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Would you like to see Hobie produce/market a livewell for the Outback?
Yes! 67%  67%  [ 16 ]
Nahhhh 33%  33%  [ 8 ]
Total votes : 24
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 Post subject: Outback Bait Tank
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:47 am 
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Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:24 am
Posts: 3
Location: Valencia, CA
One of the most common questions I see on the various kayak fishing websites is for a livewell/baittank for the Hobie Outback. It is a challenge to find something that works well, particularly, for fragile West Coast baits (anchovies, shad, etc). The well needs to be round, oval, or, at the very least, have very rounded corners. There are limited options at best, including:

1. A custom setup from Jim Sammons at La Jolla Kayak Fishing (hthttp://kayak4fish.com/storeDetails.shtml#bait_tanks) that runs $250 + tax & shipping.

2. A workable model through Malibu Kayaks (http://www.malibukayaks.com/gear.asp) that runs about $130

3. A variety of cheaper solutions, including Frabill, morphodite coolers, etc.

There are a lot of folks holding their breath for Hobie to produce, or, market a good, affordable livewell that fits snuggly into the Outback.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:01 pm 
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Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:15 pm
Posts: 122
Location: Sandy Eggo
Everything about the Hobie is done right. What a shame to have to jury rig a live bait tank. I'd like to see a tank made specifically for the Outback designed to fit and with integrated pump and battery. Drop it in to fish with bait or leave it at home when not needed.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:04 pm 
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Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:49 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Michigan, Great Lakes area
I hope to get an outback soon and will have to install a livewell (bait tank) of some sort.

I live in the Great Lakes region and fish any way I can, spin cast, fly, troll and yes even live bait!

My philosophy is “If it doesn’t have a livewell what good is it.â€


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 9:50 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2005 7:32 pm
Posts: 469
Location: Out There
Build your own. Less than $50 with parts available at the local mega mart. Click on the link in my signature below.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:18 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 6:56 am
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Location: Tallahassee, FL
Although a live well would be good for the Pacific Coast folks who have to deal with delicate plankton feeders for live bait, it would not be of much use for many of us on the Gulf and Southeast coasts. Our bait fishes down here are a lot tougher than those weenie Left Coast pelagics, and a simple bait bucket that you can drop in the water alongside your yak will work nicely. If you really want to get fancy, you can buy one of those inexpensive battery powered aerators to attach to your bait bucket.

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My favorite live bait is the good ole pinfish. Of course, we can't just run out to the commercial bait barge to buy our live baits back here (ain't no such things)--we have to go out and catch our own livies before actually going "fishng". But a small hook and a tiny piece of squid will allow you to catch a good supply of pins and/or grunts (less desirable since they are not nearly as hardy as are the pins) in about 30-40 minutes over the grass flats or in the canals. And, as an added benefit, pinfish on light tackle are fun to catch--especially those "bull" pinfish that are actually big enough to eat! They make great shark and cobia baits, not to mention Spanish mackerel, grouper, and amberjack, should you ever get that far out. Or you can use a cast net to catch a variety of other smaller bait fishes in the shallows or in the canals before heading out. These often smaller fishes, however, do need a bit more TLC and aeration than the pins. Whatever works... :D

However, just about everyone's favorite inshore bait (other than artificials) is live or fresh-dead shrimp. This is the go-to bait for trout and red-fishing. Now, you can buy the live shrimp from local bait shops. But, to keep it simple, some folks simply buy the live shrimp, put them in a sealed Zip-Loc (with no water, other than what the shrimp bring with them), and then lay the bag on a bed of ice in a small picnic or lunch carrier (from Wal-Mart). The ones with the plastic "box" insert work very nicely and keep your post-trip cleaning to a minimum.

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Some folks just buy the frozen dead shrimp, whereas there is a strong contingent that feel that the live or fresh-dead (cooled on ice) works the best. Here is a pic of the set-up I have been using as of late in the Sport. My Igloo 25 quarter is now my "crate", and I just put the lunch carrier with ice behind that. Works well and is fairly accessible, with no water sloshing around in the yak.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:36 am 
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Location: Out There
Quote:
Our bait fishes down here are a lot tougher than those weenie Left Coast pelagics
Hey, wait a minute.......
Actually, the baitfish we use out here are usually bigger than the big game fish they catch in the Atlantic(did you know "Atlantic" means "home of midget fish" in a prehistoric indian dialect?), so they don't fit in those little bait buckets.

Really, I've got one those Plano bait buckets and use it from time to time. The real reason we use onboard bait tanks is so you can catch a bunch of bait, usually 6-10" mackerel, and keep them for awhile. Time you spend catching bait is time away from fishing for the big boys. Kind of a pain with a bucket full of water behind the kayak(attracts seals and sea lions, too), but some guys use a bait "tube" made from PVC they hang alongside the boat with one or two macs in it. My five gallon tank will hold up to ten mackerel for 4-5 hours, at least.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:48 am 
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Location: Tallahassee, FL
Yeah Ron--I kind of figured I would get a rise out of you SoCal guys with that "weenie" comment. :mrgreen: Actually, I like the idea of an on-board recirculating bait tank. For me, though, it would probably be more trouble than it would be worth. Mebbe some day...

But I do have to add that I did not know that "Atlantic" means "home of midget fish"--good one! :D

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:34 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:50 am
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Location: Florida Panhandle
Apalach on your igloo cooler shown in the pix, did it come with the rod holders attached, or did you screw them to the chest? Want to do something similar but figured I might mess up the cooler's ability to stay cool and not leak if I put holes in it.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:32 pm 
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Hey crippledog,
I added those--available from West Marine or Boater's World for the very reasonble price of about $16. I thru-bolted them with SS machine screws, washers and nuts. I wouldn't worry about affecting cooling ability--every time you open the lid of such an ice chest, you do a lot more to affect the cooling ability than those screws ever would. I did put flat and lock washers inside, so I don't think leaking will be a problem. Besides, I use a small plastic garbage bag inside such coolers, or a refrigerator bag--$7.58 I think at Sam's Club for larger stuff. However, I do mostly CPR saltwater fishing these days--Catch, Photograph, and Release. :mrgreen:

Here's a link to the details:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2428

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:00 pm 
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Location: Out There
Quote:
But I do have to add that I did not know that "Atlantic" means "home of midget fish"--good one!

It's in the indian language dictionary, somewhere near the back, I think.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:44 pm 
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Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 10:39 pm
Posts: 82
Location: San Diego, CA
here's a link to the bait tube idea:
http://www.plasticnavy.com/bait-tube.htm

Super cheap and very effective it keeps 4-5 mackeral alive for hours and hours.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:34 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:50 am
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Location: Florida Panhandle
Thanks Apalach ...I picked up the rod holder and SS gear from West Marine last saturday. Also acquired some 1.25" pvc from Lowes with the intent of building an additional rack behind the igloo. After a lot of measuring, cutting, re-measuring, and cussing, the pvc rack ended up looking like a "Rube Goldberg" bong :lol: ...... I have decided it would be best to K.I.S. when trying to outfit my quest.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:52 am 
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Quote:
After a lot of measuring, cutting, re-measuring, and cussing, the pvc rack ended up looking like a "Rube Goldberg" bong. I have decided it would be best to K.I.S. when trying to outfit my quest.

Don't be discouraged by projects that don't go right the first time out. You should have seen the stuff we had on our first fishing kayaks a few years ago!
Our first effort to outfit a human-powered fishing craft was to bungee a milk crate to the nose of our long 10', 45lb. surfboards. It looked pretty lame, and we probably lost more stuff than we kept, but they are still using milk crates today on kayaks, so you never know where an idea is going to go.
That's part of the fun, customizing your kayak. If you're not sure of the idea, just don't drill any holes in the kayak, otherwise, the cost to try your ideas is pretty low.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:02 am 
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Hey Drew,
That bait tube idea is awesome! I'm amazed the fish survive so well in those. But, hey, whatever works! :D
Dick

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:43 am 
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ronbo613 wrote:
Quote:
It's in the indian language dictionary, somewhere near the back, I think.


Yeah ron--I checked out that dictionary and discovered San Diego is home to a long-lost tribe of midget fishermen. Their homes used to stand up there off Hillside Drive above La Jolla. I finally realized that must be the reason your SoCal fishes "appear" to be bigger--in comparison to the size of the fishermen, that is. :mrgreen:

Here's the article and the link:

Image

http://sandiego.about.com/od/uniquelysa ... _homes.htm

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