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Author Topic:   Live Bait on a Montauk?

GuyNole posted 10-23-2002 08:05 PM ET (US)
What is the best set up for keeping live bait on a Montauk? I have considered numerous options and now am really confused. Any ideas that have worked will for you would be greatly appreciated.
keltonkrew posted 10-23-2002 08:11 PM ET (US)
I don't have a Montauk (nor fortunate enough YET). I have a small 13'. I use a cooler with an aeraetor (sp) hooked to a control switch. Never have a problem with bait dying.
weekendwarrior posted 10-23-2002 09:47 PM ET (US)
We have an oval 22 gal in the back of our 17' montauk right behind the drivers seat. It's aligned long-ways front to back. The overflow flows into the wave well (too long a day to remember the correct term) because the height of the drain was just right for it. Functionally it works great, physically it's a bit large length wise. It was moved from another boat so if I did this from scratch I think I would use a smaller round livewell. Maybe a 15 gal barrel shape. Right now it's out of the boat for wakeboarding but if you're interested I'll take a snap shot next time it's in.
dgp posted 10-24-2002 06:45 AM ET (US)
GN, to properly answer your question we need more information. Do you keep your boat in the water or trailer it? Do you get you bait in one place and then drive to the fishing area? How long do you want the fish to live? What kind of bait are you using?
I can keep minnows alive all weekend in a cheap 3 gallon insulated bucket but for shad I need my 30 gallon recirculated, oxygenated bait system, which I mount where the cooler seat normally resides.
ratherwhalering posted 10-24-2002 02:49 PM ET (US)
I have an interesting set up that works great. I took a 15-gallon, round, thick, white plastic trash barrel. It is kept in the rear of the boat, port side. Used two carabineers (99 cents at Home Depot) and a luggage strap with a rubber shoulder pad to secure it to the lifting-eye and the SS rail. I then mounted an AQUA WORLD E-Z Release Transom-Mount Bait Pump, (available at West Marine $39.00?) to the transom. I zip-tied the pump's wires to the intake, then put a male quick disconnect on the end. That plugs into the stern light's female connection. The three-position switch on the console allows me to operate just the pump (or stern light) and not the forward running lights. The 3/4" H2O intake enters the top of the tank with a threaded nipple. A 90-degree elbow inside the tank and a 12" length of PVC directs the fresh H2O to the bottom of the tank. A small hole at the elbow prevents back flow when the pump is off. About 1/2" below the intake, I mounted a 1" outflow, with a bait screen. Again a threaded nipple, attached to a 1" clear hose routed into the transom well or overboard. Works great, and the tank, pump, and all tubing is completely removable, with the exception of a small transom bracket. All components fit inside the tank when removed, and the shoulder strap can be used to carry it all. Takes about one minute to set up and disassemble. Total cost about $70.00 bucks.
Montauk posted 10-24-2002 08:48 PM ET (US)
I made a baitwell very similar to Ratherwhaling's with a few differences. I started with a 20 gallon white plastic drum, which usually have a larger diameter in the middle, cut the top off leaving about 7 inches of the barrel on it. Then cut about three inches off of that and fit the top inside the drum and used an adhesive cauk to attach top to bottom. Cut the top of a 5gal. white pail off about two inches from the flange, cut a matching hole in the top of the drum and glue the pail top in so the flange fits tight with the drum. This serves two purposes, first, you can put a pail lid on to give you a tight seal in rough water and the excess flange helps keep water from sloshing out. I used a 1 1/2 inch out flow hose on the suggestion of a FS forum member and it works great. I heated up a bar sink drain and pressed it into the plastic thru-hull for a bait screen on the outflow. Plumbed a 90 degree fitting in at the bottom on the outside and ran a tube to the top of the barrel on the outside with a garden house shutoff at the top, this arrangement allows the water to back drain out the pump when it comes time to drain the bait well. Just have to remember to shut the valve off when you shut the pump off! I learned the hard way about the EZ release aqua world pump,I lost my pump and intake hose on a rough day when it ripped out of the bracket. Put an extra screw opposite the screw that holds the pump into the bracket. Cost was about $70 also and is completely removable.
phatwhaler posted 10-25-2002 08:50 AM ET (US)
I used have a live well set up similiar Montauk, and ratherwhalering. I used a white rubbermaid "Brute" trash can that has a screw together base. I had a large piece of plywood, about 3ftx3ft that was glassed over with mat and epoxy. Rubbermaid makes a base with casters for rolling the can around that I removed the casters from and screwed to the wood. Then I just had to screw my can onto the base and it was secure. No need for lines or straps to hold it in place. West marine sells a livewell plumbing kit that has intake, drain, and overflow fittings. I mounted a bilge pump to the transom and bingo, Livewell. It kept a couple dozen greenbacks alive for hours. My Whaler has a livewell under the leaning post, so I gave my livewell to a buddy. Anyway, worked well and maybe cost $100.00.
phatwhaler out.
Got M Hooked posted 10-27-2002 07:37 PM ET (US)
I fished on several occasions on a 17 Montauk that had a 30 gallon round plastic tank at the rear floor next to the transom. A baitwell pump screwed to the transom, with garden house male/female connectors for easy removal. The overflow hose would get tie wrapped at the transom for easy removal when got home from fishing.
weekendwarrior posted 10-28-2002 01:13 PM ET (US)
You guys with tanks that aren't translucent, if your bait comes out with bloody noses then either add a light or a translucent top. Our first livewell was dark inside with the lid on and our baits were beating themselves up by running into the walls (it was a round 35 gal garbadge can). We don't have that problem with the new translucent tank.
Got M Hooked posted 10-28-2002 07:32 PM ET (US)
Weekend Warrior, If you have a round tank with directional flow circulation, you will not get a bloody nose. The bait will continue to swim against the circulation (upstream). Do baits run into a dock or jetty on a dark new moon nigh?
Got M Hooked posted 10-28-2002 07:35 PM ET (US)
Well, I take it back. Maybe if they've been drinking.
timbo posted 10-28-2002 08:36 PM ET (US)
A simple trick that isn't exactly expert craftsman work but i have seen done is taking your bilge pump line and making a quick in/out adapter into a cooler or what ever type of bait container your using and it supposedly does the trick. I'm not sure if the bilge pump would generate the amount of aeration needed and have had no first hand experience with it but its not that bad of an idea for a make shift live well. You have to make sure the bilge pump is sucking and blowing air not water!!
weekendwarrior posted 10-29-2002 01:41 PM ET (US)
Actually they will hit the tank if they panic, we had this problem. When we were under way and the boat would hit waves the bait would panic and run full speed into the sides of the tank. You could hear them hit the tank, sounded like it would hurt. :) We killed more bait this way than I can count before we made the switch to a translucent tank. No more bloody nosed fish after that. If you're not having this problem then great, we were and adding some light fixed the problem.
Got M Hooked posted 10-29-2002 05:02 PM ET (US)
Weekendwarrior, where in Florida do you recide? I am in Miami. Which Montauk do you own?
weekendwarrior posted 10-29-2002 05:33 PM ET (US)
I'm in Palm Beach Gardens and I've got a 1996 17' montauk.
Got M Hooked posted 10-30-2002 06:39 PM ET (US)
Weekender, I fished alot on one like yours with a Yamaha. My Buddy still has it and goes out for Sword fish at night on it. Great boat!!! I hate the swim platform ladder on that model year.
weekendwarrior posted 11-01-2002 11:43 AM ET (US)
Yea it's a fun boat, I'm very happy so far. :) Much better than my old Hobie Power Skiff (real bone jarring and wet ride in that thing!). I learned the trick to the ladder is to try to summersalt forward as you step and you'll pop right up into the boat. Otherwise it makes for good home videos. :)
Where do you usually fish down there and which whaler do you have now?
Whalerdan posted 11-01-2002 12:39 PM ET (US)
5 gallon bucket with a bubbler. If that's too small for you use two, one in the front of the boat and one in the back so the guy fishing up front doesn't have to keep running back and forth to the bait.
Got M Hooked posted 11-02-2002 08:24 PM ET (US)
Weekened warrior,
I sold my Dauntless 18 a few months ago. I just got back from the FT.Laudedale Boat Show. Saw them all, big & small. Whaler's quality & finish is still #1 to me. I went there to purchase the Montauk 170, but still undicided as to what accessories I want on it. My buddy removed the seat & backrest off his 1997 Montauk 17 and installed a leaning post with rod holders and takle compartment, which he got form the company that makes them for the Contender 21. He said it all cost hil $600.
Where do I fish? On the Atlantic, from Haulover cut to Tavernier Key. On the Gulf, out of Flamingo and Chokoloskee.
GuyNole posted 11-03-2002 08:25 AM ET (US)
Thanks. If anyone has photos of their Montauk setup and can email mail them, it would be a great help. Also, would West Marine or some other source be good at offering installation help. I am not a plumber or electrition.
I live in Orlando and do some fresh water fishing, but prefer the ICW and up to 10 miles out.
GuyNole posted 11-03-2002 08:27 AM ET (US)
I can't even spell those professions. Help!!
Montauk posted 11-04-2002 04:08 PM ET (US)
GuyNole,
Emailed some pictures to you of the baitwell. If anyone else would like them give me a shout.
ratherwhalering posted 11-05-2002 05:16 PM ET (US)
Still trying to get time to take the pics. I'll try to get 'em to ya on Thursday.
--Rob--

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Author	Topic: Live Bait on a Montauk?
GuyNole	posted 10-23-2002 08:05 PM ET (US) What is the best set up for keeping live bait on a Montauk? I have considered numerous options and now am really confused. Any ideas that have worked will for you would be greatly appreciated.
keltonkrew	posted 10-23-2002 08:11 PM ET (US) I don't have a Montauk (nor fortunate enough YET). I have a small 13'. I use a cooler with an aeraetor (sp) hooked to a control switch. Never have a problem with bait dying.
weekendwarrior	posted 10-23-2002 09:47 PM ET (US) We have an oval 22 gal in the back of our 17' montauk right behind the drivers seat. It's aligned long-ways front to back. The overflow flows into the wave well (too long a day to remember the correct term) because the height of the drain was just right for it. Functionally it works great, physically it's a bit large length wise. It was moved from another boat so if I did this from scratch I think I would use a smaller round livewell. Maybe a 15 gal barrel shape. Right now it's out of the boat for wakeboarding but if you're interested I'll take a snap shot next time it's in.
dgp	posted 10-24-2002 06:45 AM ET (US) GN, to properly answer your question we need more information. Do you keep your boat in the water or trailer it? Do you get you bait in one place and then drive to the fishing area? How long do you want the fish to live? What kind of bait are you using? I can keep minnows alive all weekend in a cheap 3 gallon insulated bucket but for shad I need my 30 gallon recirculated, oxygenated bait system, which I mount where the cooler seat normally resides.
ratherwhalering	posted 10-24-2002 02:49 PM ET (US) I have an interesting set up that works great. I took a 15-gallon, round, thick, white plastic trash barrel. It is kept in the rear of the boat, port side. Used two carabineers (99 cents at Home Depot) and a luggage strap with a rubber shoulder pad to secure it to the lifting-eye and the SS rail. I then mounted an AQUA WORLD E-Z Release Transom-Mount Bait Pump, (available at West Marine $39.00?) to the transom. I zip-tied the pump's wires to the intake, then put a male quick disconnect on the end. That plugs into the stern light's female connection. The three-position switch on the console allows me to operate just the pump (or stern light) and not the forward running lights. The 3/4" H2O intake enters the top of the tank with a threaded nipple. A 90-degree elbow inside the tank and a 12" length of PVC directs the fresh H2O to the bottom of the tank. A small hole at the elbow prevents back flow when the pump is off. About 1/2" below the intake, I mounted a 1" outflow, with a bait screen. Again a threaded nipple, attached to a 1" clear hose routed into the transom well or overboard. Works great, and the tank, pump, and all tubing is completely removable, with the exception of a small transom bracket. All components fit inside the tank when removed, and the shoulder strap can be used to carry it all. Takes about one minute to set up and disassemble. Total cost about $70.00 bucks.
Montauk	posted 10-24-2002 08:48 PM ET (US) I made a baitwell very similar to Ratherwhaling's with a few differences. I started with a 20 gallon white plastic drum, which usually have a larger diameter in the middle, cut the top off leaving about 7 inches of the barrel on it. Then cut about three inches off of that and fit the top inside the drum and used an adhesive cauk to attach top to bottom. Cut the top of a 5gal. white pail off about two inches from the flange, cut a matching hole in the top of the drum and glue the pail top in so the flange fits tight with the drum. This serves two purposes, first, you can put a pail lid on to give you a tight seal in rough water and the excess flange helps keep water from sloshing out. I used a 1 1/2 inch out flow hose on the suggestion of a FS forum member and it works great. I heated up a bar sink drain and pressed it into the plastic thru-hull for a bait screen on the outflow. Plumbed a 90 degree fitting in at the bottom on the outside and ran a tube to the top of the barrel on the outside with a garden house shutoff at the top, this arrangement allows the water to back drain out the pump when it comes time to drain the bait well. Just have to remember to shut the valve off when you shut the pump off! I learned the hard way about the EZ release aqua world pump,I lost my pump and intake hose on a rough day when it ripped out of the bracket. Put an extra screw opposite the screw that holds the pump into the bracket. Cost was about $70 also and is completely removable.
phatwhaler	posted 10-25-2002 08:50 AM ET (US) I used have a live well set up similiar Montauk, and ratherwhalering. I used a white rubbermaid "Brute" trash can that has a screw together base. I had a large piece of plywood, about 3ftx3ft that was glassed over with mat and epoxy. Rubbermaid makes a base with casters for rolling the can around that I removed the casters from and screwed to the wood. Then I just had to screw my can onto the base and it was secure. No need for lines or straps to hold it in place. West marine sells a livewell plumbing kit that has intake, drain, and overflow fittings. I mounted a bilge pump to the transom and bingo, Livewell. It kept a couple dozen greenbacks alive for hours. My Whaler has a livewell under the leaning post, so I gave my livewell to a buddy. Anyway, worked well and maybe cost $100.00. phatwhaler out.
Got M Hooked	posted 10-27-2002 07:37 PM ET (US) I fished on several occasions on a 17 Montauk that had a 30 gallon round plastic tank at the rear floor next to the transom. A baitwell pump screwed to the transom, with garden house male/female connectors for easy removal. The overflow hose would get tie wrapped at the transom for easy removal when got home from fishing.
weekendwarrior	posted 10-28-2002 01:13 PM ET (US) You guys with tanks that aren't translucent, if your bait comes out with bloody noses then either add a light or a translucent top. Our first livewell was dark inside with the lid on and our baits were beating themselves up by running into the walls (it was a round 35 gal garbadge can). We don't have that problem with the new translucent tank.
Got M Hooked	posted 10-28-2002 07:32 PM ET (US) Weekend Warrior, If you have a round tank with directional flow circulation, you will not get a bloody nose. The bait will continue to swim against the circulation (upstream). Do baits run into a dock or jetty on a dark new moon nigh?
Got M Hooked	posted 10-28-2002 07:35 PM ET (US) Well, I take it back. Maybe if they've been drinking.
timbo	posted 10-28-2002 08:36 PM ET (US) A simple trick that isn't exactly expert craftsman work but i have seen done is taking your bilge pump line and making a quick in/out adapter into a cooler or what ever type of bait container your using and it supposedly does the trick. I'm not sure if the bilge pump would generate the amount of aeration needed and have had no first hand experience with it but its not that bad of an idea for a make shift live well. You have to make sure the bilge pump is sucking and blowing air not water!!
weekendwarrior	posted 10-29-2002 01:41 PM ET (US) Actually they will hit the tank if they panic, we had this problem. When we were under way and the boat would hit waves the bait would panic and run full speed into the sides of the tank. You could hear them hit the tank, sounded like it would hurt. :) We killed more bait this way than I can count before we made the switch to a translucent tank. No more bloody nosed fish after that. If you're not having this problem then great, we were and adding some light fixed the problem.
Got M Hooked	posted 10-29-2002 05:02 PM ET (US) Weekendwarrior, where in Florida do you recide? I am in Miami. Which Montauk do you own?
weekendwarrior	posted 10-29-2002 05:33 PM ET (US) I'm in Palm Beach Gardens and I've got a 1996 17' montauk.
Got M Hooked	posted 10-30-2002 06:39 PM ET (US) Weekender, I fished alot on one like yours with a Yamaha. My Buddy still has it and goes out for Sword fish at night on it. Great boat!!! I hate the swim platform ladder on that model year.
weekendwarrior	posted 11-01-2002 11:43 AM ET (US) Yea it's a fun boat, I'm very happy so far. :) Much better than my old Hobie Power Skiff (real bone jarring and wet ride in that thing!). I learned the trick to the ladder is to try to summersalt forward as you step and you'll pop right up into the boat. Otherwise it makes for good home videos. :) Where do you usually fish down there and which whaler do you have now?
Whalerdan	posted 11-01-2002 12:39 PM ET (US) 5 gallon bucket with a bubbler. If that's too small for you use two, one in the front of the boat and one in the back so the guy fishing up front doesn't have to keep running back and forth to the bait.
Got M Hooked	posted 11-02-2002 08:24 PM ET (US) Weekened warrior, I sold my Dauntless 18 a few months ago. I just got back from the FT.Laudedale Boat Show. Saw them all, big & small. Whaler's quality & finish is still #1 to me. I went there to purchase the Montauk 170, but still undicided as to what accessories I want on it. My buddy removed the seat & backrest off his 1997 Montauk 17 and installed a leaning post with rod holders and takle compartment, which he got form the company that makes them for the Contender 21. He said it all cost hil $600. Where do I fish? On the Atlantic, from Haulover cut to Tavernier Key. On the Gulf, out of Flamingo and Chokoloskee.
GuyNole	posted 11-03-2002 08:25 AM ET (US) Thanks. If anyone has photos of their Montauk setup and can email mail them, it would be a great help. Also, would West Marine or some other source be good at offering installation help. I am not a plumber or electrition. I live in Orlando and do some fresh water fishing, but prefer the ICW and up to 10 miles out.
GuyNole	posted 11-03-2002 08:27 AM ET (US) I can't even spell those professions. Help!!
Montauk	posted 11-04-2002 04:08 PM ET (US) GuyNole, Emailed some pictures to you of the baitwell. If anyone else would like them give me a shout.
ratherwhalering	posted 11-05-2002 05:16 PM ET (US) Still trying to get time to take the pics. I'll try to get 'em to ya on Thursday. --Rob--