A baitfish is a small live fish used as bait for predators when fishing. In some fishing stores you can buy a live fish. But experienced fishermen advise to get it on the same reservoir as the desired trophy. For bait most often use small perch, bleak, roach, roach, crucian carp fry. Live bait can be stocked at a trial trip to the reservoir and leave it there on the spot, using a homemade container for live bait. For example, made of a bottle or canister.
But if there is a need to transport live bait, then immediately there is a question about the safety of its transportation. This is where you need a can for bait.
Can for live bait
A can for live bait is a special container for transporting and keeping small live fish in such a way as not to injure them. It is also successfully used for storing the catch. Such a container has a certain versatility – it is successfully adapted for collecting berries and mushrooms.
Materiais
Models that are on sale, most often made of plastic or EVA. There are folding buckets made of PVC or silicone. If you want to use a plastic can in winter, then the material from which it is made should be thermoplastic (resistant to significant temperature changes) and impact resistant.
Design
By design, the cans are single and double, in shape – round or oval. If you have to fish in one place and carry the can often and over long distances is not necessary, you can do with a round, in the form of a bucket. But the oval shape of the kan is more advantageous for active walking fishing or transitions between holes in the snow.
Very interesting model from Salmo – its curved oblong shape is optimal for carrying on the side.
For convenience in carrying, in addition to a reliable handle, a shoulder strap is provided.
The lid should fit snugly on the container. It is good if it has an additional fixation. It should have ventilation holes for oxygen supply.
Volume
As a rule, the total volume of containers available on the market is from 5 to 8 liters. But, picking up a suitable can, it is worth considering that in the presence of a mesh or plastic cartridge, the working volume, that is, the place where the fish are directly located, will be equal to only 3-4 liters. In order for the vein to feel good, he needs some space for movement, and this should be taken into account when choosing the volume of the container.
Which can is better?
1.For ice fishing in freezing temperatures, for example, fishing for pike on a live pike, you need special winter cans with thermal insulation. A good option will be models made of EVA. In the cold, this foam material protects the water from freezing. The thermos effect works the other way around – in the summer heat the EVA container will keep the water cool. EVA can also be used as a single-layer tank, as the relative softness of the material means that fish will not be injured during transportation.
If you choose a plastic model, then pay attention to the fact that the outer part of the cana was made of frost-resistant plastic. And with this choice, you should think about additional external thermal insulation. This will avoid freezing of water in the cana. Some fishermen advise to bury the can in the snow. But many supplement the purchased can with an external cover or a coating of thermo-insulating material. If the surface in your tank with a livebait is covered with ice, and you do not notice it in time, the fish can die from lack of oxygen.
2. For fishing in the off-season you can use any kind of containers. The main thing that your bait was not there too tight and there was access to air.
Among the plastic cans are the most convenient models with a mesh cartridge inside, as they are less traumatizing to fish both when carrying and when removing. If compactness of fishing equipment is important to you, then you can buy a can for a livebearer in the form of a folding bucket made of silicone or PVC, supplemented with an inner section of fabric mesh. It is very practical if there is an opportunity to remove the cartridge or mesh insert and lower it into the reservoir, using it as a cage. This is especially relevant on hot days in the summer, so that the fish do not overheat.
Homemade containers for live fish
Fishermen – people are extremely inventive and the topic of maintenance and transportation of the livewell did not leave them without attention. There are many ideas on how to make a can for the critter from improvised materials. Some people use ordinary enameled buckets and cans for 3-5 liters. But to carry them is not too convenient, and the behavior of such containers in the cold leaves much to be desired.
From foam plastic
There are skillful people who make cans from foam plastic. Such products are very practical, especially if a reliable handle and additional insulation for winter are thought out. To connect the parts use hotmelt glue or glue such as Titan. Before using to keep in such a cane fish should wait until the glue dries completely, otherwise the chemicals released by it can kill the bait.
From plastic buckets
A popular idea for making a special container with thermal insulation are cans from two plastic buckets of different diameters with foam, polyurethane foam, foamplex or any other similar layer available to the master. You can also often find buckets made of plastic with an external insulating layer. It is made by gluing the container with thermal insulating materials, thus creating the necessary effect of a thermos. If you are puzzled by the idea of making your own tank for bait from plastic buckets, it is better to buy new ones, designed for food use (buckets for kebabs). Do not use buckets from paint or chemicals. After all, they are often poorly washed, and this threatens the rapid death of the bait.
Keeping a baitfish at home
When keeping a livebait for a long time, for example in winter, it is necessary to take care of sufficient space, oxygen supply to the water and suitable temperature and conditions. It is easy to oxygenate the water with a simple aerator. And if the fish is kept in a container with a large area of open water (for example, a basin), then additional oxygen supply is not necessary.
According to the recommendations of fishermen, it is good if the water is taken from a natural source, and even better from the reservoir where the livebearer lived. This is not always possible in the city, so it is good to take care of a water filter. For successful storage over several months, you need to change 80% of the water periodically (about once a week). Keep the water temperature to +2 degrees without ice formation. It is desirable that the place where the vein is kept, was darkened and quiet. Experienced fishermen advise to feed the fry very moderately or not to feed at all.
Catching for a livebearer – this is a popular and very interesting type of fishing. Many prefer to hunt for predators in this way, despite the multi-stage preparation: preparation and storage of bait, preparation of gear, choice of place and time of catching. Replenishment of equipment with a suitable, convenient container for live bait, whether it is a purchased can or homemade device, an important moment for the angler who is fond of this method of catching predatory fish.
What manufacturers are popular among fans of livebait fishing?
Among the devices designed for the transportation of a livebearer, lightweight models of cans, endowed with thermal insulation, are popular. These are containers from Salmo. Their ergonomic shape is comfortable to carry them on the side.
Helios brand cans are made of dense plastic, which will not allow the water to freeze at low temperatures. The viability of the livewell is preserved due to ventilation holes.
The company Nautilus specializes in tackle and accessories for hunting for “peaceful fish”. Also in the assortment there are cans of unusual design. The open lid of such a cana can be fixed on the handle, thus preventing its loss.
Conclusão
So, brief recommendations on the choice of kana for a livebearer:
1. Shape:
2. volume:
Take into account the presence of a cartridge, the livebait needs free space
3. Time of year:
- Frost: special models with thermal insulation, such as EVA or frost-resistant plastic. For plastic winter cans, it is worth thinking about additional insulation: bury the container in snow, use an external cover or cover.
- Interseason: any type of cana, the main thing is access to air.
- Summer heat: models with removable mesh inserts, so that the bait can be kept directly in the reservoir.
Autor: Bob Nudd é um pescador experiente com mais de 20 anos de experiência e vencedor de muitas competições.