Livewell Tips and Tricks for Happy Bait
A few weeks ago, Capt. Scott Maguire of Summer Job Charters was a guest on our podcast, and while we were on the topic of procuring bait for the day, he said something that stuck out in my mind. Capt. Scott mentioned that catching mackerel is "the first most important part of my day." That phrase could not be more accurate for most of the striped bass fishermen north of Boston. As a guide, our fishery thrives on the ability to find bait fast, stuff the livewell, and keep the fish lively and frisky throughout the trip. It can be argued that some of the best striper fishermen are the best bait fishermen as well. Keeping bait happy throughout the day will increase your chances at more and bigger fish and, in 2022, saves you gas money from having to make another trip out to the mackerel grounds. The following 16 steps will help your bait live long and prosper.
Livewell Shape - The best livewells are round or oval-shaped to encourage a steady, circular water flow around the tank. The smooth curves (as opposed to a rectangular well) allow fish to swim unimpeded with no chance of smashing head-on into a corner and knocking themselves out.
Livewell Color - Studies have shown that having a light-colored interior wall of your livewell can help reduce stress in the baitfish. Light blue tends to be the most popular in modern boats, but mackerel do seem a lot more "chill" with the colored livewell.
Livewell Pumps - Your pump size depends on the size of your livewell. The best way to tell if you have the appropriate pump is that it should take 5-6 minutes to fill. Get out your phone and time your fill rate. If it takes 3 minutes, you have too much water flow, and the bait will have to exert energy to keep up with the "current." Conversely, if it takes 8 minutes, you risk not having enough new water turnover, which means depletion of oxygen and debris collection forcing bait to struggle to get clean water through their gills.
Water From the Top - Your fill valve should be in the upper portion of the tank rather than the bottom. Tanks that bottom fill push debris like scales around like a tornado, which is not ideal for your bait.
Tank Location - Livewells should be positioned in the boat in the most stable areas. The less bouncing and sloshing around, the better for the baits. For the most part, livewells are located in the transom or under the leaning post, where there is relatively little bouncing compared to the bow.
Don't Over Crowd - A good rule of thumb is to keep 3 mackerel per gallon in your tank and 1 per gallon for pogies. Once the tank becomes too saturated, two issues arise. First, multiple fish compete for the oxygen in the water, and second, the bait will constantly be bumping into each other and getting beat up. Remember, we want the "pool" (as the kids call it) to be a happy place. We want calm, relaxed baits in healthy condition.
No Bleeders - The easiest way to prolong lifespans in the livewell is not to put any bait that is bleeding in there in the first place! Just one bleeding piece of bait can muck up the entire ecosystem of a tank and kill other baits just trying to live their best life. Bleeders go into the cooler for dead baits. When snagging pogies, we usually drop them into a bucket to "bleed" out a few minutes before transitioning them into the livewell proper.
Water Type - Ocean water is the best for keeping the bait in good spirits. Mackerel, in particular, need saltwater to stay alive, whereas pogies are more forgiving in a freshwater environment. I'm not particularly eager to shut my livewell off in most cases (I will explain later in the blog); however, I find it helpful when drifting the mouth towards the end of an outgoing tide. I will shut my livewell off as we drift, so I don't suck up the hot, brackish water. Then, on our way to reset, I will loop outside the jetties on the saltwater side of the tideline and refill my tank with fresh seawater before I begin my next drift. Just know that once you are in the river, the combination of warm, fresh water will kill your baits relatively fast compared to fishing out along the beaches.
Water Temp - Using your sonar, you can get a reading of the surface temperature of the water you are fishing. At 68 degrees, I start eyeballing the baits to see how they are living. If the baits look sluggish due to the heat, I throw in a frozen 2-liter bottle of ice to help bring the temp down. You don't want to throw loose ice in there because it will melt and reduce the salinity. Keeping ice in the bottle ensures it does not mix with the saltwater, and you can refreeze it for tomorrow!
Oxygen Tanks - My oxygen tank has proven to be a vital component of my charter operation. For about $200, it has saved me time and money while allowing me to fish baits in areas where they…
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