330 Express Bait tank

[mfl1375]

We just got our new to us Grady about 6 months ago. Really love the boat and understand why Grady has such a great brand and so many devoted owners. This is my first post.

I am in Southern California where we fish with live bait primarily. We have been using the bait tank that part of the boat. Unfortunately we have experienced a quicker die-off of the bait than normal. We have tried different pumps for various flow, but at the end of the day, it doesnt keep them alive that long, maybe a day, but havent had them stay alive overnight.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? And any suggestions for improving the bait longevity would be appreciated.

Thanks

Matt

 

[Halfhitch]

I don't know what set up you have but you can over work your bait if you have too much rotation of the pool. The bait is already stressed out, scared out of their wits and are fighting for their life. After hours of fighting a serious current under those conditions, it can be too much. Volume wise it should take in the neighborhood of 7 minutes to fill your tank. If your filling in 5 or less you have too much flow. Either install a smaller pump or put a throttle valve in the feed line. Directing the nozzle down so the the current scours the bottom and stirs up the waste from the fish so it will come to the surface so it can get out of the tank helps. I like to have a drain plug that allows some flow out the drain plug to eliminate some of the toxins that settle there. Some screw-in plugs are made with a groove in the threads that allow you to release some water by leaving the plug partially unscrewed. The push in plugs require you to get an extra plug or two and drill or cut holes in them of the proper size so 20 to 30 percent of your overflow goes out the bottom drain, the rest out the overflow. Counter clockwise rotation is good.

I have talked with guys that claim they started having better luck keeping bait when they put a baffle over the nozzle so there is little if any rotation. It's kinda like pitching a baseball....everybody has their own style.

Some pictures of the inside of your tank showing the nozzle, drain and overflow would help guys that are familiar with your particular boat give you some better advice.

 

[eppem]

The other question is how much bait are you putting in the tank? To many baits will stress em out and if they start dying its bad for all of em. I have a 265 with a 40 gallon tank. We fish mostly with menhaden (bunker, pogies), these are big baits. I can keep 30 or so alive for a trip in the spring during the day when the water is cool. As the water temps heat up that # will drop. If I plan on fishing the next day and want fresh baits I can keep 6-12 in the well no problem. Anymore than that and I use bait pens. Good luck! Love the boat.