Livewell Capacity

[Horny]

New to this game and fitting out a new boat. Thinking of possible entry into BREAM comps down the track.

Would a 60 litre livewell be sufficient for 10 decent bream, just in case the unlikely happens ?

I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,

Horny.

(Guess what type of boat I bought ??)

[Richo]

Good to see your getting into a mighty addictive game...... You might as well set up an 80L tank - for WA we have different requirements to over East, due simply to the size of our beasts. 80L and you can`t go wrong....

richo:p

Should be plenty of room on the horny mate........

[Ravin]

60 litres will do the job & I've had no dramas with ten in mine but if you have the room go for an 80 why not. Always plan for the unlikely :D

[Horny]

Thanks guys. I'll see if I can stretch it to an 80. But if not, sounds like 60 will be ok.

I know what you mean about addictive. I read some articles and bought some gear. First ever session released 5 up to a conservative kilo. Now I fish for nothing else and continue to convert everyone I take out. They have even stopped bringing their bag of prawns !

Horny.

[Bear]

G'day Horny (don't you just love saying that),
It's great to hear about more converts. We have had a similar response here.

I'm hoping that the boating days out will encourage guys to take up the SPORT and do the right thing. It can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

[Richo]

Just remember Horny, WA requirements are 80L if you wish to enter the comps. If your over East you`ll get away with 60L as thats all they need. What Im saying is don`t set up a 60L if your in WA or you`ll need to change it to enter.

Richo

[Horny]

Thanks. I'm in Sydney and will probably only fish the NSW events. But if I can fit it in with the other plans for my hornet (which is only 4.35) I will go for the 80 litre (the more comfortable for the fish, the better).

See you at the Grand Final in a couple of years (here's hoping) !!

Regards,

Horny.

[Richo]

Absolutly, now that will be Horny...:D

Catchya mate

richo

[LakeConjolaFish]

I don't know anything about livewells, do you make them or do you buy them and if you make them what materials do you use?

Anyone got a few pic's ?


Thanks,

Jim

[Bear]

That's something I hoping to write an article on soon. There are any number of ways to have the well fitted.

For most boats I find it is better just past the middle of the boat rather than at the rear. Much better weight distribution.

One thing I would recommend is to have it insulated. This will make a HUGE difference to fish comfort.

[Bream Master]

Horny,

I've put a 95l esky in our team boat as the live well. Teamed up with a $60 portable Aerator it works fine. You can use the esky when you're not fishing too.

I would recommend looking at 80 litres if you can fit it. We had nine fish in the well on Saturday at Albany and it wasn't enough. With Taro's big fish coming in at 1.3 kg's, and a couple of decent fish on my side, it was getting fairly full in there.

One big tip, divide your livewell diagonally, it gives the fish heaps more room to swim in than if you divide it down the middle.

Cheers

Warren.

[Bear]

With the boats I'm involved with we are actually going to fit 100l wells with a perspex dividor across the diagonal as CraigC has.

I think it's worth it and covers for any possible future changes.

Horny,

As Bear said I have a 100L livewell in my 4m Hornet and with it full of water and Bream (sometimes) the 30 yammie has no worries pushing it along. I agree with Warren that perspex divider fitted diagonally across the livewell gives the Bream more room and they seem to like sitting right up in the corner where they tend to settle down.

I wrote an article in the Fishing WA mag a few months ago about how I built my livewell in steps (foam box and I glassed it). I know your in NSW but if you would like to get a copy I'm sure we could sort something out.

Mine is portable (it gets used as an esky) and I place it straight down the middle of the boat, on the deck running from behind the casting platform back towards the rear seat as the weight is better placed in the middle and as low down in a boat as possible. This gives me and my non-boater room to walk either side of it and access to it from anywhere in the boat.

Have fun in your boat (well it's not hard when you have a Horny!!)


Craig C

[LakeConjolaFish]

Breamseeker,

What do you use, a portable aerator or is the box plumbed ?


Jim

LCF,

I use a portable aerator and bilge pump set up both of which are 12V. The system is basic (made it myself) and turned out to be cheap. It's not the best system out there by any means but it works for me and the Bream are more than happy to hang around in there for a few hours and this is what I wish they would tell their bigger mates.

"You should have seen the livewell I was in today, it had music, cheap drinks, heaps of hot chicks, no lines for the dunnies, no entry charge and they even take your photo before you get thrown out. Man I'm telling you have a look at it when you get a chance"

Next round at Walpole please!!!!!!

Craig C

[peter bear]

craig
what issue[fishWA] was the article in ,might look into doing one up when my boat arrives.
thanks peter.;)

[LakeConjolaFish]

That sounds pretty cool, did the hot babes outnumber the guys 5 to 1 ?


I just want a simple home made job as I only fish in one comp a year (so far anyway).

Does resin eat away foam?

I have a 2' long fish tank that I have thought about lining the outside with foam and it holds around 65L. It just would be a bit heavy though I think.

One other question, do you have a lid for the livewell?


Jim

[LakeConjolaFish]

Peter Bear,

Whats your new boat going to be ?


Jim

[peter bear]

LCF 4.65 tinnie, flat floor 3mts+ of room to move around in.
peter.

[LakeConjolaFish]

Sounds good you'll have to post a pic on here when you get it.




Jim

Peter it was in the October 2002 issue, the one with Kurts stonker 1.9kg Bream on the cover. It's pretty easy to do.

LCF more like 10:1 ratio and ALL the bar maids look like the Cougar girl (some have brown hair). Normal resin will eat the foam, you need to get SPECIAL resin and this will not effect the foam at all. I put the details of the resin to use in the article but some guys still purchaced the normal stuff and lost the whole livewell so I stress make sure it can be used on polystyrene. The box came with a lid and I glassed this and put a wood stringer (like on surfboards) down the middle to strengthen it.

With the fish tank idea ... I think it would have to much weight but also dangerous if it broke or if someone fell into it. James M ( one of the WA Bream guys) put plywood around his foam box and that works a treat if you dont like the idea of fibreglassing.

Hope this helps

Craig C (where the Bream party hard)

[Horny]

Thanks to all of you for your responses and help.

I'll go the 80 litre and divide diagonally. It's just that I did already have a 60 litre Evercool icebox that I was going to use. But maybe that should be kept just for the beer.

Originally I was thinking of not dividing, but using fin clipping or elastic bands arould tails. Any opinions on this ? Like I said before, I am new to this game and I read that these are options instead of dividing (but I want to do the right thing by the fish).

Thanks and Regards,

Horny.

(8 Bream to 36cm in Parramatta River on plastic during 3 hour session Saturday morning - it just gets better and better the more I learn)

[Horny]

Craig C,

Would be very interested in that article.

Maybe I could get a copy of the mag it was in. Which one was it and what month ?

Thanks,

Horny.

[Mim]

It's just that I did already have a 60 litre Evercool icebox that I was going to use

We have two 50l livewells in our boat. The advantage of two separate wells is that if only one person catches a fish then you only need to fill up one. The other advantage is that we can use the second well as an esky if we go out on our own.

http://www.breammaster.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=181

I have included a link to the livewells that JP made. They double as a centre seat too.

Cheers,

Mim

[Dave W]

Originally posted by Horny
Thanks to all of you for your responses and help.

I'll go the 80 litre and divide diagonally. It's just that I did already have a 60 litre Evercool icebox that I was going to use. But maybe that should be kept just for the beer.

Originally I was thinking of not dividing, but using fin clipping or elastic bands arould tails. Any opinions on this ? Like I said before, I am new to this game and I read that these are options instead of dividing (but I want to do the right thing by the fish).

Thanks and Regards,

Horny.

(8 Bream to 36cm in Parramatta River on plastic during 3 hour session Saturday morning - it just gets better and better the more I learn)

I was out on the Parra on Sat. as well Horny - what boat have you got and I'll keep an eye out:)

Did you see my little black punt 'BREAM ON'??

Horny, it was in the october 2002 issue of the Fishing Western Austraila mag. Try to sent Ira Fehlberg an e-mail to see if there are any issues left (hes the ED).

ira@fishingwa.com

Craig C

[Horny]

Dave W,

Didn't see you but will keep a look out. I'm in a 4.35 white hornet with blue and black stripes and a 40 yammie tiller steer.

I normally get out every Saturday morning from Kissing Point and fish from there up to Hen and Chicken. Usually off the water by 10am and back home with the family.

I'll say hi if I see you.

Horny.

[Horny]

Craig C,

Thanks for that. I'll get hold of a copy.

Regards,

Horny.

[donfish]

Is it allowed in the bream comps to use 2 x 40ltr tanks instead of 1 tank.

donfish

[Dave W]

I was told that's O.K. Don, as long as the total is over the capacity.

[Mick]

Donfish,
2 x 40 litre livewells are fine. The rules over here only require us to have 60litre in total and it doesn't matter if it is one 60 litre or 2 x 30. Although only 60 is required I think 80 should be the minimum over on the east as well. I have been playing around with live wells over the past few weeks and a few fishing trips back had 5 fish betwen 35-40cm in a 44 litre esky and it looked crowded. So I think 40litres should be the minimum, especially if you are considering fishing Forster with some of the monsters that are lurking around the racks there.