Bait Tank

Took up striper fishing last year and have always done a lot of crappie fishing. Tried making a bait tank from a 55 gallon drum like everyone else. It works good for shiners and so-so for shad. I can keep shiners alive forever it seems, but still not the best solution for shad. Been debating about getting a nice bait tank, but really hate to spend $600 on one. I probably would go with at least 40 gallons. Has anyone tried taking the cheaper molded bait tanks like the moeller tanks and adding filtration and recirc pump to them. I saw online where a few companys do that. If anyone has tried let me know how it worked out. How important is the insulation that I know it is missing? Thanks for any info guys. Also if anyone has a nice bait tank in the 35 to 50 gallon range that they would sell, shoot me a pm.

I've got a Moeller that has a recirc/filter setup cobbled together like a grayline. It's a 30 gallon, I think. The water heats up really fast in it. When I used it, I would carry a 48 quart cooler full of ice to keep it cooled down. I also built one out of a cooler which has a super bait tank like filter in it. It works much better than the Moeller but doesn't have enough capacity for a full day of fishing big gizzard shad. All that being said, Those tanks and a couple of others sit in my shed collecting dust while a Super Bait Tank sits in the boat. I'd say bite the bullet, buy a good tank right off the bat. The pleasure you get out of it will be remembered far longer than the price.

Thanks Shadboy. May do that. Thought about using spray foam on the inside of the moeller, but like you said will end up with half what a nice new tank will cost.

I agree with Shadboy, I tried making one it kinda worked. The Vest tank keeps them lively. It's hard to get the air and spray to work like the real thing

Attachment 241060 New,35 gallon, filtration, aeration, pm me if interested. John in Gastonia.

Thanks JMJ, but same issue as I have with my homemade one. No insulation so hard to keep them alive in the summer. They work great in the cooler weather. Yours has a nicer filtration system.

I ordered a bait Jacuzzi tank last year. They are made in Ga. and so far has served me well. I'm new to the striper thing myself and felt like it was a good starter tank. Had a couple catfishin old timers look it over and they seemed impressed (by that I mean they didn't hurt my feelings overly criticizing it lol, as good as a thumbs up from those ol salty dogs). I think 26 gal is the biggest they make so it may not be big enough for what u want.

I actually looked at those. After seeing those I thought about getting some spray insulation and trying to insulate mine on the inside. Looks like all they have is the poly tank with sprayed insulation inside. That was what I was thinking about doing with the moeller as well. I think you are right on the size and I really wanted at least 40 gallons.

I used a product called Armaflex Pipe insulation for mine. A buddy of mine got scraps of it off of a job site, but here is a google search link of what it is if you're interested.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=armaflex+sheet

It is held in place with this product.

Armaflex 520 Adhesive | eBay

I'm sure there are other alternatives out there, but this has worked great for my tank. You can get it in different thicknesses.

I wrapped my tank with a sheet of vinyl that I believe I got from a company called Specialty Products and Insulation. Just pulled it tight and ran rivets down the seam.

Hope this helps.
Mike

Take a kid outdoors!

Thanks.