I'm working on making some modifications to a 14ft jon boat i have. Love the boat because of the tight places and skinny water I can get into especially when I'm chasing redfish. Do i really need a livewell? The issue is the weight. water is roughly 8 pounds per gallon so if i have a 11 gallon livewell I'll be adding 100 pounds. I have pipe dreams of fishing local tournaments sometimes so I know I'd need a livewell for that. I could put one in and I'd be good for weight in the boat if it' just me. But another adult and a kid would push the weight limit. If i do fish local tourneys do you normally have a co angler? Thoughts? 

First thing I did with my last two 14' flat bottoms was yank the livewells. I don't keep any and I don't tourney fish.....yet.

My new Jon boat that I had set up by a custom builder, doesn’t have a live well but I don’t see myself ever fishing a tournament. An empty live well doesn’t weigh much. If you think you might need it in the future, get it now.  If you don’t use it now, don’t put water in it. 

Can't hurt to have. Just don't fill it up if you aren't using it

It's easier to use a live well if you want to take a good photo.  The fish can rest in the live well, while you get the camera and any measuring devices ready, rather than stressing it out keeping it out of the water.

Even when not fishing tournaments,  a livewell is useful when I catch photo-worthy bass and want to keep them oxygenated while I set up my camera.  I also use it when the wife and I are fishing for crappie to eat and we want to keep the fish alive as long as possible.  We don't put them on ice until we leave the lake.

I generally do not use my livewell, it has become extra storage for the insane amount of "good ideas" the bait monkey talked me into. I also keep a spare of everything in there. Spare set of clothes, TP, trash bags, TM cord and various tools I might need.

 

On the rare occasion, I need to use the livewell ... my deck looks like a yard sale until I can get everything put somewhere else

If you know you'll fish tournaments, you'll have to have one. But who says you have to use it when you're not tournament fishing?

If you are trying to keep fish alive (caught or bait) then yeah, if not, then no. Or Am I missing something?

If you may need one, but aren't sure , a 48-54 qt Igloo cooler is easy enough to rig as a portable livewell.

 

Modify a 55 qt cooler by adding a aeration system with pump out hose, makes good dry storage unit, weighs a few lbs and you have a livewell when needed using a bucket to add water. Use a strap to hold in down by the handles when dry. I did this with a Coleman cooler for my 14' aluminum boat for decades. Fished a few night tournaments with 10 mph limit, the 14' boat to get into places my bass boat couldn't or I wasn't willing  to go.

Tom

 

 

On 11/19/2018 at 1:06 PM, J Francho said:

It's easier to use a live well if you want to take a good photo.  The fish can rest in the live well, while you get the camera and any measuring devices ready, rather than stressing it out keeping it out of the water.

This

On 11/19/2018 at 12:16 PM, Pro Logcatcher said:

Can't hurt to have. Just don't fill it up if you aren't using it

^^this^^

I had a 14' jon and loved it for its small size and shallow draft, but one thing I missed was storage. If you think you might want a livewell later, maybe get it now and in the meantime use it for covered/dry and secure storage. It's less cluttered than using a milk crate like I did.

 

They make good beer coolers....

If you may occasionally want to carry live bait like I do once a year. The Flambeau insulated 5 gallon (actually holds 2.25 gallons of water ) works for me. It can also use a standard 5 gallon bucket "tool wrapper" to store quick grab stuff like pliers bait dip net etc.

 

Its only drawback is some fishermen try to pull the styrofoam insert up by a rope and crack the foam because Flambeau doesn't show how to use it.

 

On mine I made a 1/4" plywood base, and ran a thin poly line under the bucket liner through the side races. No way the liner will crack then.

 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to put one in. If I'm worried about weight I just will not fill it. Id rather do it and not wish i had done it.