Livewell

[bangddock]

I've been fishing and boating since before most of you were pooping yellow. I never thought I would own a pontoon; well we all grow-up! I am now the proud owner of a 22' 'toon but, it doesn't have a livewell. I have a house on Little Gasparilla Island and I fish for snook, redfish and trout. A livewell is a big deal. What size livewell do you recommend? I am taking out the port-side lounge to install a cooler and the livewell so I have plenty of room. Thanks in advance!

[drive2boat]

Welcome aboard bangddock! I don't mean to sound smart alecky, but it sounds like you have plenty of experience boating and fishing from other kinds of boats, so just let your past experiences tell you what you need in a livewell. Then find one that fits your size and space requirements. I hope you enjoy your new style of boating. Oh, did I mention that we like to see pictures?

[Moser]

I agree with D2B, you are the guy who knows your fishing needs. Is the livewell going to be used for live fish storage to hold for tournaments, or just as a live bait keeper?

I would consider putting a pair of big coolers in the lounge spot, one of them plumbed up with a drain through the deck or out the side and a pump on the back of a log to send some fresh water to it. That cooler will become your livewell. The big coolers come with mounting hardware and some of them have cushions available so the coolers can be used for seating. Through hull fittings designed for boats work very well to plumb coolers for livewells. You can make it a simple or complicated as you want, with aerators, diffusers, recirculator pumps whatever you want. I always had a cooler plumbed up for a baitkeeping tank when I fished from pontoon boats in the past.

A pontoon makes an excellent fishing platform, there is plenty of room and you can rig the boat with trolling motors, rod holders, everything you need to fish in comfort.

Welcome to the pontoon boat family and the PDB magazine forum.

[bangddock]

Thanks dive2boat and Moser, after reading my post I get where you are coming from! I have never "equipped" a boat. They were all sold to me. I know that the amount of water flow is important along with the size. This is the first time I am facing the concept of what is "enough". I have a decent idea and I will go with the "overkill" concept. I don't intend to use this as a release well. I keep what I will eat and the others go home immediately. Livewell equals bait well in my world. You guys have a lot of knowledge and I thank you for sharing it with me. Just because I am old doesn't mean I know everything and I really appreciate any help I can get.

[cwag911]

What boat did you buy and does the manufacturer have a livewell option that you can purchase or look at. I don't fish so that's the best I can do.

[drive2boat]

Sounds like your livewell may not need to be very large. I think I would locate it near the center of the boat just in case you allow others the joy of fishing with you. Then, it would be more convenient for multiple people to access. Good luck with your decision and its execution on your boat. Do it right the first time and you won't have to upgrade in the future and you'll enjoy it more. Let us know what you decide and as I mentioned earlier, we like pictures!!!

[Moser]

I use a 120 quart Igloo cooler for a fish box if I'm Striper fishing and a smaller cooler for smaller fish. I have a 20 gallon Grayline bait tank for Shad and Alewife as Striper bait and a yellow floating minnow bucket for minnows as Perch or Crappie bait.

If you just want a fish box I'd still use a cooler. If you want something with circulating water I'd still plumb up a smaller cooler, or invest in a Grayline or Vest bait tank. I have one of each of those but I think they would be overkill for anything but the most difficult bait to keep alive and healthy.



Here's six limits of Lake Erie Perch, and a nice Raystown Striper (and a boy who'll fish rather than run the streets any day.)

The 20 gallon Grayline tank is on the lower left in the bottom picture.

[Lil LiSea]

Moser, could you share some pointers on fishing perch at Lake Erie we don't live but a couple hours from there and we would definitely like to take our new pontoon out and fill our freezer with those tasty morsels ��

[Captain Tony]

Welcome to bangdock:

Thanks for getting into the PDB routine and thanks for posting your question.
I'm going to send you a recent digital copy of PDB magazine so look for it in your PM, "private message" area.

As to recommendations; how about purchasing a 94 qt. igloo cooler and temporarily lashing ii down in the center as drive2boat suggests.
That way you can do a little solo and partner fishing and see how the location, (locations) work out before you commit to opening up a starboard lounge seating area.

Try it for a trip or two, move it to a better location etc. then commit to what works best for your floor plan.

Welcome