Bait cage questions

[medicineman]

I am considering building or buying a bait cage. I saw the one Primetime posted and liked the design. I have a few questions:

1) What is the maximum time I should expect the bait to survive in a cage ? I am only able to fish once every week or so- will the bait live 2 weeks in a cage ?
2) I am sure water temperature is a big factor in the survival rate of the bait- what is considered too warm for bait to survive a week ?
3) I noticed the cage Primetime built was about 5-6 feet long. Do they have to be this deep ?


Thanks for the help. Of course I'd prefer to catch my bait the day I go fishing, but it sure would be nice to save that hour (or two or three) looking for bait and just start fishing.

[bushwacker]

I bought a 32gal trashcan at walmart for $10 drilled a bunch of holes in it zip tied a pool noodle to the top. It does ok I've only used it twice so far and the only bait I have put in it is alwives. They will last a couple days. Some die every night though. I just put it in when I get to the lake and use it for overflow bait or overnight so I can turn my bait tank off on the boat. Wondering if I should leave it in while i am gone so if will build up some slime.

[mwardncsu]

I've yet to setup a cage myself, but based on discussion with others who have had them, I think one key is that there is some level of "flow" - or at least non-stagnant water so that there is O2 for the bait.

Makes me wonder if using some type of small garden pump near the cage, or perhaps even just a bubbler, to get some oxygenation & circulation through the cage could be beneficial to long(er)-term storage.

[medicineman]

Thanks guys. I am going to get one soon. I will let you know how it works out- sure to be a learning process.

[2 oars & a trash can]

I had the trash can for a long time. the biggest issue was bait thieves. Blue herons, turtles and raccoons can be kept out with a lid, but water snakes get through anything that isn't hermetically sealed. A guy found a 50 gallon barrel with holes drilled and gave it to me, and that worked a lot better than the plastic can, presumably because of the larger size. I never found an effective lid for it though. In the winter, thieves are all but non existent.

I got a Frabill nylon mesh cage for Christmas last year. Turtles ripped it up pretty much. I patched it with line and now only use it to tow behind my boat and won't leave it in the water overnight.

I haven't tried the wire ones you're talking about though. I think more depth = longer life of bait b/c they can choose the depth they like. Must take a long handled net to get the bait out, unless it is collapsible.

[quackquackboom]

An interesting setup I've seen is to take the big white water storage containers and put them on a seadoo lift that cranks up and down. Don't know how it works but it looks simple and its big.

[coheasion]

Quackquack - there is a guy in a creek way up the Blackwater that has a very similar setup. He has it on some sort of crank where he can swing the cage out over the water and then lower it. I've never seen it in the water just up on his dock.

[mwardncsu]

Wonder if the one you've seen up the Blackwater is one of these - they ain't cheap tho

beachmarineproducts.com/

Otters would wear their teeth on that

[hotdog]

Wow! That's a nice setup right there.

[coheasion]

Ha Mward - no nothing like that on the Blackwater ;-)

I'll snap a picture of it next time I'm up that way and put it in this thread.

[johnr]

A few years back I kept a cage at bayroc when we had a slip. A couple things I learned:

1. Shallow water is no good for a cage. The water temps can change quickly and the bait is then prone to shock and death.

2. The taller the cage, the better. Once again, it gives them room to escape temperature changes.

3. Less good baits is better than a lot of marginal baits. It was really only useful for keeping larger shad, that were hard to find. So it worked out. Alewives and smaller gizzards, forget it.

4. Out of sight, out of mind. Someone's gonna get bait from it when you aren't there.

5. That someone will likely be otters. You won't stop them. Sometimes it'll be a human. So out of sight....

6. A cage can be worth it at the right time of year. Like early spring when the right bait can be plentiful today but extinct tomorrow.

7. A great bait tank can be a lot more versatile than a cage.