen or strainer over the exhaust. You don't want your bait getting stuck in the exhaust and flooding.
For the power side of things, my pump is listed to draw 2.0 amps per hour. Most general electrical devices can be + or - 10%, so figuring the draw will be between 1.8 - 2.2 amps. So, if I installed a 12vdc, 17ah (Amp Hour) battery, the pump should run for about 7 hours on a full charge. I like gel cell batteries, but what you chose may be different. You can call a battery distributer that carries different types and get some suggestions. Some type of housing for the battery would be a good idea, and you should be able to secure it in some way. Your on-off switch can also go in this housing, through it, on the side,etc. I'm going to get some flak about this because some don't do it, but you should have some type of breaker/fuse on your power line coming from your positive side of the battery. If you have a 20 amp battery, you would need 12 gauge wire to handle all 20 amps and not overheat and have a "Burnout". Since pumps can freeze up or get something jammed in the impeller and stop, there could be a problem. Your system could try to use all 20 amps to turn your pump. However, the conductors (wires) may be of the gauge they are only rated to about 5-7 amps. If you look at the wires on a bilge pump like most of us use, there isn't 12 gauge wire (suggested for 20 amps) feeding the pump. Mine uses 18 gauge, so the carrying capacity for current will be quite a bit less. With that said, I use a 3.0 amp fuse for the power. But, thats just me. You need to think and decide for yourself. Two good sources for information about building your own bait tank can be found at Kodiak Marine , manufacturer pumps and bait tanks, or Rule Industries , manufacturer of pumps. Between these two, you will get a very good overview.
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[kayaker]

A homemade wire container, with cork flotation fastened in such a way that most of the basket is submerged, tows fairly easily (the rounder the better for both the baitfish and the drag).

[sideoff]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Ruge, could you post the address to bluewatr's site? Sounds like some good information on there. I was also thinking of the "replacing the hatch" idea mentioned on the site but on my kayak I think it might be too difficult to reach back there and pull out a live fish, it's hard enough just getting my hat!

The wire with cork idea sounds like a good one. I could shape the front so it cuts through the water instead of plowing like a box. It's not ideal but better than anything I've been able to come up with so far. I'll see if I can find a pre-made wire one I could just modify a little at the front.

I also came across a reference online to a kayak "bait sled" which someone made out of a cheap boogie board, unfortunately there was no photo. This sounds a little questionable though since with any wind or waves I would think it might flip over. But still an idea worth considering.

Thanks again for all the advice. If I find a good solution I'll post it.

[Wes]

Check out R2D2 in the aft well.