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Post by smlmike on Jul 30, 2014 7:13:45 GMT -5
I have been down a few times in the past month. Never got around to reporting. Fished mid lake near the house mostly. Usually caught limit each time, kept one for eating. Caught mostly on downlines, floats, & U-rigs in 30FOW or less. U-rigs crossing humps have been the go to. Had something swallow a 10" gizzard on a downline in about 10 FOW broke the line at the boat never came up figure it was a cat, but has me wondering to this day. But have had most luck with ales. Biggest issue I have is getting up at 5am to catch bait. I have no way to stockpile bait over night. Question: does anyone use bait baskets/cages for short term storage? Maybe for 24hrs at a time? I can keep some alive over night with salt and ice but hate the waste I have to throw out sometimes. My thought is if I keep them in a cage in the water I caught them in, survival should be good? Headed down this weekend will try to report good or bad. Liking the cool temps!
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Post by mwardncsu on Jul 30, 2014 8:10:26 GMT -5
(moved this thread to the reports section)Good report - thanks for the info.... sounds like you're solidly on the typical summer pattern. You're only getting up at 5am to catch bait - heck, isn't it light by then - you sleep late I will say, I'm glad we are on the back-side of the summer solstice and our daylight periods are shortening and the sun is coming up a little later each day. Will be interested in others comments on the bait pens - I think it depends a lot on how deep of water you have at your dock in order to get them into cool enough water - and if you are far enough down-lake to not be in the thermocline when you get that deep (which if you're below the bridge, you should be OK).
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Post by smlmike on Jul 30, 2014 11:08:42 GMT -5
Sleeping is questionable? Sometimes I will fish the night before til 12am. When those ales come to the light late evenings it's hard to go to bed, and then sleep while I have fishing on the mind.
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cane
New Member
Posts: 28
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July
Jul 30, 2014 16:15:52 GMT -5
Post by cane on Jul 30, 2014 16:15:52 GMT -5
Hello All, I'm curious about this myself. My schedule doesn't permit me to spend more than a couple days at a time there. I've tried a home made tank on the dock with a recirculating pump. It worked fine this spring but it has not worked well this summer since I can't keep the water cool enough. I lose most of my bait by the next morning. I'm thinking about building a pen to try out and would like to hear other experiences with them.
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BentRod
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Posts: 2,252
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July
Jul 31, 2014 6:06:20 GMT -5
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Post by BentRod on Jul 31, 2014 6:06:20 GMT -5
Hello All, I'm curious about this myself. My schedule doesn't permit me to spend more than a couple days at a time there. I've tried a home made tank on the dock with a recirculating pump. It worked fine this spring but it has not worked well this summer since I can't keep the water cool enough. I lose most of my bait by the next morning. I'm thinking about building a pen to try out and would like to hear other experiences with them. It will not work well in the summer months, at least not with alewives for long term storage. Oct-Apr are your best bet for a cage.
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July
Jul 31, 2014 7:38:31 GMT -5
Post by deerview on Jul 31, 2014 7:38:31 GMT -5
On the bait cage, it does depend on water temp. I am down the lake and I have a 4 foot tall, 3 foot wide bait cage with a heavy nylon mesh around it. I have it on a pulley system for raising and lowering it. The water depth is 6-8 feet. I start throwing a net right after dark on a light and put them in it. Sometimes, I have to get up in the middle of the night to get bait. They hold up fine for a couple of days. This is not good for long time storage, but I refresh each night so I can use the next day. Cover the top so the raccons and other critters can't get to them. (Good luck with that). I know of a couple of guys that have stainless steel mesh from top to bottom and sink their bait in the summer to get them to cooler water. After a couple of days in hot weather, they will show signs of stress. Hope this helps.
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lund1
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Posts: 284
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July
Jul 31, 2014 11:13:21 GMT -5
Post by lund1 on Jul 31, 2014 11:13:21 GMT -5
I have a 6' deep wire cage I bought from Dewayne at CQ. His dad makes them. Really nice piece of workmanship that I tried to duplicate myself. Thats when I bought one from him. Alewives don't survive for long in the summer. It's sitting in about 7-8 feet of water with foam around the top to keep it above the water line. I did this to allow room for gizzard to flip a bit. It's great in colder months though. My bait tank is only 20 gallons so I like to load up the cage in the cold months. Bait lasts for many days. I also found it's good to let scum build up on the sidewalls vs. keeping it clean. Fish like to poke around in the mesh and the slime prevents damage.
I would rather deal with keeping the bait tank cool and clean in the summer then coming down to a cage full of dead bait. Happened way too many times.
The cage from CQ has a hinged plywood top. Putting a decent rock on the lid keeps out the varmints. I did have an otter that was tough to compete with for a while but she's moved on. No, I didn't shoot her...tempting, but the wife remembers some movie about otters and absolutely forbid it.
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Post by smlmike on Jul 31, 2014 11:38:54 GMT -5
I guess my biggest thought about this is, if I keep them in the same temperature water at my dock in the summertime that I caught them in they should be able to acclimate in the cage until morning? Your thoughts?
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Post by smlmike on Jul 31, 2014 11:41:04 GMT -5
Lund1 Do you remember what you paid at CQ? I have been looking online at about a 47gal cage. How you don't mind me asking?
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BentRod
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July
Jul 31, 2014 12:07:06 GMT -5
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Post by BentRod on Jul 31, 2014 12:07:06 GMT -5
I guess my biggest thought about this is, if I keep them in the same temperature water at my dock in the summertime that I caught them in they should be able to acclimate in the cage until morning? Your thoughts? What type of tank do you have? It's a LOT easier to keep alewives overnight in a tank in the summer than in a cage. Cold water, salt, a decent aerator is all you need..a tank of ales thats not overloaded will live 36-48hrs with very little maintenance. If you start moxing in gizzards, then you're looking at 18-24hrs unless you baby them.
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July
Jul 31, 2014 15:37:23 GMT -5
Post by deerview on Jul 31, 2014 15:37:23 GMT -5
The ales I catch the night before will stay close to the bottom of the cage. I fill my 30 gal greyline the night before also, add salt and let it settle. I have run the tank overnight with ales but I think they do better with fresh water and clean filters. After I add the ales, I put in a frozen 1/2 gal jug of water. This way the water cools slowly and the ales adjust to the temp change. If it is too cold, it will shock them.
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Post by smlmike on Aug 3, 2014 20:04:15 GMT -5
I just have the stock live wells that came with the pontoon. Which are short term also during the summer. Pontoon doubles as a fish/pleasure boat. This fall /winter I am going to try and replace a chair with a tank. And then remove tank during summer months. With a shared slip there's no room for leaving storage tanks sitting on the dock either. So a basket wouldn't take up space. Appreciate your thoughts. Really need a dedicated fishing vessel!
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lund1
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July
Aug 4, 2014 16:47:38 GMT -5
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Post by lund1 on Aug 4, 2014 16:47:38 GMT -5
Mike, I think I paid $175 for the 6 footer. Sounds like a lot until you price the parts , etc...
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July
Aug 4, 2014 17:54:45 GMT -5
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Post by 2 oars & a trash can on Aug 4, 2014 17:54:45 GMT -5
I drilled a hundred holes in a standard (25 gallon?) plastic trash can and I pull it tied to by boat. It both stores my bait and serves as chum.
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