# Bait tanks (shad)



## Hawkeye7 (Aug 29, 2009)

What's working for you? Store bought or home made? I need something like the 20 gallon Keep Alive but I have reservations about filtering. Most of the tanks I see have little filtration.  Advice would be appreciated.


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## fish bum (Aug 29, 2009)

*Bait tank*

If you catch your own shad, or buy shad that are not seasoned a few days then a filter is a must! You will not belive how much crap can come from a few shad.


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## CardsFan (Aug 29, 2009)

fish bum said:


> If you catch your own shad, or buy shad that are not seasoned a few days then a filter is a must! You will not belive how much crap can come from a few shad.



Absolutely true.   You must have filtration to get rid of the crap they purge shortly after netting and putting them into the tank.

Most folks like the Grayline, Creekbank, or Super Bait Tank II (by Ron Vest) for manufactured tanks, but I have seen some awesome home made ones also.     But they all had some kind of good filtering mechanism, and an air infuser like the Keep Alive system.

I have been very happy with the Super Bait Tank II.  Been using a 50 gallon for 3 years, and even in the summer they keep shad very healthy (but you have to work your tail off cleaning filters for 1 or 2 hours after catching, and occasionally clean them throughout the day).    We kept 300 good sized gizzards today for about 10 hours and they were in excellent shape when we ended the day.

Did I mention you have to keep the filters clean?  I've been using about 6 cups of pool salt to begin with and a 10 gallon bag of ice, then about 30-60 minutes after catching bait I empty about 5/8 of the tank and refill it with cool river water, then throw in an additional  4 or 5 handfuls of salt.     Put in a few drops of foam off every few hours also.    I keep the air unfusion valve almost wide open.   I have not used any additional additives (like Shad Keeper) all summer and have had very good results by saltng the daylights out of the water.    Of course, this summer has not been as hot as most summers so that is a contributing factor also.

One more thing - keep the filters clean.  

In the winter and early spring, you don't need very much salt at all.


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## BLACKJACKMTMAN (Aug 30, 2009)

I agree on the filters and salt! I have a Creek Bank tank, and have been very pleased with it.  I've started putting the shad in a 5 gal bucket immediately after being caught, then put them in the tank a few minutes later.  I believe they do most of their bodily functions immediately, and I let them do that in the bucket.  Had a guide show me that once, and have been doing it ever since. Believe it helps.


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## Msteele (Aug 30, 2009)

Thread fin(yellow tails) don't do all the purging like the gizzards do. They do loose alot of scales. Good hybrid bait.

Gizzards(Great striper bait) will poop, pee, and cause tons of ammonia to build up and kill them their selfs if you don't use a filter during the summer. Foam off, air bubbles, filter, insulation, little ice, and salt is a must in water during the summer. If you cool them too much they will go into shock when they hit the warmer water. Be careful with the ice.

Tractor supply sells water softener in a big yellow bag for around $5.00 that will last all summer.

I use a Blue Water tank. I have some homemade tanks I use in the cooler months that work fine. Summer time your tank MUST be insulated.

Hope this helps!


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## Robert Eidson (Aug 30, 2009)

AGREE With All Of The Above !!!!! A filter tank is the way to go....


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## olered (Aug 30, 2009)

I agree with all of the above also. Bait is one of the major factors  when striper fishing without fresh lively bait you might as well be pulling a rattle trap which have there place too. I have made a homemade tank which keeps them fair, but I am looking for a real tank. You might get a homemade tank close, but any of the major tanks Creekbank, Super Tank, Greyline and the others will keep bait much better.


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## brett30030 (Aug 30, 2009)

I think you could build a tank with the proper aeration and filtration, but you would probably spend close to the cost of a new tank, and have something that looks like Frankenstein and C3PO's love child.


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## Hawkeye7 (Aug 30, 2009)

*Shad tank*

A buddy of mine made his own tank and it kept shad all day. He had an aerator and his own filtration system set up. He's an old hand at this.
 I've got 2 issues to consider. I have a small bass boat and space is a factor thus the 20 gallon size tank. The second issue is amp draw off the battery. I've got 2 batteries and the bait tank will have to pull off the trolling battery. Both batteries are deep cycle.
After reading some of your replies, you have me looking at the Creekbank system. I've looked at the Keep Alive system but the infusion system doesn't seem to last long and a buddy says the filters clog too fast. If you have a Keep Alive tank I'm real interested to hear how the double stack (307/308) filter disc work for you.
I am fired up about this striper fishing. I know it's time to get the camo out but I've still got fishing on the brain.
Thanks for your replies and advise.


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## olered (Aug 30, 2009)

I agree Brett it can be done, but you are right with a little more cash you have a nice insulated tank that dosen't look like r2d2.


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## CardsFan (Aug 30, 2009)

> I've got 2 batteries and the bait tank will have to pull off the trolling battery. Both batteries are deep cycle.
> 
> After reading some of your replies, you have me looking at the Creekbank system. I've looked at the Keep Alive system but the infusion system doesn't seem to last long and a buddy says the filters clog too fast.



I run my Super Bait Tank II system all day of the starting battery with no issues, and know guides who run it off their deep cycle trolling motor batteries (they too are usng the Super bait Tank II),   using a Rule 500 GPH bilge pump with the replaceable cartridge.    If your cartidge fails, it takes about 5 mintues to replace the pump cartridge and you're good to go (so always carry a spare).   I don't know what the Creekbank uses for the pump, but unless they are using a high amp pump, I wouldn't worry too much about draining the battery for a days fishing.   In the winter and spring, I will catch bait the day before and keep them overnight, but I will have the onboard charger plugged in overnight.    Keep all your batteries charged.

I can't comment on the Keep Alive tanks, but the Keep Alive infuser in the Super bait tank II has been running for 3 years without any failure whatsoever.    I managed to crack the air inlet off the Keep Alive base which was completely my fault, they sent me a new one within 4 days for free.    But the crack had been there most of this season and I didn't realize it until mid summer and it was still pumping a ton of bubbles in the water that whole time.


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## Bass Akwards (Aug 31, 2009)

one thing to remember, its not about keeping bait alive. Its about keeping good frisky bait alive.....I ve seen and done it myself, thought I had good bait because they were swimming around in the tank, when I put them on a hook...fatal!


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## Darkhorse (Aug 31, 2009)

I don't see how a shad will give off more waste than a pogey (menhaden) yet we keep pogies alive and frisky all day with a simple tank.
My setup was like this: Pump sea/lake water into the bottom of the tank using constant flow then let the bad water drain out of an overflow at high water level.
Bait goes right into the same water they were just netted from so no temp shock. And the flow washes all the waste out the top.

Why wouldn't this work for shad also? I'd like to know as I also am interested in Striper fishing.


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## CardsFan (Aug 31, 2009)

Sounds great in theory Darkhorse.   I know one guy who tried that and had bad results.   Maybe because he was pumping lake water in the upper 80s where the water quality wasn't very good to begin with, and he wasn't mixing any air into the water with this method.   The cooler the water the more dissolved oxygen it will hold.    Maybe it would have worked better if he could extend the intake down several feet where the water was cooler and held more oxygen.   And I don't think he tried this more than a couple of times.

Any salt you put it in the tank (imperitive for building the slime coat back up and preventing scale loss) is going to get flushed out pretty quick.

Best I can tell you is try it and let us know how that works.


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## Hawk68Dawg (Aug 31, 2009)

alot of these things are true cardsfan has all the facts
I do alot of bass fishing and some striper fishing as well and what my father in law and many others has figured out is that putting pure oxygen to them not only keeps them alive longer put keeps them really frisky.  the whole system is around $200  but i wouldn't trade that for nothing.  spending $2 on a bag of ice adds up through out the year and one fill up with a oxygen bottle cost about $8, which will last a while


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## Msteele (Aug 31, 2009)

Darkhorse said:


> I don't see how a shad will give off more waste than a pogey (menhaden) yet we keep pogies alive and frisky all day with a simple tank.
> My setup was like this: Pump sea/lake water into the bottom of the tank using constant flow then let the bad water drain out of an overflow at high water level.
> Bait goes right into the same water they were just netted from so no temp shock. And the flow washes all the waste out the top.
> 
> Why wouldn't this work for shad also? I'd like to know as I also am interested in Striper fishing.



Saltwater fish are tougher than freshwater fish. Menhaden are more like threadfin than gizzards. I netted about 80 one day (4" to 6")at the Jetties at Saint Andrews Park, put them in regular saltwater in a 30 gallon blue water tank, and they did great all day.

Gizzards filter mud through their gizzard getting nutrients then poop the rest out. When they are netted they get excited and purge(Sodium Loss). This is what messes up the water and why a filter must be used.  Adding water softener puts the sodium back and it also hardens the scales making them tougher.


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## Spacelord (Aug 31, 2009)

I think it's best to leave gizzards in a bucket after you catch them and give em a few minutes to purge, easier for me to cull bait this way too.


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## shakey gizzard (Aug 31, 2009)

Spacelord said:


> I think it's best to leave gizzards in a bucket after you catch them and give em a few minutes to purge easier for me to cull bait this way too.



Thats what I do. De-snot them in a 5 gal bucket before they go in the bait tank.


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## Spacelord (Sep 2, 2009)

You sir, are a wise man.


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## shakey gizzard (Sep 2, 2009)

Spacelord said:


> You sir, are a wise man.



Thats what ive been trying to tell my wife.


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