Bait Tank For Live Bait Tuna Fishing

So you aren't fortunate enough to have a boat with a built in bait tank. Not a big deal. Just find a size and style that fits your boat and you are back in the live bait game. A bait tank is designed to keep a scoop or two of anchovies or whatever you use for bait alive for at least the days fishing. The best designs feed the intake water throughout the water column and drain from the bottom. The outflow is high on the tank but it takes water from the bottom of the tank which means it also reduces the amount of junk and scales that build up.

On my 22ft Arima, I set up a temporary installation. The bait tank and associated plumbing is easily removable when not in use. My original plan was to only put the tank on the boat when we were chasing tuna and planned to use live bait but as soon as we had it on board we found other uses for it. It is a handy place to put crabs and it keeps them alive and active. The problem is live and active crabs in a bait tank are also pissed off crabs and so they fight with each other removing each others claws and they will try to remove your claws when you reach in the pull them out. Get a set of tongs!

Another use we found for the bait tank was a bleed tank for salmon and bottomfish. Bleeding makes all fish taste better so after a wood shampoo we cut the gills and drop them in the bait tank. The circulating water clears quickly and it really keeps the mess out of the boat.

The bait tank I use is an Aquaworld Ut23. 23 gallons capacity. Aquaworld makes a good quality tank. Other brands that you will read positive reviews for are Kodiak Pro Flow and Offshore Marine Products.

The strap holds the tank in place, even in rough seas. I mounted the tank to a small platform to get the overflow (the large black tube) above the the height of the cable and hose pass through fitting in my transom. See photo below. 

I placed a shutoff valve in the intake line. I used an Easy Release pump mount on the transom and at any kind of speed we don't need to use the pump. The water pressure from the flow over the intake is enough to  keep water circulating. We ended up only using the pump to initially fill the tank at the bait dock and than to keep water flowing while the boat is stopped or slow trolling. The valve also allows us to vary the flow.

I mounted the pump and intake bracket approximately 1/2 inch above a line parallel with the bottom of the boat. That way any object I might run over won't smack the bracket. When drilling holes in any transom, only drill to the needed depth for the size screw you are using. I covered the screws with 3M 5200 marine sealant before screwing them into the transom.

When you buy your bait tank, make sure you know what is included. Some brands will include a pump and brackets, others will not. The typical bait pump used is a Rule 700 GPH. Mounted with an E-Z Release bracket.

You got to have a bait net! The days of reaching in and grabbing a little fish are over. The anchovies stay just too lively.