Bandersnatch Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 We all know these hosts are getting crazy. Soon we should see auto regulating live wells and app based controls. When will we get chillers for the live wells? We have them at pretty low costs for all kinds of other applications such as cold plunges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User MN Fisher Posted January 12 Super User Share Posted January 12 Ikon boats has this - the livewell system has a chiller, auto-level maintainer, and auto-inject of additives like Sure-Life products...all controlled from a touch-screen. https://ikonboats.com/our-systems/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 12 Super User Share Posted January 12 10 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said: When will we get chillers for the live wells? I didn't watch the video but there is a much easier solution than chilling the water. Just do an immediate catch and release format. Duh 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
928JLH Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 4 minutes ago, gimruis said: I didn't watch the video but there is a much easier solution than chilling the water. Just do an immediate catch and release format. Duh I hope so. Every weekend my home lake is hit with tournaments and prefishing from February until June. I don't think we've had a healthy spawn cycle for years. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 12 Global Moderator Share Posted January 12 I wish mine dispensed ice instead of water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 12 Super User Share Posted January 12 I'm fine with live well use during certain times of the season. There should be two exceptions though: during the spawn cycle, and when the water is warm. We do not need to be plucking spawning bass off their beds and hauling them across a lake to a weigh in just for glory photos on stage. I am not sure what the critical thresh hold is for water temperature and increased mortality. I would guess maybe 75 degrees. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandersnatch Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, MN Fisher said: Ikon boats has this - the livewell system has a chiller, auto-level maintainer, and auto-inject of additives like Sure-Life products...all controlled from a touch-screen. https://ikonboats.com/our-systems/ Nice!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User WRB Posted January 12 Super User Share Posted January 12 Back in the 80’s the Lowrance paper graph upgrade technician located in Longbeach CA was also installing refrigerated temp controlled systems in livewell or bait tanks. I was at Bob’s shop getting my graph updated when he was installing his system in a local rod builders bass boat to keep live bait fish* strong and healthy, so the technology has been around for a few decades. Tom *trout 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiver Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 We used to call them “ bait wells”….. they kept our minnows in, even back before we had boats, made bait wells outta coolers, small air pumps with air stone. We took small Tupperware containers froze them, put them in the cooler trying to keep the water cooler for the bait. Now they’re called live wells, the size of a small jacuzzi, and going to put chillers in them. Wonder what the power consumption is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnbt Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Tupperware works, so do plastic Coke bottles, but now I use Arctic Ice packs in multiple sizes. They are expensive, but so buying ice every day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airshot Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 I use a few of the millions of plastic water bottles that people throw away. Being a much thinner plastic they shed coolness much better than thick walled containers. Best part is they are free and reusuable. Most of what I keep is for food, so livewells get little use in my boat, but keeping my bait cool is critical. When alone my small aereated bait bucket is fine, but when I have guests, I often use the small livewell for the bait. I take along a dozen frozen plastic water bottles in a small bag in a cooler along with beverages they stay frozen for many hours if packed in a snall cooler. I just add a couple to the livewell on ocassion to keep the bait cool on hot days. Rinse them off and refreeze for the next trip, havent bought ice in years !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 13 Super User Share Posted January 13 Many boats come with a baitwell. Just not bass boats. Deep V walleye boats here often have both a livewell and baitwell. My parents Warrior does. They rarely use either one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Tennessee Boy Posted January 13 Super User Share Posted January 13 It would be nice to just set the temperature for your livewell to 74 degrees and the on board chiller would keep it at that temperature. The technology obviously exists. The problem is it would take a lot of power to do it. My guess is you would need an extra deep cycle battery or two to power a chiller and it wouldn’t cool the water very quickly. If the lake water is 85 degrees and you put a bass in the livewell you can’t wait 4 hours for the water to cool down into the 70s. So to answer the question, I don’t think we will see livewell chillers until there is a significant advance in power storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User FishTank Posted January 14 Super User Share Posted January 14 We use to freeze lake water in ice cube trays, put in a cooler, and then add it as needed to the live well or bait bucket. It wasn't rocket science but it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airshot Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 For those that have money to spend, a chiller might ve a great accessory, but for me, I have far better things to spend my money on. Water bottles are free and work excellent, but, to each his own. If I had money to burn, I would consider a massues on board to massage my shoulders while reeling in big fish!! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User slonezp Posted January 29 Super User Share Posted January 29 The technology has been around for some time. Inverter compressors are becoming the norm in residential air conditioning and refrigeration. Guess it all depends on how much money one is willing to spend. Keeping fresh oxygenated water in the livewell is key. My Lund had pickups on the bottom of the hull. I could run pumps, pickups, or both. In all the years I fished tourneys, I never weighed in a dead fish that wasn't foul hooked. The dead ones were always tongue or gill hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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