On a hot summer day, my live bait dies. Under the Texas sun, live minnows in a bucket with an aerator quickly turn into bait soup. The problem isnโt low oxygenation, itโs water temperature. To lower the temperature and increase aeration, I hooked up a livewell pump, inlet and overflow. Continuously exchanging the water creates a reasonable temperature and ideal aeration to maintain my bait on the hottest days.
How to Build a DIY Kayak Livewell
Materials
- 13-quart cooler
- 500 gallon-per-hour livewell pump
- 3/4″ coupling
- 3/4″ MPT x ยฝโ hose barb fitting
- 1″ MPT x 1โ hose barb 90
- 3/4″ PVC
- 1/2″ x 3′ vinyl hose
- 1″ x 3′ vinyl hose
- Stainless hose clamps
- 16-gauge wire
- Spade wire connectors
- Heat shrink
- Rocker switches
- Stuffing tube
- Fuel priming bulb
- Silicon
Tools
- Drill
- Spade drill bits
- Philips, flat head or socket for hose clamp
- Wire strippers
- Wire crimp
- Saw
The Build
Despite all the pieces, this is a straightforward build.
- Choose a watertight container to fit in the kayak tankwell. I used a Jackson JKrate, which is easy to strap into my kayak.
- Since the pump fills the bait well and aerates the water, I placed it high on the side of the tank.
- Use an appropriate sized spade bit to drill the holes.
- Secure the feed hose to the pumpโs inflow with a hose clamp. The hose draws water through my scupper.
- Connect the outflow side of the pump to the livewell. The livewell pump has a threaded outlet I screwed into the JKrate.
- To create a spray bar, measure and cut a section of ยพโ PVC to go on the pumpโs outlet.
- Drill four 3/16โ holes evenly spaced down the length of the pipe. Add a cap and a PVC coupler to ยพโ MPT thread. Attach the bar to the pump outlet.
- The water outlet is opposite from the inlet. The overflow regulates the water level so I placed the outlet an inch below the fill pipe. I started with a smaller hole and increased the size to balance the incoming water with the overflow and maintain a steady water level.
- To feed the outlet water overboard, connect the MPT 90 x slip hose barb to the livewell.
- Attach the outlet hose with a hose clamp. The outlet hose runs from the overflow through a scupper in my tankwell.
- To power the pump, connect the leads to a 12-volt, 10-amp-hour battery. I added a rocker switch to control power to the pump.
- To start the livewell, I have to prime the pump. I use a fuel priming bulb to fill the inlet hose until the pump can pick up water.
Hot tub bait machine. Keep fish and shrimp kicking all day. | Feature photo: Cory Byrnes
