# How do yall keep your bluebacks alive?



## red neck richie (Apr 17, 2018)

Anyone got any tips for keeping blueback herring alive longer? I can only keep them alive for a few hours after I put them in my live well. Any tips would be appreciated.


----------



## striper slug (Apr 17, 2018)

*Blue backs*

Got to have a round bait tank and an oxygenator and some additives.
You tube is your friend


----------



## across the river (Apr 17, 2018)

red neck richie said:


> Anyone got any tips for keeping blueback herring alive longer? I can only keep them alive for a few hours after I put them in my live well. Any tips would be appreciated.



Is it insulated and how are you oxygenating the water?


----------



## bilgerat (Apr 17, 2018)

I borrowed this from a striper forum:

 1: Plenty of water - Over crowding bait can cause them to get stressed out and die. When blue backs get stressed their backs turn almost black. Two baits per gallon of water is a good rule of thumb.
2: Oxygenated water - There must be some form of aeration in the water.
3: Water temperature - When temperatures are higher during late spring and summer non-chlorinated ice is needed to cool down the bait water. Most ice companies filter out chlorine to speed up the freezing process. Reddy Ice, which is found in most stores is non-chlorinated ice. Keep your water under 65 degrees, and no less than 50 degrees.
4: Non chlorinated water - Chlorine is harmful to blue backs. City water has chlorine, which has to be neutralized. Bait Saver and Ammo-lock are products that neutralize chlorine to a safe level for the bait. Foam must be kept out of you tank.
Use “Foam Off” (not coffee creamer) to get rid of the foam. Use these products as directed. Bait Saver, Ammo-lock, and Foam off are all commercial product that can be purchased in the store.
5: Salt Content - Make sure that there is salt in your tank. Herring lose their scales, get stressed, and then die. Salt keeps a good slime coat on the bait to protect the bait from harmful substances. A good rule of thumb ( 1 cup of salt for every 10 gallons of water

 Ill add that bluebacks need to be in a round insulated bait tank with water that circulates


----------



## red neck richie (Apr 18, 2018)

across the river said:


> Is it insulated and how are you oxygenating the water?



Yup its insulated but I only have a aqua life battery operated aeration unit on it. Are you thinking not enough oxygen?


----------



## red neck richie (Apr 18, 2018)

bilgerat said:


> I borrowed this from a striper forum:
> 
> 1: Plenty of water - Over crowding bait can cause them to get stressed out and die. When blue backs get stressed their backs turn almost black. Two baits per gallon of water is a good rule of thumb.
> 2: Oxygenated water - There must be some form of aeration in the water.
> ...



Yeah I filled my well at the bait store with the salt already in the water. And I freeze water bottles so no chlorine gets in the water and it keeps it cool. I will try the additive next time maybe its an ammonia thing. Thanks for the info.


----------



## across the river (Apr 18, 2018)

I think that is likely a lot of you problem.  I haven't found the aquarium aeration rock type system to work well for any length of time. You just don't get that much oxygenation that way.  From a dissolved oxygene standpoint you will get way more oxygen diffusion with a pump system than you will just bubbling oxygen through a bait tank.   You can make one for yourself pretty easily with a bilge pump.   In short  you need to have a way to filter the water going in to keep scales and teach out of the bilge pump, and then you need a small tube running into the larger water tubecoming from the pump into the tank.   The flow of the water through the big tube, will pull oxygen into the water, and you get highly oxygenated water coming out into the tank.  It works way better than a stone system.   I'm sure you could find an example on youtube, but if you need some help making one, shoot me a PM and I can draw up what I have made in the past and e-mail it to you.


----------



## ryork (Apr 18, 2018)

A filter helps too, especially as the weather warms.


----------



## buddy48 (Apr 18, 2018)

Ron Vest Super bait tank II


----------



## devolve (Apr 18, 2018)

I use a 350GPM pump circulating the water through a filter in an 8 gallon "tank"(cooler). I can hold 3 dozen blue backs all day on the water and not loose any if the pump runs 100% of the time.


----------



## BOBBASS (Apr 19, 2018)

I use a Marine Metal Power Bubbles Aerator. I connect the T and run two air lines to the tank. Gives the tank plenty of oxygen.


----------

